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Civil Engineer (Pathways Recent Graduate Program), Rural Development - Alexandria, Louisiana

The Pathways Program offers students and recent graduates opportunities in the federal government. The Recent Graduate Program targets individuals who graduated from accredited institutions within the last 2 years, and veterans up to 6 years. The Recent Graduate Program lasts 1 year, where upon conclusion you may be converted to a career position in the federal service.


Summary

This position is located in a State Office, Rural Development (RD), USDA. This position is a Recent Grad position within the Pathways Program.


Responsibilities

  • Performs a variety of routine civil and related engineering activities for rural credit and development programs.
  • Reviews preliminary designs, drawings, plans, specifications, and cost estimates for routine projects.
  • Provides advice on routine civil engineering aspects of projects financed by RD loan and grant programs.
  • Reviews routine projects to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, funding policies, cost effectiveness and other requirements.
  • Participates in meetings, conferences, inspections, training to RD staff and consulting engineers.

Qualifications

To be eligible, applicants must meet one of the following requirements;
  • Completed all requirements for an associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two (2) years; or

  • Individuals who, due to military service obligation, were precluded from applying to the Recent Graduates Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period described above shall have a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. This eligibility period cannot extend more than 6 years from the date on which the requirements for the academic course of study were met.

Basic Requirements:

  • A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics OR B. Combination of education and experience - college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following: 1. Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT) 1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) 2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3. Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4. Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, maybe accepted in lieu of a degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.)

In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements above, applicants must possess the experience requirements as follows:

  • For the GS-5 level: Applicants must have three (3) years of progressively responsible general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-4, that demonstrates: Experience reviewing construction project preliminary plans, drawings, designs and specifications . Experience providing technical services in the engineering, planning and design process for projects that may include single or multi-family housing, wastewater facilities, businesses, and community facilities. OR Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a professional engineering degree. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

  • For the GS-7 level: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 level; or its non-Federal equivalent that demonstrates: Experience reviewing construction project preliminary plans, drawings, designs, specifications and cost estimates. Consulting with private groups, public bodies and other agencies on civil or environmental engineering and architectural aspects of projects. Experience providing technical services in the engineering, planning and design process for projects that may include single or multi-family housing, wastewater facilities, businesses, and community facilities; OR Superior Academic Achievement. OR Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) for two-grade interval positions OR Completion of one full academic year of graduate education OR completed a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a Bachelor of Engineering or higher degree OR degree in Engineering and experience as a Technician equivalent to grade GS-5 or higher that may be creditable towards 1 year of experience. Equivalent combination of education and experience are qualifying for this grade level.

  • Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.1. Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on completed courses.2. Grade-point average - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed bases on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.


  • Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

  • This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

  • Recent Graduate appointments are intended to last for 1 year. Recent Graduates who satisfactorily complete all the USDA Recent Graduates Program requirements may be non-competitively converted to a Term or Permanent appointment in the competitive service. Conversion is not guaranteed. Recent Graduates converted to Term appointments may later be non-competitively converted to a Permanent competitive service position.
  • Upon successful completion of the Recent Graduate Program requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.205 (qualifications, one year continuous work experience, satisfactory performance, mandatory training completion, etc.) you may be non-competitively converted to a term, careerĀ­ conditional or career appointment within 120 days to a:
  • Civil Engineer, GS-0810-05/07/09/11/12 career ladder position. The full performance level (FPL) of the position to which converted may be up to the GS-12 level.

  • NOTE: An agency is not required to convert any individual in a Pathways position, to a position in the competitive service, whether upon completion of degree requirements or otherwise. Conversion to a competitive service position is not an entitlement.

  • NOTE: Students who will be graduating in the Spring/Summer 2020 are eligible to apply for Recent Graduate positions. However, candidates cannot be appointed to a Recent Graduate position until proof of graduation on an official transcript is provided.