Department of Energy

Electrician (Construction)

Vancouver, Washington Full time

Electrician (Construction)

Department: Department of Energy

Location(s): Vancouver, Washington

Salary Range: $68.44 - $68.44 Per Hour

Job Summary: This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration, in Central Electrical Services (TFHE) organization of Construction & Maintenance Services (TFH), Transmission Field Services (TF), Transmission Services (T). A successful candidate in the Electrician (Construction) position will install and adjust (construction) electrical equipment in Substations.

Major Duties:

  • As an Electrician (Construction), you will: Installing and adjusting major electrical equipment. Major equipment items are power transformers and gas, oil, or air-insulated power circuit breakers. Installation and adjustment tasks include erection of equipment by putting components together. Components mounted on transformers include bushings, conservators, radiators, fans, pumps, recording instruments, and load tap changers. Maintenance and Repair of major electrical equipment. All major electrical equipment in substations is serviced by Electricians on a regular schedule. Control and Relay Panel Assembly. Panels are drilled and instruments, switches, lights, and relays are mounted and wired according to design drawings in a shop setting for installation in Substations in the field. Switchboard installation. Prewired relay and control panels are added to switchboards in Substations. Communications equipment installation. These tasks involve mounting or adjusting antennas, reflectors, transmitting or receiving devices, emergency power supplies, and other equipment located in microwave or radio stations. Steel structure erection. Racks and towers to support electrical equipment in Substations are assembled by Electricians. Ground mats, conduit, duct and trench system installation. Taking clearances. To safely work on high-voltage equipment, it is necessary to properly deenergize and ground it according to switching procedures in the Accident Prevention Manual. Perform switching. At times an Electrician will be required to isolate a piece of equipment for repair or maintenance at dispatcher's discretion. Under the Employee Referral Bonus program, certain BPA employees may be eligible for a monetary award for referring outside candidates for this difficult-to-fill position. The referring employee must complete the form BPA F 33300.01e and email it to careers@bpa.gov by midnight of the closing date of the job posting.

Qualifications: In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities, as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to submit a thorough resume that directly relates to this position. Applicants must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations (X-118C). Although a specific length of time and experience is not required for most trade and labor occupations, you must show through experience and training that you possess the quality level of knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the position at the level for which you are applying. Qualification requirements emphasis is on the quality of experience, not necessarily the length of time. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the job elements and screen out listed below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess these elements and screen out. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather, you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the elements and screen out identified below. This job has a screen-out factors which will be used to determine minimum eligibility for this job. Applicants who do not receive a minimum of two points on this screen-out element(s) or who do not score at least half of the total points possible across all elements will be found ineligible. The screen-out element for this position is: The screen-out element for this position is: The ability to successfully perform the work of a High Voltage Electrician is defined as having performed the majority of the following duties under normal supervision; maintaining, installing, modifying, calibrating, repairing of; electrical sub-stations, power generation/transmission/distribution equipment and systems at 11,000 to 500,000 volts; climbing, maintaining and repairing electrical sub-stations; transformer banks. Failure to meet this Screen out Element will result in an ineligible rating. Working Conditions: Work is performed under the direction of an Electrician Foreman. The degree of supervision depends on the tasks being performed and the working conditions. Less hazardous conditions require minimum supervision. Guidance in the form of operating instructions and the Accident Prevention Manual is available. The Electrician is responsible for good work practices and for completion of tasks in a manner which will insure personal safety, the safety of the crew, and minimize equipment damage or failure and interruption of service. Overtime work to meet the needs of system reliability will be required. Documents work performed, noting existing conditions and any special circumstances. Reports all accidents, including near-misses, to the Foreman. May write reports or memorandums. Occasionally the Electrician directs other Electricians, Electrician Helpers, Oil Filter Operators, and Apprentices. The Electrician is also responsible for providing guidance in the form of training apprentice Electricians and other journeyman Electricians in the skills of the trade. Electricians are accountable for government-owned assigned personal property. They are also responsible for the proper care of tools, vehicles, and other work equipment that they use. Electricians must comply with all relevant aspects of management directed activities such as programs for the handling and disposal of hazardous waste material. Physical Requirements: Essential Functions (those duties encompassed in a job which are indispensable and comprise the gist or substance of the job): Installs and adjusts (construction) major electrical equipment such as power transformer and gas, oil, or air-insulated power circuit breakers; instrument and station service transformers, disconnect and circuit switches, protective devices, static capacitors, batteries and charges. Maintains and repairs (maintenance) major electrical equipment in substations. When equipment fails, performs emergency repairs. Performs diagnostic testing to inspect parts and equipment. Performs work in shops on equipment components including bushings, motors, small power tools, etc. Assembles, installs, and modifies control and relay panels for substations. Assembles and erects steel racks and towers to support equipment. Installs and changes antennas, reflectors, transmitting or receiving devices, emergency power supplies, and other equipment located in microwave or radio stations. Occasionally takes clearances and performs switching to isolate a piece of equipment for repair. Conduit and trenches for equipment are installed under the service yard. Cables are pulled through the conduit. Completes associated documentation required of the above listed tasks. Drives 20-25% of the time in all-weather conditions. "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.

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: You must have a login.gov account to sign into USAJOBS: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/account. To begin the application process in USAJOBS, click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all required and supporting documentation. You must click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 pm (ET) on the announcement closing date. You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account, select Update Application: https://login.usajobs.gov/Account/Login. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application, during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account; applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each application status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. If you need help with login.gov or USAJOBS (e.g., account access, Resume Builder) visit the USAJOBS Help Center: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to If you experience difficulty applying on USAJOBS, after clicking the Apply Online button, or you are experiencing a significant hardship hindering your ability to apply online, the Agency Contact listed in the announcement can assist you during normal business hours. If you receive any system error messages, take screenshots if possible, to aid technical support.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-10