Environmental Protection Specialist - DIRECT HIRE (BIL)

Location
Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, DC;Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Cambridge, MA; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Fort Worth, TX; Seattle, WA, United States
Posted
Sep 12, 2023
Closes
Oct 12, 2023
Ref
748275900
Function
Other
Hours
Full Time
Summary

This is a public notice for FTA authorized Environmental Protection Specialist (0028) positions open to U.S. Citizens. Positions may be announced for GS-11-12-13 to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2021.

This position is located in a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Regional Office.

Duties

As a Environmental Protection Specialist, you will:
  • Meet with staff of other Federal agencies to discuss environmental processes, issues, and opportunities for expediting project delivery.
  • Represent FTA in interagency environmental activities and workgroups for the primary purpose of developing improved interagency relationships and consultation procedures, improved environmental review and analysis methods, and improved mitigation concepts, and thereby streamlining the environmental review process to expedite project delivery while maintaining appropriate environmental protections.
  • Ensure the compliance with NEPA, FTA's environmental procedures (23 CFR part 771), the Clean Air Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act, metropolitan and statewide transportation planning, economic, social, and environmental interests, Section 4(f) of the DOT Act, and other Federal environmental laws during execution of the Federal transit program.
  • Lead efforts in implementing agency-wide regulations, policies, procedures, and guidelines related to the impact assessment and mitigation of the environmental and community impacts of proposed transit projects and transportation plans.
  • Guide the development and preparation of guidance documents and memoranda, website material, and training courses on environmental analysis methods and procedures for transit project development and transportation planning for use by environmental and transportation planners throughout the region.

The ideal candidate will have experience with environmental project management and preparation of environmental documents; demonstrated ability to analyze project needs and impacts in environmental planning, and urban and regional transportation planning; and has knowledge of environmental laws, the environmental review process and principles of project development while promoting the FTA mission.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen & meet specialized experience to qualify
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position


CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
  • GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).


Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must, (1) provide a copy of transcripts for verification, AND (2) meet either the education or experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-09 it must include:
  • Experience applying methods, concepts, principles, and practices to perform research, studies, or analysis to inform environmental documents required by the National Environmental Policy Act or other related laws, regulations, or policy.
  • Experience working both independently and as a team member using environmental analyses to identify and mitigate the potential impacts of transportation or other projects.

To qualify for the GS-11 on Education alone, you must have:
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
You can also qualify based on a combination of higher level graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-12 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:
  • Experience working with project sponsors/recipients, local and state agencies, and other federal agencies in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental laws and regulations, including Section 4(f), as they relate to transit/transportation projects.
  • Experience with impacts that occur with transit/transportation projects in compliance with NEPA, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 4(f), and in mitigating those impacts.

You cannot qualify on education at the GS-12 level; you must have experience.

To qualify for the GS-13 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12 it must include:
  • Experience working with project sponsors/recipients, local and state agencies, and other federal agencies in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental laws and regulations, including Section 4(f), as they relate to transit/transportation projects.
  • Experience with environmental statutes, laws, regulations, guidelines, and the federal environmental review processes incompliance with NEPA, including the Clean Air Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, Section 4(f) of the DOT Act, and other environmental laws, regulations, and policies, as they relate to Federal environmental requirements in preparing environmental documents for transit/transportation projects.
  • Experience in providing technical assistance for transit/transportation projects that require any level of NEPA review (i.e., categorical exclusion, environmental assessment and/or an environmental impact statement) from beginning to conclusion and including mitigation and all consultation, such as with the State Historic Preservation Officer, USFWS, USACE, and Federally recognized tribes.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
  • Organizational Awareness - Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.
  • Problem Solving and Communication - Troubleshoots, diagnoses, analyzes, and identifies system malfunctions to determine the source and cause of the problem.
  • Project Management (transit) - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.

For all types of consideration, 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional information

For all types of consideration, 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months of closing date of the announcement. Graduation transcript must be received before start date.

Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

For this announcement, all applicants will be reviewed to determine if they meet the basic qualifications for this position, specifically the educational requirements. Applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

Applicants will not be rated or ranked. Veteran's Preference does NOT apply.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated by a resume. If, upon review, it is determined that your resume and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be removed from consideration.

Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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.

ALL Applicants must provide a resume that fully supports the required specialized experience and was created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and respond to the vacancy questions by the closing date of the vacancy. Formatted resumes can be uploaded when you arrive at the DOT application system. For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/

TRANSCRIPTS - if you are substituting education for experience. The transcripts need not be official, but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.
  • Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.
  • If you are applying to an engineering position and are qualifying based on possessing a current Professional Engineer (PE) license, or passing the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, please provide a copy of PE license or written documented proof of passing the EIT.

DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 85) and provide all of the following documents:
  • your most recent performance appraisal,
  • the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
  • your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.

Displaced employees may be eligible for ICTAP or CTAP priority consideration.

For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents. Uploading documents to USA Jobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system. You must verify that the documents are in the system with your application prior to final submission.

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

You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
  • To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
  • Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
  • You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov.

If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov

Agency contact information

Automated Staffing Office

Phone

000-000-0000

Fax

000-000-0000

Email

TRANSJOBS@fhwa.dot.gov

Address

DOT, FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION
Submit Application and Documents Online
1200 New Jersey Ave SE / HAHR - 50
Washington, District of Columbia 20590
United States

Next steps

You may check your application status by logging into USAJobs.com (Select "My USAJobs" and click "Applications". Within two weeks of the closing date, a Human Resources Specialist will evaluate your application. Qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.