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Electrical Engineer (Recent Graduate)

Bureau Of Reclamation

Job Location:

Folsom, CA - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 57999 - 57999

Posted: 6 October 2026 (3 days ago)

Application Deadline: 4 January 2027

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Summary

Launch or advance your electrical engineering career with the Bureau of Reclamation!

Apply your engineering skills to electrical systems that support critical water and power infrastructure. Gain experience in design analysis testing troubleshooting inspections and system operations while working on meaningful projects that serve communities across the West.

Learn more at: vacancy is open to Recent Graduates only.

Duties

This position is located within the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Mid Pacific Region Water & Power Maintenance Branch in Folsom California. This is a developmental position with promotion potential to the GS-11 level. At lower grade levels assignments are performed under closer supervision and involve less complex work. As experience is gained the employee will perform progressively more difficult assignments with increasing independence and responsibility until the full performance level is reached. At the full performance level (GS-11) the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

Perform electrical engineering analyses supporting the planning design operation maintenance and modernization of water power and related infrastructure.
Prepare engineering calculations technical reports drawings specifications cost estimates and other documentation supporting engineering projects and studies.
Assist with or conduct inspections condition assessments investigations and evaluations of electrical systems and recommend corrective actions.
Analyze electrical equipment and system performance evaluate technical data troubleshoot problems and recommend engineering solutions.
Collaborate with engineers project managers contractors and other stakeholders to support engineering studies construction activities and project delivery.
Support engineering projects involving hydroelectric facilities pumping plants substations transmission systems industrial control systems and related infrastructure.
Apply engineering principles standards regulations and industry practices to ensure safe reliable and efficient operation of electrical facilities.
Participate in project planning technical reviews compliance activities and continuous improvement initiatives while developing increasing technical responsibility.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service.
Direct Deposit participation required.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land.
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 will be required to sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Participant Agreement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 year trial during which 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.

Under applicable law the employment of an individual serving a probationary or 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.

Qualifications

This position is open to Recent Graduates only. You must meet the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Recent Graduate program as outlined below:

To be eligible for the Pathways Recent Graduates Program you must have completed a qualifying associates bachelors masters professional doctoral vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years.

Veterans who were unable to apply within the two-year eligibility period because of a military service obligation may have an extended eligibility period up to six years after completing their degree or certificate. You must submit documentation verifying your Recent Graduate eligibility.

Recent Graduates who successfully complete all Pathways Program requirements may be eligible for noncompetitive conversion to a term or permanent position in the civil service. See the Additional Information section for more information

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-5: You must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement described above. No additional specialized experience is required.

To qualify for the GS-7 you must meet one of the following:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include performing developmental electrical engineering assignments such as assisting with engineering analyses calculations data collection or modeling; troubleshooting electrical equipment or systems; assisting with electrical engineering designs; preparing or interpreting basic technical documentation; or participating in engineering facility reviews assessments or inspections.
Education: One full year of graduate-level education in engineering or a directly related field that provided the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work; OR Superior Academic Achievement (SAA).
- Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.): You may qualify based on a bachelors degree in a field directly related to the position and Superior Academic Achievement. S.A.A. may be demonstrated by one of the following:
  - Class standing: Graduated in the upper one-third of your college university or major subdivision.
  - Grade-point average: A GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on all coursework or coursework completed during the final two years of your curriculum; or a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale based on required courses in your major field or those courses completed during the final two years of your curriculum.
  - Honor society membership: Membership in a qualifying national scholastic honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. Freshman honor society membership does not qualify. See OPM for a list of eligible societies.
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of qualifying graduate-level education and specialized experience that when combined meets 100% of the qualification requirement. To calculate your percentage determine the percentage of qualifying graduate education you completed toward 1 full year of graduate education. Then divide the number of months of qualifying 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-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 performing conventional or routine electrical engineering assignments such as conducting engineering analyses; preparing or evaluating electrical engineering designs; troubleshooting electrical equipment or systems; preparing technical documentation; or participating in facility examinations condition assessments construction inspections or other engineering reviews.
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.
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 performing professional electrical engineering work such as analyzing and evaluating electrical systems or equipment; preparing reviewing or modifying electrical engineering designs calculations or specifications; troubleshooting electrical systems and recommending solutions; conducting engineering studies testing inspections or condition assessments; or preparing technical engineering reports and documentation.
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.
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.

Volunteer Experience: 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies knowledge and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 09/14/2026.

Education

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) to meet this basic requirement applicants must meet one of the following (A or B):

A. Education: A Bachelors degree or higher in engineering. To be acceptable the program must:

Lead to a bachelors degree (or higher) in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); OR
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:

Professional registration or licensure - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI) Engineer in Training (EIT) 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 Boards eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
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 or Puerto Rico.
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 A above. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program.
Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelors 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 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.

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education. Transcripts must include your name school name grades credit hours earned major(s) grade point average or class ranking and date the degree was conferred if applicable. A typed list of courses grades semester/quarter hours GPA etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications U.S. Department of Education. information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position existing work at the higher grade level and recommendation by the positions supervisor.

Recent Graduates will serve on this appointment for one year. During the first year the selectee will perform developmental activities designed to help them acquire the competencies of the target position in which they may be placed upon completion of the program. Participants who successfully complete the Recent College Graduates Program may be eligible for conversion to the target position on a permanent or term basis without further competition. For more information on the Pathways Recent Graduate Program please visit Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e. physical or mental) covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position after notification of the adjudication of your request you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Physical Demands: The work is performed in both office and field settings. Field work may require prolonged standing and walking; bending stooping crouching crawling and climbing; and lifting moderately heavy items weighing less than 50 pounds. Field assignments may require driving to remote worksites and overnight travel.

Work Environment: Work is performed in office outdoor and industrial settings. Field work may involve exposure to adverse weather diverse or rough terrain noise fumes moving mechanical and electrical equipment confined spaces and other moderate risks or hazards associated with construction inspection and industrial environments. Personal protective equipment and adherence to established safety procedures may be required. Some assignments may require travel.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees their spouses and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim permit lease small tract entry or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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