Description
About BPA
The Bonneville Power Administration has been powering people and careers for over 85 years. We are a non-profit federal agency that provides clean, emissions-free electricity to the Pacific Northwest and maintains a high voltage transmission system to deliver that electricity. We are a leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship, promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, the smart grid, fish and wildlife protection and initiatives to address climate change. We are a visionary and innovative agency that values diversity and creativity and encourages continuous learning. We are located throughout the Pacific Northwest with opportunities in cities, smaller communities and rural areas. You can learn more about BPA at www.bpa.gov.
Job Summary & Major Duties
Join us in an exciting opportunity to create strategic and innovative solutions that facilitate the achievement of critical business objectives and improved organizational effectiveness.
This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), within the Control Center Communication Operations (JTO) organization of Controls & Communications (JT), Information Technology (J).
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application.
External Application Link(s):
GS-0855-12
26-BPA-48455-128290386-DE: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/850139900
26-BPA- 48455-12829035-MP: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/850139800
AND
GS-0855-13
26-BPA- 48454-12829358-DE: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/850131000
25-BPA- 48454-12829357-MP: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/850130800
Open & Close date: Open: 11/14/2025 Close: 11/23/2025
LOCATION(s) Spokane, WA
SALARY: GS-12 = $103,470 to - $126,186 per year or GS-13= $117,034 - $144,043 per year
DUTIES
A successful candidate in the Electronics Engineer position will serve as the Munro Control Center subject matter expert & technical lead on operation & maintenance for a range of equipment & systems that are part of BPA's telecommunication system.
As an Electronics Engineer, you will:
Independently perform atypical or highly difficult professional engineering studies and assignments within the subject-matter or functional area assigned, e.g., unusual problems that arise during the rework of major systems for which the employee has technical responsibility.
Plan and coordinate feasibility studies for extensive modifications of major segments or component equipment of protection, control, data acquisition, and communications networks, including complex automated systems, associated with a high-power generation and transmission system to find means of improving performance, increasing capacity, correcting unsatisfactory conditions, or reducing number of stations.
Design or perform the production engineering for state-of-the-art protection, control, data acquisition, and/or telecommunications equipment, including complex automated systems, which will be integrated into systems with very precise tolerances.
Work with manufacturers, BPA, and other contractor resources for the design, test, evaluation, and integration of new and/or experimental electronic control and communication equipment and systems, including complex automated systems that extend the technology of the industry.
Evaluate manufacturers' specifications and drawings for novel and somewhat controversial devices or components proposed for addition to or removal from an acceptable or standard parts list.
Review or develop installation instructions for systems which include a number of physically separate and technologically different components and for which installation has not been made in a similar environment previously.
REQUIREMENTS: Conditions of Employment
In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answer to these questions is not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.
- 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.
- May be required to successfully complete a probationary period.
Conditions of Employment: (GS-0855-13)
- This position has been designated as requiring a PUBLIC TRUST background. A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
- Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
Requirements
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:
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
In addition to the meeting the basic requirement, a qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
GS-0855-12
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: Experience in applying electronic engineering theories, concepts, principles, and practices to 1) Plan, design, operate, maintain/repair, or test and install telecommunications equipment and systems; and 2) Develop and maintain thorough documentation of new systems or equipment.
GS-0855-13
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-12, in the Federal service.
Specialized Experience for this position is defined as: Experience applying electronic engineering concepts to provide 1) guidance in operation and maintenance for a range of equipment and systems that are part of a telecommunication system; and 2) troubleshooting of systems in an operations and maintenance environment.
There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-13 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.
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):
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Teamwork
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.
