Civil Engineer-Design Branch

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers serves as the civil engineering firm to the U.S. Government; more information about the various missions of the Corps can be found here. The Buffalo District covers most of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, plus their watersheds, and covers a variety of navigational, environmental, and structural missions.

This announcement is looking to fill multiple vacancies in our Design Branch at the 7/9/11 levels, intended for new graduates and early career civil engineers. Our design team works on a variety of projects, and includes some unique specialties, including:

·      Coastal - Responsible for performing coastal and hydraulic investigations and phases of design, with particular emphasis on coastal environments of the Great Lakes region; analysis, interpretation and evaluation of hydraulic and coastal data to resolve problems and to establish the basis for hydraulic and coastal design; performing coastal engineering duties which involve continuing evaluation of coastal engineering features on investigations, studies, design documents, and plans and specifications for projects during pre-construction and construction phases.

·      Geotechnical - Responsible for geotechnical engineering and soil-rock investigations supporting projects involving structural foundations for buildings, bridges, drainage structures, roadways, flood control and navigation projects including locks, dams, seawalls, breakwaters, levees, confined disposal dikes, and canal and channel dredging.

·      Structural - Responsible for developing civil and structural designs, inspection and evaluation of projects and structures, and preparation of contract plans and specifications. These projects span feasibility, design, and construction phases and include flood control projects, locks and dams, piers, breakwaters, coastal revetment structures, dredging, Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) remediation, and ecosystem restoration projects.

·      Hydraulics & Hydrology - Responsible for performing hydrologic analyses to determine flood frequencies, flow duration, and to assess climate change impacts to hydrology; designing hydraulic aspects of flood risk management measures such as dams, gates, spillways, levees, and diversion channels; designing hydraulic aspects of ecosystem restoration features such as streambank protection, channel grade controls, fishways, wetlands and in-stream habitat; developing hydrologic and hydraulic models to assess floodplain boundaries and inform development of floodplain maps and flood risk management projects; and utilizing GIS and associated tools and extensions to pre-process modeling data and to develop other work products.

·      Water Management - Responsible for conducting water resource studies pertaining to the Lower Great Lakes and its outflow channels (Niagara River and St. Lawrence River). These studies include formulation of operational regulation plans, development and improvement of statistical and/or hydrologic forecasting models, and assessment of the economic and environmental impacts of regulation on lakes and rivers.

·      Cost Engineering - Responsible for preparing government estimates for a wide variety of planning, design, and construction projects. These projects include ecosystem restoration, Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) clean-up, flood control, buildings, diked disposal programs, breakwaters, lock and dam maintenance, and dredging.

·      Project Engineering - Works with internal and external engineering teams to plan and coordinate projects, develop engineering designs and cost estimates. Develops Architect-Engineer (A-E) task order scopes of work and provides contract acquisition and management support. Serves as a technical point of contact for quality control/quality assurance issues supporting a broad range of missions.

Candidates should have a degree in civil engineering.

Candidates will be considered for GS-7/9/11 vacancies, which means that after being hired at the appropriate level, most candidates receive a grade promotion each year until they reach the highest grade for their position, which is considered full performance of the position, at which point they would be eligible for raises through promotions, step increases, and cost of living adjustments.

You must be a U.S. citizen.

The position is located in the Buffalo, NY office, and may be eligible for telework, but is not remote.

GS-7 Step 1: $48,640

GS-9 Step 1: $59.495

GS-11 Step 1: $71,984

Federal Employment comes with many benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, 3-5 weeks of leave plus sick time, retirement benefits, and potential assistance with child care; for more information, please visit USACE Benefits.