Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate)

This is a Recent Graduate position under the Pathways Program and is open to individuals who have obtained a qualifying degree or certificate from an accredited educational institution or completed a qualifying career or technical education program within the previous two years. Veterans with service obligations may apply up to six years after graduation. The program provides a one-year full-time developmental experience in federal agencies. Additional information can be found at: As a Civil Engineer (Recent Graduate) your duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• Collaborate with scientists and engineers on technical research projects
• Review researcher inventions support patent and licensing efforts and coordinate use of technology transfer authorities
• Facilitate internal and external research solicitations
• Review interim and final work products from funded research projects
• Serve as COR / GOTR on science and engineering projects
• Develop program documentation such as standard operating procedures and outreach materials
• Engage with Bureau-wide communities of practice in support of professional excellence; may include development of training tools/resources and best practices

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Suitability for employment as determined by background investigation
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit meet Pathways eligibility requirements
• Must meet the eligibility requirements for the Recent Graduate Program. Recent Graduates will enter a formal training program with a mentor and execute an Individual Development Plan outlining training requirements and program expectations.
• Recent Graduates must receive at least 40 hours of formal training directly linked to their employment field.
• Recent Graduates serve a trial period for the duration of their excepted service appointment.
• Recent Graduates will be required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.
• Applicants must provide documentation of completion within the previous 2 years of a qualifying associates bachelors masters professional doctorate degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution.
• Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service
• Drivers License: This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state drivers license throughout their employment in this position.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to2nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position the duration of the Recent Graduates excepted service appointment is counted as a trial period. During this time your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This 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 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.

Requirements Continued...

Under applicable law the employment of an individual serving a trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies in writing that the individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period such appointments are terminated.
Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

ELIGIBILITY: Recent College Graduate

This appointment will be made under the noncompetitive College Graduate hiring authority. To be eligible an applicant must have received a bachelors or advanced degree ( i.e. masters Ph.D. or J.D) within 2 years of applying for employment under this authority. For these purposes the graduate must have received a baccalaureate or advanced from an institution of higher education in accordance with section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as codified at 20 U.S.C. 1001(a). In the case of an applicant who has completed a period of no less than four years of intervening obligated uniform service they must apply within than two years of release or discharged from that uniformed service.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/29/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position starting and ending dates of employment (month/year) and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e. work 40 hours a week rather than indicating full-time). If part-time the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

In addition to Recent Graduates eligibility you must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for this position. Please review the Education section below for the specific IOR requirements.

You must also meet the qualification requirements below for the grade level for which you are applying:

To qualify for the GS-9 you must meet one of the following:

• Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-7 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include conducting analyses or investigations related to civil engineering in an industry setting under the guidance or oversight of senior staff including gathering and analyzing data and assisting with engineering designs and calculations; supporting the development of written and visual materials for project documentation and technical reports including routine technical aspects of project preparation; and presenting technical information such as project or progress updates to internal groups or in other informal settings. - OR -
• Education: Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a masters degree or a masters or equivalent graduate degree in engineering or a directly related field that provided the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work. - OR -
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that when combined meets 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate education in excess of 1 full year of graduate-level education may be used toward this combination. To calculate your percentage determine the percentage of qualifying graduate education completed beyond the first year toward the additional year of graduate education required for the GS-9. Then divide the number of months of qualifying GS-7 level specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must submit transcripts and include the hours worked per week for your qualifying experience.

To qualify for the GS-11 you must meet one of the following:

• Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include conducting analyses or investigations related to civil engineering in an industry setting with limited oversight including responsibility for completing smaller projects or significant portions of larger projects; playing a substantial role in developing project documentation and technical reports including technical content conclusions design rationale and recommendations; and presenting technical information to internal management and/or external audiences including translating complex technical material for mixed or non-technical audiences. - OR -
• Education: Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in engineering or a directly related field that provided the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work. - OR -
• Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that when combined meets 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate education in excess of 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education may be used toward this combination. To calculate your percentage determine the percentage of qualifying graduate education completed beyond the first 2 years toward the additional year of graduate education required for the GS-11. Then divide the number of months of qualifying GS-9 level specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages together. The total must equal at least 100% to qualify. You must submit transcripts and include the hours worked per week for your qualifying experience.