Lead Civil Engineer - DIRECT HIRE SME

About the role

The candidate serves as a team leader for FHWA office with responsibility for administering the Federal-aid Highway Program within the State. The program include participation in activities related to planning, environment, design, construction, and financing of projects.

The candidate provide leadership to assigned staff, serve as a member of a cross-functional team supporting program and project delivery, and represent FHWA in contact with the State DOT, other agencies, and the public.

What you will do

• Serve as a member of the division office leadership team and lead division participation in program and project delivery activities.
• Oversee the program management functions of a team of engineers and/or specialists, which may include design, environment, construction, contract administration, pavement, safety, ITS, bridge, and other project delivery-related activities.
• Participate in meetings with the State DOT and FHWA personnel to explain Federal-aid laws, regulations, and policies and their application to specific, complex cases and ensures appropriate actions are taken.
• Provide expert advice to the State Department of Transportation and division office for the Federal-aid program related to the development and implementation of highway projects statewide in support of FHWA strategic goals, laws, regulations, policies, and Executive Orders.
• Provide input in the formulation of division office policies.
• Keep informed of emerging issues and maintain regular contacts with State DOT representatives to effectively provide guidance in delivery of the Federal-aid highway program.
• Participate on special projects, committees, or ad hoc groups (e.g. value engineering studies, corridor studies, special technical committees) as requested by division office leadership.
• Advance Risk-based Stewardship and Oversight (RBSO) principles and use the results of program assessments to inform decisions on the strategic direction of the Federal-aid Highway Program within the state.
• The ideal candidate is a mid-career engineer with experience monitoring statewide Federally funded highway programs or managing the delivery of a program of highway projects from initial scoping through construction support and maintenance; and experience conveying ideas and concepts in meetings and discussions, and in writing.
• The candidate will oversee the program management functions of a team of engineers and/or transportation specialists, which may include design, environment, construction, contract administration, pavement and materials, safety, ITS/operations, bridge, and other project delivery-related activities. *PLEASE NOTE: This announcement establishes an open continuous one-month vacancy announcement.
• Given our continuing need for top professionals in this field, we will review applications after the first 15 days of the vacancy opening for early consideration.
• Then after, applications will be reviewed on an as needed basis.

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.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• 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).
• PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection.

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: 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: 1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1 , or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico.

Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.

For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2.

Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 3.

Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. 4.

Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive).

PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS are REQUIRED as there is a stated education requirement for the series. The transcripts need not be official but must show that you meet the stated education requirements, including specific major or class requirements.

ENGINEERS: 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.

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. 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.
• 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.

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