Public Utilities Specialist (Contracts)

Public Utilities Specialist (Contracts)

Department: Department of Energy

Location(s): Vancouver, Washington

Salary Range: $114684 - $149091 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), within the Contract Administration organization (TPCC) of Customer Service Engineering (TPC), System Planning (TP), Transmission Services (T). As a senior specialist, you will manage customer grid connection requests and key energy contracts. You will be the lead expert on federal compliance, managing financial risk, and shaping how customers connect to the BPA grid.

Major Duties:

• Power the Future: Be the Connection Point for the Pacific Northwest's Power Grid At the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), we're at the center of the nation's energy transition. We're seeking a pivotal expert to join our team-someone who can navigate the complex world of energy contracts and regulations to ensure a reliable, affordable, and accessible power grid for millions. This isn't just a contracts job; it's your chance to play a key role in shaping the future of energy transmission by connecting new resources to the grid. As a Public Utilities Specialist (Contracts), you will: Serve as a Strategic Leader: Take the lead in identifying weaknesses in our current processes and spearhead the development of functional improvements that simplify and streamline how we execute contracts. Become the Go-To Compliance Expert: Act as the subject matter expert for federal regulations governing grid access and internal financial controls, ensuring our operations are compliant while mitigating financial risk to the agency. Manage Complex, High-Impact Contracts: Independently develop and manage a diverse portfolio of unique, non-standard agreements for new and upgraded transmission facilities, from laboratory services to new customer connections. Lead Interconnection Process Improvement: As the team lead for the Generator Interconnection Team, you will analyze the queue of incoming projects and develop innovative business practices and process improvements to resolve bottlenecks. Draft the Next Generation of Contracts: Lead the creation of new contract templates from the ground up, collaborating with legal, accounting, and engineering teams to ensure all new agreements are solid and compliant. Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Represent your team with internal and external stakeholders, including other federal agencies, to influence and develop enhanced, streamlined contracting and financial processes with broad-reaching impact. Mentor and Guide Your Colleagues: Provide expert policy guidance, systems training, and technical expertise to other specialists, engineers, and account executives, serving as a recognized authority in contract administration. Shape the Customer Connection Experience: Oversee the queue of customer requests to connect to the grid, taking decisive action to resolve issues and provide expert recommendations to leadership that support effective and efficient grid access.

Qualifications: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's 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 in 1) applying policy interpretation and guidance to ensure the Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders, and/or other regulatory policies and compliance requirements are adhered to; 2) leading contract development and management by analyzing customer requirements, technical evaluations, calculations, and analyses; and 3) applying effective communication skills to build and maintain a cross-organizational business relationship and provide advisory services to management resolving complex contract issues. "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. Time-in-Grade: Current Federal employees must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement to receive consideration. CTAP candidates: To be considered "well qualified" you must meet all of the requirements as described in this section. 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. 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. 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 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. 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: 2026-05-13