Engineer

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Agricultural Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Agricultural support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Department of Agriculture?s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through a grant administered program awarded to National Experienced Workforce Solutions (NEW Solutions). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise, and experience will truly be valued. The ACES program provides an opportunity to work side-by-side with NRCS staff that are doing important work every day. Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium for positions budgeted at 60+ hours per pay period, Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Federal Holidays, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available for positions budgeted at 35+ hours per pay period. Positions listed here do not guarantee employment for any definite period. Enrollment in the Experienced Worker Programs administered by NEW Solutions is temporary. The enrollment relationship between NEW Solutions and the Enrollee is an "at-will" relationship. This means that an Enrollee is free to terminate enrollment at any time during the enrollment period, and NEW Solutions and the Agency have the right to terminate the relationship with the Enrollee. PLEASE NOTE: An ?ACES Enrollee? is not a federal employee, nor an employee of NEW Solutions. An ?ACES Enrollee? is a participant in a grant program established through a Cooperative Agreement funded by the USDA-NRCS and administered by NEW Solutions. This opportunity applies to applicants legally eligible to work in the United States.

Qualifications:

Minimum of 15 year(s) of experience in engineering practices in conjunction with soil conservation. OR BA/BS Degree in Natural Resource Management, Agriculture, engineering, or a related field

• Valid State Driver?s license, Professional Engineering Certification
• Experience required with Windows, MS Word, MS Excel
• Survey Equipment

Duties:

Enrollee assists with survey, design, installation, check out, and follow-up of conservation practices; prepares engineering plans using Engineering Field Tools and GIS from design notes and conservation plan maps provides by conservation planners. Provides conservation planning and implementation technical assistance to landowners in support of the farm bill program workload.

• Assist engineering with design, layout, construction inspection, and all aspects of construction management by determining survey needs, conducting field surveys, plotting data, create topographic maps, profiles, cross-sections, and job diaries to be used in the design, construction, and surveying of engineering practices and conservation practices utilized under Farm Bill and Watershed Programs. Assist with onsite planning, design, and construction for engineering practices necessary to address resource concerns. The area of emphasis is primarily in watershed planning and program implementation, erosion control, agricultural waste management, water management, and water quality enhancement.   25%
• Assist with watershed programs, including but not limited to dam inventory, rehabilitation, hazard classification, watershed and flood prevention operations project status updates, and Emergency Watershed Protection Program implementation. Assist with the development and revisions of state program documents including but not limited to manuals, forms, and contract documents. Provide training and guidance to the new EWP program coordinator and new EWP engineer. Develop EWP training materials for statewide use, including disaster preparedness drills. Manage the Glen Allen EWP Buyout project ($6 million budget) as the primary NRCS POC with the sponsor.   25%
• Assist with watershed program management including review of preliminary assessments, construction drawings, progress reports, reimbursement applications, and final inspection reports. Additionally, will assist with the review or portions of more unique or complex designs. Provide administrative agreement management of the Little Otter Creek ($25 million budget) and East Locust Creek ($75 million budget) projects.   25%
• Provide planning follow-up with landowners and partners by checking the progress of conservation practices under construction. Resolves minor problems and provides construction quality assurance.   25%

• Subject to mandatory USDA Computer Security and Privacy training as mandated by law.
• Travel Requirements: This position may require travel to a field site using GOV.
• Health and Safety Considerations: Duties may require being outdoors exposed to a variety of conditions as heat, cold, rain, snow, etc.
• Required Safety Gear: Enrollee should wear sturdy, safe walking shoes/boots suitable for rough terrain; enrollee should wear clothing suitable for inclement weather when necessary; proper safety certification and required precautions used when operating an ATV. Work wis performed outside.