Power System Protection Engineer

Job Details

Position Overview

Duties

Advance Your BPA Legacy: Secure and Modernize the Pacific Northwest Grid as Our Power System Protection Engineer

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is dedicated to delivering clean, reliable, and sustainable power to millions of people across the Pacific Northwest. At the heart of this critical mission is a complex grid infrastructure that requires absolute vigilance, innovative leadership, and expert oversight. This is your opportunity to build upon your deep understanding of our regional infrastructure and take a defining step forward in your career journey with us.

As our Power System Protection Engineer, you will step into a premier leadership and advisory role from within our Transmission Services division. Serving as the chief technical authority, you will guide our engineering and field operations, directly impacting the safety, reliability, and modernization of the entire regional transmission system. If you are ready to leverage your inside expertise, mentor our talented teams, and shape the future of our grid, this senior technical position is the perfect avenue for your professional growth.

Here are key duties of this high-impact role, designed for an experienced professional ready to lead:

• Serve as the Principal Technical Advisor on Grid Safety: Act as the primary authority and advisor for all internal engineering and operational teams, steering critical decisions on complex grid safety systems, equipment configurations, and future expansion. You will represent our organization as the lead expert to external utility partners, national laboratories, and energy regulatory bodies.
• Lead and Mentor a High-Performing Team of Specialists: Direct and collaborate with a dedicated team of subject matter experts and skilled field technicians. You will establish uniform equipment configurations, set rigorous system protection standards, and manage advanced cybersecurity measures to keep our grid secure from physical and digital threats.
• Drive Technical Training and Professional Development Programs: Design, refine, and deliver advanced training materials regarding the theory, operation, and maintenance of critical power system safeguards. You will champion career development and technical excellence by training the next generation of engineers and field craftsmen across our regional offices.
• Design and Implement System-Wide Quality Control and Operational Policies: Build and execute comprehensive quality assurance programs that ensure all grid protection devices are functioning optimally. You will align our operational standards with evolving energy sector regulations, safety protocols, and industry-best practices.
• Investigate and Solve Complex Grid Incidents and System Anomalies: Lead investigations into unusual or highly complex power grid disturbances and equipment misbehavior. You will identify root causes, design innovative corrective solutions, and approve system-wide modifications to prevent future power interruptions and maintain regional grid integrity.
• Pioneer the Integration of Next-Generation Grid Technologies: Research, evaluate, and integrate emerging smart-grid technologies, state-of-the-art protection equipment, and modern digital communication protocols to continuously modernize our transmission infrastructure and support clean energy integration.

Qualifications & Requirements

BASIC REQUIREMENT:
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:

1. 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. -OR-
2. 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, and Puerto Rico. -OR-
3. 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 the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A. -OR-
4. Related Curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's 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 bachelor's 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. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

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 meeting the basic requirements, you must also meet the specialized experience requirements as listed below.

Education

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.

• Selectee will be required to complete the Office of Government Ethics Standard of Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OFGE450e) within 30 days of employment and annually.
• 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.
• 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.

Evaluations

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Required Documents

• Your two (2) page RESUME showing all relevant work experience (paid and unpaid) including: duties performed; full name and address of each employer; start and end dates (month/day/year); work schedule (part-time, full-time, number of hours if intermittent); salary; and any completed education and training (program title, subject area, number of hours completed, and completion date).
  • Information on how to create a federal resume https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account/documents/resume
• Cover Letter, optional, expressing additional information not covered in your resume.
• Transcripts, if specific educational requirements are indicated in this job announcement. Unofficial transcripts or any report listing institution, course title, credits earned (semester or quarter hour) and final grade is acceptable. It is your responsibility to provide adequate proof that you meet the educational requirements.

• SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" (current/former federal employees): Most recent Promotion, Within Rate Increase (WRI/WGI), or Appointment/Conversion SF-50 or Notification of Personnel Action showing you are/were in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held.
• Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program documentation, if applicable (e.g., Certification of Expected Separation, Reduction-In-Force Separation Notice, or Notice of Proposed Removal; SF-50 that documents the RIF separation action; and most recent performance appraisal.) For more information see the OPM Guide to Career Transition.

How to Apply

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.

The application process is as follows:

1. You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account.
2. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button.
3. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation.
4. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date.
5. After submitting an online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder.
6. If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements
7. Note, set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can reuse the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application.