Supervisory Civil Engineer

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Flathead Indian Irrigation Project in Saint Ignatius, Montana.

Duties

As Supervisory Civil Engineer, GS-0810, your typical work assignments may include, but not limited to: Apply expertise in advanced professional knowledge of civil engineering for dam design and irrigation, construction, examination, rehabilitation, and maintenance problems and issues. Apply expertise in advanced construction technology, materials engineering and failure mode analysis to dam embankment, spillway, outlet and foundation analysis, problems, and issue resolution. Oversees planning, design, engineering, construction, and construction management activities, including contract negotiations, pre-bid and post-award meetings, contract administration, and conducting surveys, inspections, and testing for new construction and rehabilitation of existing features. Provides expert technical review and guidance for irrigation programs, overseeing the development, implementation, and maintenance of guidelines for irrigation design, construction, operations, and rehabilitation. Directs office and field engineering activities-including design data collection, environmental and cultural reviews, contract administration, inspections, surveying, materials testing, and startup/operations-supporting construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of water-rights settlement project features. Coordinates planning, design, engineering, environmental and cultural reviews, value engineering, and construction management activities across multiple projects. Plans and assigns work, sets priorities, and prepares schedules for completion; evaluates employee performance and provides guidance on work and administrative matters; recruits and interviews candidates; resolves employee concerns and administers disciplinary actions; identifies and arranges needed training; improves workflow and work quality; and establishes performance standards.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR CIVIL ENGINEER GS-14: Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's 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 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: Evaluation of Experience: 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. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional 1For more information about EI and EIT registration requirements, please visit the National Society of Professional Engineers website at: http://www.nspe.org. 2The FE examination is not administered by the U. S. Office of Personnel Management. For more information, please visit: http://www.nspe.org/Licensure/HowtoGetLicensed/index.html. 1 registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 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. 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, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-14: meet the basic requirement, and I have 1 year of specialized experience that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include irrigation construction, operation and maintenance, power utility construction, operation and maintenance, dam construction, operation and maintenance, and safety issues of irrigation, power, and dam projects; formulate and recommend policies, plans and programs relating to the management, development and protection of water resources, water rights, irrigation, power, and dam facilities; prepare and justify the program budget and produces required statistical and program reports; oversee updates to contracts and related documents necessary to carry out program activities. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Evaluations

Your application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position. Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 11/05/2026 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies required to successfully perform the job. Civil Engineering Leadership Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence If you meet the minimum qualifications requirements for this position, your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Once the application process is complete, a review of your qualifications will be conducted to determine if you are qualified for this job. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-preference eligibles. Best Qualified: Applicants that possess all of the job related competencies identified as important for successful job performance. Well Qualified: Applicants that possess a majority (i.e., more than half but not all) of the job related competencies needed for successful job performance. Qualified: Applicants meet the basic eligibility and minimum qualification requirements but do not meet the definition of Best Qualified or Well Qualified as described above. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC, Section 472). Verification Form BIA-4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. Indian Preference eligibles not currently employed in Federal service may be appointed under the Excepted Service Appointment Authority Schedule A, 213.3112(a)(7). Consideration will be given to Non-Indian applicants in the absence of qualified Indian Preference eligibles. For more information, please visit: https://www.bia.gov/jobs. REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13058399.

How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. In writing your resume, please be clear and specific. We will NOT make assumptions regarding your experience and/or employment status. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Notification to Applicants: Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. PLEASE NOTE - NO APPLICATION MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA E-MAIL.

Other information All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2026 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Saint Ignatius, Montana. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. AN INCENTIVE MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES AT MANAGEMENT DISCRETION. A SERVICE AGREEMENT WILL BE REQUIRED. RELOCATION EXPENSES MAY BE AUTHORIZED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRAVEL REGULATIONS. The full performance level of this position is GS-14. The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. This is a supervisory position. Under provision of the Civil Service Reform Act, first-time supervisors are required to serve a one year supervisory probationary period before their appointment becomes final. Those who do not satisfactorily complete this probationary period will be returned to positions of no lower grade and pay than those they occupied before assuming their supervisory assignment.