Electrical Engineer

Hiring Organization: Bonneville Power Administration

This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), in the within the Transmission Grid Modeling (TPMG), Communications & Grid Modeling (TPM), Planning & Asset Management).

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

To Apply: External Application Link(s):

24-BPA-39570-12411556-DE: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/791127400

24-BPA-39570-12411555-MP: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/791127300

Open & Close date: Open: 05/14/2024 Close: 05/23/2024

LOCATION(s) Vancouver, WA

SALARY: $126,883 - $153,442 per year

The Bonneville Power Administration is a federal nonprofit agency based in the Pacific Northwest. Although BPA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy, we are self-funding and cover our costs by selling our products and services. BPA markets wholesale electrical power from 31 federal hydro projects in the Columbia River Basin, one nonfederal nuclear plant and several other small nonfederal power plants. The dams are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. About one-third of the electric power used in the Northwest comes from BPA.

BPA also operates and maintains about three-fourths of the high-voltage transmission in its service territory. Our service territory includes Idaho, Oregon, Washington, western Montana and small parts of eastern Montana, California, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

A successful candidate in the Electrical Engineer position will be responsible for working with the Area Coordinator and Sub-Area Coordinators to develop a Northwest (NW) area transmission model for submittal to the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC).

DUTIES:

As an Electrical Engineer for BPA's Power Generation Support you will fill one of the following important engineering roles:

• Serve as point of contact for outside utilities and BPA organizations for the acquisition, analysis, and delivery of base case information.
• Develop the Operational basecases used in the determination of System Operating Limits (SOLs) and Existing Transmission Commitments (ETCs).
• Serve as a point of contact when working with BPA Customer Service Engineers, or customer utilities directly, to gather new or updated information in support of basecase creation.
• Work as a team member in the Transmission Grid Modeling group to assist in resolving problems associated with utilities' data submittals for use in the WECC basecase development process for the NW control area which includes equipment ratings and other equipment modeling parameters.
• Maintain the organization's Master Database used to build basecases with updates received from both internal and external sources.
• Establish and maintain a voltage profile in various transmission models that reflect current operating practices as dispatched at the BPA control center.

NOTE: You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
• This position does not support remote work. You will be required to report physically to the official reporting worksite as specified by the supervisor, but no less than 3 days per pay period.
• After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards.
• The salary is based on a Special Rate Table, Number 0754: https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.

QUALIFICATIONS:

You must meet the minimum basic education and/or experience requirements for engineering positions in the Federal government.

A. 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-

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:

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

In addition to the meeting the basic requirement, a qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [GS-12] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Applying advanced electrical engineering theories, concepts, and principals sufficient to use, modify, or develop planning and operations basecases for power flow and transient stability studies.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-13 grade level.
For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

EDUCATION

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package.

(See Required Documents section on application).

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.