Duties

Summary

This opportunity is open to current students seeking a degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering Management, Geomatics Engineering, Environmental Engineering or other directly related engineering program.

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Responsibilities

The Student Trainee (Civil Engineering) Pathways Intern will participate in one of the following activities and assignments within the various branches:

Construction

• Inspecting and testing assignments on construction projects.
• Field sampling and testing of construction materials.
• Participate in partnering meetings.
• Serve as an instrument operator or rodman on construction survey of projects or monitors contractor stakeout, including staking of centerline, slope staking, drainage staking, structural staking, and setting of grade stakes.
• Compute and balance quantities.

Highway Design

• Prepare roadway plans and quantity calculations, title sheets, plan profile sheets, alignment layout, supplementary drawings, earthwork calculations, and pipe and box culvert structure detailing.
• Compute curves and traverses.
• Assemble plans, specifications, and estimate (PS&E) documents.
• Basic drafting.

Environment

• Review and summarize technical reports and NEPA documents.
• Preparation and completion of environmental and historic documents.
• Review environmental impacts of proposed projects.
• Preparation of environmental compliance documentation.

Planning and Programming

• Collection and assembly of data.
• Damage site assessments and reports for Emergency Relief projects.
• Preparation of environmental compliance documentation.
• Preparation of agreements for projects.

Technical Services

• Perform duties in the areas of technology development, safety, pavements and materials, and road inventory. Details of assignment to be determined by specific discipline.

Pavements

• Plan, Specifications & Estimates (PS&E) review process for pavement design projects.
• Design and construction recommendations for new and rehabilitation pavement projects.
• Perform pavement-testing services
• Conduct pavement field investigations
• Operation and maintenance of the Pavement Management System

Road Inventory Program

• Coordination and collection of roadway engineering data using computerized and electronic visual equipment in a vehicle that includes video cameras, distance measuring devices, electronic horizontal and vertical slope detectors, electronic rut and roughness indicators, and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
• Analyzes entire road systems to be inventoried and devises collection procedures.

Materials

• Log in samples, prepares samples for testing, monitors testing procedures and records data of materials such as concrete, soils, asphalt, and roadway aggregates.
• Visually inspect materials and determine sizes to be crushed; lift and handle samples; observe and operate sieve shakers.
• Retrieve and compile data.
• Research past mix designs and compile comparison data.

Geotechnical

• Geotechnical design calculations and technical reports.
• Project site geological and geotechnical mapping, logging, borehole data and samples, sketching details of test pit investigations, obtaining data from geotechnical instrumentation, operating hand tools for field investigations, collecting, bagging and labeling soil and rock samples in preparation for shipping, and other geotechnical field assistance.
• Inputting field data into Geotechnical software programs.

Hydraulics

• Hydrologic and Hydraulic design calculations.
• Development of drainage design and Storm Water Management Plans.
• Preparation of technical reports and cost estimates.
• Preparation of project specifications and review of PS&E packages.
• Gathering project site information, inspecting construction, confirming post-construction BMP installation, or identifying assets.
• Review and summarization of permits or correspondence from regulatory agencies.

Bridge Design, Management, and Inspection

• Preparation of project specifications and perform design and quality check on PS&E packages.
• Field assessments, information gathering, and preliminary scoping of projects.
• Compiling structural analysis and design of concrete, steel, or timber bridge components.
• Use Microstation CADD to prepare bridge plan sheets.
• Perform calculations of quantities and basic engineering calculations.
• Operate bridge inspection equipment, take and record data, develop sketches and prepares required reports.
• Structures inventory and evaluation of data

Survey

• Assist survey crew
• Perform basic engineering computations using formulas, hand held calculators, and electronic survey equipment.
• Serve as instrument operator and/or target cube holder on construction survey and/or engineering stakeout of project or assists in monitoring contract stakeout.

Project Delivery-Engineering Support

• Duties include a variety of activities including design, construction, technical services, and project management.
• Review technical civil engineering project design documents and submittals, identify civil engineering problems and provide recommendations for corrective actions.
• Update GIS maps and figures for research tasks.
• Miscellaneous project contract administration duties.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Varies depending on assignment.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
09

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must meet the qualification standards of the position
• You must be at least 16 years of age
• You must complete a background investigation
• This position is NOT telework eligible; intern must work onsite
• Review Required Documents section as documents are required by closing date
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP: Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• INTERNSHIP: Must meet the requirements for the Internship Program.
• PROOF OF ENROLLMENT: Must be enrolled at least half time at a qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate at least half-time.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Must complete a background investigation.
• DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT: Selectee is required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine suitability for federal employment.
• STUDENT STATUS: You must maintain status as a current student while on this appointment.
• DEGREE: Must be related to the position.
• DRIVER'S LICENSE: Applicants are required to possess and maintain a valid, State-issued Driver's license and a safe driving record.
• PHYSICAL LOCATION: Intern will be required to work onsite.
• TRIAL PERIOD: The intern is in a trial period throughout the entire Pathways Internship appointment.
• WORK SCHEDULE: may work full-time during the summer and a flexible part-time work schedule or Leave without Pay during the school year (based on agency needs) while continuing their education.

You must sign a Pathways Internship Program Participant Agreement; furnish course registration information at the start of each school term; and provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic term.

Students must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for the 2019 - 2020 academic year taking at least a half-time course load. Students may be employed throughout the academic year. Additional information can be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Qualifications

This position has an education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to a final offer of employment. You may use 2019 in-progress semester/quarter hours to qualify for a higher grade level. Qualifications will be determined based on completed and in-progress hours stated on your unofficial transcript submitted at the time of application. To be qualifying, you must successfully complete and receive credit for the courses by December 31, 2019 and provide an updated official transcript before you enter on duty.

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education requirements for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

GS-2 Completion of high school or GED diploma

GS-3 Completion of one academic year of post-high school study.

GS-4 Completion of two academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree.

GS-5 Completion of four academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's degree or four academic years of pre-professional study

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - click here . You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

For the definition of a qualifying educational institution, please use the following link: click here
Eligibility: Applicants must meet the definition of a Student, click here for additional information: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

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

Grade qualifications must be met prior to start date.

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

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

This position has an education requirement. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required prior to a final offer of employment.

This position has an education requirement. You must provide updated transcripts that show any/all degrees conferred, current grades and registration with cumulative GPA to support your educational claims (acceptance letter is also required if applicable to current academic status). Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

Applicants must be pursuing a degree in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; 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.

Academic Year: At the undergraduate level, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. When academic credit is expressed in units or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the institution.

For more specifics, please see the OPM qualifications standard for GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

You must be a student currently enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited college or university:

• Enrollment must be at least half-time course load as defined by the education institution (typically six hours or equivalent for undergraduate and three hours or equivalent for graduate).

PLEASE NOTE: All Pathway Interns are required to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.

For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

For a list of accredited institutions, please visit: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ .

Additional information

The ideal candidate for this position has a desire to learn about the various aspects of highway and transportation engineering.

This is a Pathways Student Trainee position under the Pathways Internship Program. The position is headquartered in a FHWA Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) office. The student intern will perform developmental assignments in one or more of the following branches: Construction, Highway Design, Environment, Planning and Programming, Technical Services, Pavements, Road Inventory Program, Materials, Geotechnical, Hydraulics, Bridge Design/Management/Inspection, Survey, or Project Delivery. Assignments may be performed at any of EFLHD projects located in 31 eastern states.

As a part of the Pathways Internship Program, the appointment may be extended until the selectees projected graduation date, plus 120 days. Upon graduation, depending on the qualifications and the Agency's need the student intern may be converted without a break in service to a term (time-limited) or permanent appointment, to a position that has a career ladder target up to the GS-12, provided they are a US citizen who has worked at least 640 hours in an appropriate program and has received a favorable recommendation from the supervisor for retention. There is no guarantee of a permanent position following this internship. Selectee is on a trial period while on a Pathways Internship appointment.

This is an Excepted Service Appointment for an initial period expected to last for more than 1-year.

If selected, you will be required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement. Interns may work full-time during the summer and a flexible part-time work schedule during the school year (based on agency needs) while continuing their education.

You will be in a trial period throughout your entire Pathways Internship appointment. If selected by management, you are required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

Students must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for the 2019 - 2020 academic year taking at least a half-time course load. Students may be employed throughout the academic year. Additional information can be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/

Anticipated starting date of the internship is May/June 2020

PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous (3 month) vacancy announcement for Student Trainee (Civil Engineer), GS-0899-2/3/4/5.

You will be in a trial period throughout your entire Pathways Internship appointment. If selected by management, you are required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine your suitability for federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

EEO STATEMENT: The Department of Transportation (DOT) maintains a model federal work environment that is free of discrimination. DOT ensures equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants for employment, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, or protected activity.

This vacancy may be used by any DOT agency to fill similar positions within 90 days.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are hired for this position; you will not receive additional consideration from this announcement.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.

Once you complete and submit your application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the job. Qualified students will be referred to the hiring manager in unranked order by veteran preference status: (1) Preference eligible having a compensable, service-connected disability of 10 percent or more; (2) all other candidates eligible for 10-point veteran preference; (3) candidates eligible for 5-point veteran preference; and (4) candidates not eligible for veteran preference.

You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.

Given our continuing need for Interns, we will routinely review applications and refer the top candidates for potential interviews during the open period of the announcement. Review and referral of applications will be completed on an as needed basis with the initial review occurring ten days after the opening date.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

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.

The following is a list of documents that are only required based on the type of position and consideration for which you are applying. Please review each of the following sections to determine which, if any, additional documents you need to provide with your application.

Current Resume: Needs to be created within USA Jobs Resume Builder and required from all applicants.

Completed Questionnaire.

College Transcripts: Copies of your transcripts which includes courses currently in progress. "Unofficial" transcripts are acceptable. (Prior to appointment, an official transcript will be required.) Required from all applicants who are currently enrolled.

Acceptance Letter of Enrollment: A letter from the educational institution that confirms the following: The degree/diploma program in which you have been accepted and that you will be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Required from all applicants who have been accepted for enrollment.

Department of Defense Form DD-214: Official document verifying creditable military service (if applicable).

Standard Form 15: Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, to adjudicate individuals' claims for veterans' preference (if applicable).

VETERANS: Your last DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, that shows the type of discharge and all dates of active duty is required to verify your eligibility. it need not be official.

• If you are claiming preference eligibility as a disabled veteran, you must submit proof of entitlement of this preference which is normally a valid letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. An SF-15 is desired, but not required.
• If you are applying to a vacancy opened Status and you are requesting consideration under Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) ( https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/#veoa ), you need to provide a copy of your last DD214, which verifies your military service dates, reason for separation, OR certification of separation that shows a discharge date within 120 days of the closing of this announcement, and eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act.

Veterans Administration Letter: Official document verifying total compensable disability based on military service (if applicable).

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 USAJobs 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.