Description

Electrical Engineer
2 permanent full time positions Vancouver WA
$105,263 to - $138,806 (depending on qualifications)

Bonneville Power Administration is a federal nonprofit wholesale power marketer that sells carbon-free electricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant to millions of consumers and businesses in eight states. BPA operates three-quarters of the region’s high-voltage transmission grid and funds one of the largest fish and wildlife programs in the world. With a focus on affordable, reliable, and clean energy, BPA offers career opportunities throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.

Role Description

This is a full-time in person role for an Electrical Engineer at Bonneville Power Administration in Vancouver, WA, The Electrical Engineer will be responsible for expansion planning for reliability to comply with NERC TPL standards. This includes planning for load growth while meeting existing long-term transmission service obligations. TPPA will also work on matrix teams to perform various transmission planning activities.

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.

External Application Link(s):   HOW TO APPLY      

26- BPA- 47889-12828222-DE: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/849280600

26- BPA- 47889-12828221-MP: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/849279000

Open & Close date:     Open: 10/31/2025    Close: 11/09/2025

LOCATION(s)             Vancouver, WA

SALARY:                     See announcement for salary

As an Electrical Engineer, you will:

Plan and coordinate feasibility studies for extensive modifications of major segments or component equipment of high-voltage transmission networks to find means of improving performance, increasing capacity, correcting unsatisfactory conditions, or reducing number of stations.

Determine the nature and extent of problems and the actions needed to resolve conflicting requirements and constraints. Defines the investigation, equipment, engineering tests, and production effort required to accomplish the modification, taking advantage of the latest state-of-the-art equipment.

Plan, organize, and conduct special studies.

Perform preliminary engineering analyses.

Thoroughly evaluate the various alternatives for meeting the objectives of the assignment.

Develop or adapt approaches and procedures which are followed by less experienced engineers on subsequent assignments of a similar nature.

 REQUIREMENTS: Conditions of Employment

Key Requirements:

• You must be a United States Citizen.
• This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
• Males must abide by Selective Service registration requirements.
• You will be required to report in person to the official duty location.

Conditions of Employment:

• After employment, this position may be subject to periodic physical examinations, as prescribed by competent medical authority and at BPA expense, if exposed to health hazards. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

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:

 (See Qualification Section for the rest of these competences) 

For more information on how to meet the Basic Requirements please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-09): Specialized experience is defined as: Applying electrical engineering theories, concepts, principles, and practices sufficient to participate in engineering studies, analysis, or calculations to solve problems associated with the planning, design, operation, or maintenance of a high-voltage power system.

You may substitute education for specialized experience as follows:

• Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree; your education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -

OR-

• Combination of education and experience as described above. Less than one year of specialized experience may be combined with graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., credit hours beyond the first two years of full-time study may be credited).

GS-12: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-11 in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Applying electrical engineering theories, concepts, principles, and practices sufficient to plan or conduct engineering studies, analysis, or calculations to solve problems associated with the planning, design, operation, or maintenance of a high-voltage power system.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-12 grade level.

"Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. 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.

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

EDUCATION:

This vacancy has a positive education requirement. Education must be obtained from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. See Department of Education Accreditation Search to verify school accreditation.

Foreign education must be reviewed by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For special instructions pertaining to foreign education and a list of organizations that can evaluate foreign education, see the Department of Education website.DO NOT email or mail in any of your application documents. Documents will not be accepted outside of the online application system.
In order to be rated as qualified, you must provide copies of your college transcripts.

Failure to provide copies of your college transcripts may result in a rating of "Ineligible".

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to place you into an initial quality category via OPM's Category Rating procedures. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified.

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review your two-page resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Electrical Engineering
• Oral Communication
• Technical Competence
• Writing

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:   

To apply for this position, you MUST provide a complete application package. 

 (See Required Documents section on application).

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. 

To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the announcement closing date to receive consideration.

 
BENEFITS
BPA was selected as one of the top companies and agencies in Oregon to receive the “Families in Good Company” award for demonstrating community leadership in assisting employees in balancing work and family responsibilities. Here are just a few examples of how we do it…
·          Up to 13 days of vacation time to start
·          Ten paid holidays per year
·          Unlimited sick leave accrual
·          Affordable health insurance with no waiting
·          Life insurance provided
·          Secure Retirement Program
·          Long-Term Care Insurance
·          Flexi-time
·         Professional development and training
·          Tax deferred, agency matching investment plan
·          Family friendly leave
·          Voluntary leave donation/recipient program
·          Federal Credit Union

For more detailed information on benefits please visit http://www.jobs.bpa.gov/Benefits/