Environmental Protection Specialist - Direct Hire

About the role

The candidate will be responsible for providing technical guidance concerning all Federal-aid Highway Program environmental programs, activities, and analyses within a State or, as a shared resource in multiple States.

What you will do

• Review and/or coordinate the review of NEPA documents and other environmental documentation within the Division Office to ensure compliance with requirements and coordinate the review of these documents by other Federal and State resource and regulatory agencies, and Tribal Governments, if applicable.
• Assist in ensuring environmental laws are addressed and integrated into the NEPA decision-making process.
• Assist in ensuring the appropriate NEPA classification of a project, i.e., Categorical Exclusion (CE), Environmental Assessment (EA), and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
• Provide technical assistance to resolve program and project-specific issues.
• Serve as a technical advisor on FHWA policy, laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and directives related to NEPA and FHWA's project development process.
• Conduct field reviews to resolve complex environmental issues/problems and provide technical assistance to the Division Office's transportation customers regarding the environmental process for FHWA transportation projects.
• The ideal candidate is an entry level to mid-career employee with experience implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and/or other environmental laws, regulations, or policy.

Requirements

• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals.
• Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
• PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).

How you will be evaluated

For this announcement, applications will be reviewed to determine if the applicant meets the basic qualifications for this position. The applications of individuals who meet the basic qualifications will be assessed to validate that the applicant possesses the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) at the level of proficiency needed to perform the job successfully.

Applicants who are found to possess the necessary KSAs to perform the job may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience.

You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume.

Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise.

HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination. 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. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Documents you must provide

• In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application.
• These should be legible and in a readable font size.
• A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
• Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time, or average number of hours worked per week, and position titles.
• If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level.
• The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience.
• For assistance with the resume builder, please visit: *** DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy 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.
• Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.
• 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.

What to expect next

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 may evaluate your application. If evaluated, 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.

Additional information

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment.

In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, ***.

To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation