Electrical Engineer (Hydropower) (26993)

Announcement Type Direct-Hire Authority (DHA)

Position Type Permanent

USACE Organization Southwestern Division (SWD) - Tulsa District

Locations (City, State) Tulsa, Oklahoma

Summary Position Overview/Duties This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD, Section 9905 to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

About the Position: This is an Electrical Engineer (Hydropower) GS-0850-12 position for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Southwestern Division, Tulsa District, Operations Division, Technical Support Branch, Hydropower Section, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This Position Is Covered By Special Salary Rate Table 0755 For Eligible Electrical Engineering Work Directly Involved In The Generation And/or Transmission Of Electric Power. The 2026 SSR Salary Ranges For The Advertised Grades Are

• GS-9: $87,887 – $103,709 per year
• GS-11: $99,954 – $119,097 per year
• GS-12: $104,502 – $127,443 per year

As an Electrical Engineer (Hydropower) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, you will serve as a key technical authority supporting the operation, maintenance, modernization, reliability, and continued performance of large hydroelectric power facilities within the Tulsa District. The position provides professional electrical engineering expertise across complex power-generation systems, including SCADA and plant control systems, generators, transformers, switchgear, protective and communications systems, and associated hydroelectric equipment. This is a developmental career-ladder position , providing progressively greater engineering responsibility from GS-9 through the full-performance GS-12 level. The incumbent will work closely with power plant personnel, engineering organizations, contractors, manufacturers, utilities, and other Federal agencies to resolve complex technical problems and ensure safe, reliable, and efficient power generation.

Major Duties

• Lead electrical engineering investigations and designs for major maintenance, rehabilitation, modernization, and repair projects at hydroelectric power plants. Conduct field investigations, evaluate existing conditions and operating requirements, develop engineering solutions, establish design parameters, prepare cost estimates, and coordinate technical requirements with engineering organizations, power plant personnel, contractors, and other agencies.
• Provide engineering leadership during complex equipment failures and major breakdowns. Diagnose difficult or unusual electrical and control-system problems, develop solutions when replacement parts or established repair methods are unavailable, evaluate obsolete equipment, support prototype or replacement-system development, and provide technical direction needed to return generating units to reliable service.
• Review and control the technical quality of equipment designs and contractor work. Evaluate electrical and mechanical designs, drawings, specifications, shop drawings, equipment proposals, and manufacturing information for compliance with engineering criteria and contract requirements. Resolve complex design and manufacturing issues, develop changes for unforeseen conditions, and coordinate with manufacturers and industry engineers on specialized power-generation equipment.
• Support power-plant operations, reliability, compliance, and program execution. Participate in major generating-unit inspections, field installations, testing and start-up activities, and development of operating procedures; manage assigned aspects of the District's North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) compliance program; support annual maintenance and hydropower budget development; establish project priorities and schedules; provide technical direction to subordinate personnel; and ensure engineering work meets operational, reliability, safety, and public-interest requirements.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS : Occasional physical activity is required including walking, bending, or climbing to inspect equipment and advise during major repair/maintenance.

WORK ENVIRONMENT : Work is performed primarily in an office setting. There is occasional exposure to conditions and buildings and facilities that are being maintained/repaired.

Other Conditions And Requirements WHO MAY APPLY: US Citizens. Minimum Education Requirement

• 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:
• 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 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. 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.)

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

• NOTE: You MUST provide a copy of your transcripts with your application package or you will be rated ineligible.***

Specialized Experience Applicants must meet the applicable specialized-experience requirement for the grade for which they are being considered. Specialized experience must be professional engineering experience equivalent in level and complexity to the next lower grade and must demonstrate the application of professional electrical engineering knowledge to non-routine engineering problems.

GS-9 One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 level.

• Applying electrical engineering principles to the maintenance, repair or design of power-generation equipment and systems.

OR

Have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position. (Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

OR

A combination of experience and education

GS-11 Responsibilities One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 level that demonstrates progressively responsible professional electrical engineering experience in the following areas:

• Evaluating or directing repair and modernization of complex electrical requirements and systems associated with hydroelectric generating facilities OR
• Coordinating investigations, engineering analyses, design parameters, or cost estimates to support major maintenance and rehabilitation projects involving complex electrical systems.

OR

Have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position.

OR

A combination of experience and education

GS-12 One Year Of Specialized Experience Equivalent To At Least The GS-11 Level That Demonstrates Advanced Professional Electrical Engineering Experience In The Following Areas

• Solving highly complex or unusual problems involving hydroelectric generating equipment, plant electrical systems, controls, protection or related power-generation infrastructure AND
• Leading major engineering repair/design activities, contractor and manufacturer technical reviews, budgeting, project management, and technical direction of other engineers or technicians supporting complex power-generation projects.

Other Requirements, Conditions Of Employment And Information

• How to Apply: Applications must be submitted after 12:01 AM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Open Date and before 11:45 PM (EST) of the posted Job Posting Close Date to receive consideration. Click the apply button, follow the prompts (fill out the required collect form, attach a resume following the resume format guidance).
• All positions require U.S. citizenship.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must register for Selective Service prior to appointment.
• Direct deposit of pay is required.
• A probationary period may be required.
• Hiring incentives such as a recruitment/relocation bonus may be authorized (subject to available budget).
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement/Special Pay Rate (SSR).
• This position may be eligible for situational telework only.

Your Resume

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, include employer name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), hours worked per week, and a brief description demonstrating the ability to perform the required duties. Missing required information may result in an incomplete application or non-consideration.
• Use plain language and avoid unexplained acronyms or terms. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about qualifications.
• Resumes containing photographs or other inappropriate material/content will not be used for eligibility or qualification determinations and may result in non-consideration.
• Resume guidance is available at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor To learn more, please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity (https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/federal-employees-job-applicants).

Qualifications - Candidates will be evaluated in accordance with OPM General Schedule (GS) Qualification Standards or Federal Wage System (FWS) Qualifications and Job Elements GS Standards: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

Reasonable Accommodation Reasonable accommodation is available to qualified employees with disabilities. You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application process, hiring process or while on the job. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.