Civil Engineer (Irrigation)

About the role

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

What you will do

• 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.
• Formulate alternatives and make recommendations to higher management levels on dam safety and irrigation program issues and individual dam safety, construction quality control, construction management, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation issues.
• Provide subject matter guidance to co-workers, Tribal officials, and consultants, as well as State, local, and federal government entities, regarding the irrigation projects.
• Lead or serve on technical dam safety teams for risk informed approach analysis, also leads or serves on teams which perform value engineering studies on dams and make decisions which are required and specialized as related to dam potential failure modes as a dam construction specialist.
• Perform quality assurance inspections and progress monitoring to verify that all work complies with project plans, specifications, and standards.

Education

If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis.

If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows 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: ***

How you will be evaluated

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 11/16/2026 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 structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies required to successfully perform the job.

Civil Engineering Contracting/Procurement Interpersonal Skills Project Management 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: ***

REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: You may preview the assessment questions here in the ***

Documents you must provide

• Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy); position title; position series and grade (if federal service); work schedule; hours worked per week; relevant duties performed; supervisor with contact information, and 3 professional references and contact information (Do not include current/former supervisors), etc Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages.
• If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
• On-line Assessment Questionnaire Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
• BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference) Veteran's documentation - For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214, Copy 4 that MUST show an Honorable Discharge (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., copy of military orders, campaign documents as or expeditionary award citation, etc.) proving your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
• For 10-point veterans' preference, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference and the supporting documentation required by that form.
• If you are a disabled veteran you must submit a Veterans Affairs (VA) letter on VA letterhead that states your overall combined rating and a DD214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge.
• ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM Eastern Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
• If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted.
• Please double check your application package before you submit it.
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

Additional 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.

The full performance level of this position is GS-13.

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 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.