Mechanical Engineer

Duties

The Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Division has approximately 107 staff that provide integrated technical expertise in:1) Mechanical Piping & Systems, 2) Mechanical Structures, 3) Electrical Controls, 4) Power Systems Analysis & Controls, 5) Hydropower Diagnostics & SCADA, 6) Electrical Equipment, and 7) Turbines and Pumps.

The Turbines & Pumps Group provides mechanical engineering services to produce final designs, appraisal studies, feasibility studies, and inspections for hydropower turbines and large water pumps. The group also provides condition assessments, design and operations reviews, value planning, and construction support, as well as technical investigations-related work associated with a wide variety of turbines and pumps to Reclamation and non-Reclamation stakeholders. Services include:

• Hydraulic transients in power system waterways including stress analysis
• Onsite testing for pumps and turbines during new equipment startups
• Performance testing for pumps and turbines to confirm warranted characteristics
• Turbine uprate replacement
• Pump selection

• Provide expert advice and consultative services on all phases of design, procurement, fabrication, installation, testing, operation and maintenance of mechanical equipment for hydroelectric power plants, pumping-generating plants, pumping plants, and water treatment facilities.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

To be eligible, an applicant must meet the following:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
• You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
• You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
• You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
• You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
• You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).

• Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)

How You Will Be Evaluated

• Benefits

  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Required Documents

  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

  Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.
  
  RESUME: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. For more information, click here.
  
  TRANSCRIPTS: Required for candidates using education as a basis for qualifications.
  
  VETERANS: If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. For more information, click here.
  
  CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAMS: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.
  
  Professional Engineer: A current valid Professional Engineering (P.E.) license. Provide proof of license with the application. Failure to provide proof of the license may result in an ineligible rating.

  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• How to Apply

  Category rating and selection procedures will be used to evaluate applications from this announcement. If an applicant meets the basic qualification requirements, his/her on-line responses to the vacancy assessment questionnaire will be used to determine the quality and extent of his/her experience, education, training, etc., for placement in one of the following categories: 1) Best Qualified, 2) Well Qualified, and 3) Qualified. Qualified candidates will be assigned a numerical score on a scale of 70-100. The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Veterans' preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). The assessment questionnaire will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
  
  For evaluating the quality of candidates for referral to the selecting official, a three-phased process will be used.
  
  Phase 1: Applicant resumes will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements (see definition of specialized experience). If applicants meet basic qualifications, they will continue on to the second phase and will be given an interim score based on the applicant assessment questionnaire, which will take the applicant approximately 30 minutes to complete when initially applying. With information received from the applicant assessment questionnaire in the first phase, applicant's will be evaluated on the following Competencies: Mechanical Engineering, Project Management, Reading Comprehension, and Written Communication
  
  Phase 2: Candidates who pass the first phase will be contacted via email and asked to submit narrative responses which will address the Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies listed below. Subject Matter Expert(s) will review the score and narrative responses: Project Management
  
  Phase 3: Candidates will be given a final score which combines the scores from the first and second phases. Those candidates who score as best qualified will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
  
  Applications (resume, assessment questionnaire, and supporting documentation) for this vacancy MUST be received online BEFORE midnight Eastern Time (Washington, DC time) on 06/22/2023. To apply, click the blue APPLY ONLINE button at the top of the page.
  
  Do not submit photographs with the application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - applicant must remove any images from badges, licenses, etc.

  Agency contact information

  Amanda McNulty

  Email

  amcnulty@usbr.gov

  Address

  Technical Service Center
  Bureau of Reclamation
  Denver Federal Center
  P.O. BOX 25007
  Denver, CO 80225-0007
  US

  Next steps

  Upon successful submission of the application packet, applicants will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If this email confirmation is not received by the applicant, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.
  
  After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.

• Fair and Transparent

  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals