Engineering Technician (Civil)

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Competitive Service Positions to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: This position is located in the Galveston District, Engineering and Construction Division, Construction Branch, Northern Area Office, Port Arthur Resident Office in Port Arthur, Texas. A recruitment/relocation incentive MAY be offered. See Additional information section.

Duties

• Inspecting contractors operations to determine compliance with contract requirements.
• Establishing and maintaining horizontal and vertical control for construction contracts.
• Meeting with other district elements to assist in recommending solutions to engineering and management problems relating to acquisition of real estate rights-of-way, pipeline easements, setting soil boring locations.
• Utilize basic and advanced skills for use of land and hydrographic survey software and data collection hardware for the purpose of obtaining field data and producing work in final form.
• Using Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and software to perform static and RTK surveys and when possible to layout and control construction, provide reference points, and lines for subsequent related work.
• Assisting project engineers in developing scopes of work, preparing Government estimates and technical specifications, and supervision and administration of contract survey work.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. GS-05 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Working basic surveying techniques or processes; OR 2) Utilizing and operating survey grade Global Positioning Systems (GPS). This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-04). OR GS-05 Education: Four year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, construction, or industrial technology; OR (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as engineering, engineering or industrial technology, construction, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of education beyond two years (total semester hours minus 60) by 60. Add the two percentages. GS-06 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Utilizing Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to conduct site surveys; AND 2) Utilizing hydrographic survey equipment for hydrographic surveys. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-05). OR GS-06 Education: A half year (i.e., 9 semester hours) of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as engineering, construction, engineering or industrial technology, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 9. Add the two percentages. GS-07 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes: 1) Independently performing complex topographic surveys and hydrographic surveys and post-processing resulting data. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-06). OR GS-07 Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field directly related to the work of the position, such as engineering, construction, engineering or industrial technology, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics. OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/28/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13059104). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.