Highway Design Civil Engineer
Don't Delay - Start Your Career Today with FHWA!
The Office of Federal Lands Highway is hiring Highway Design Civil Engineers (GS-0810-11/12 - from $80,465 to $129,741 annually) in Lakewood (Colorado) and Vancouver (Washington). Apply today by visiting https://www.usajobs.gov/job/866884700 (open to U.S. Citizens, Nationals, or those who owe allegiance to the USA, as well as Career Transition: CTAP, ICTAP, or RPL Federal employees). This job announcement closes on 10/06/2026 (but submit your application as soon as possible to receive the best consideration).
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides stewardship over the construction, maintenance and preservation of the Nation's highways, bridges, and tunnels. FHWA also conducts research and provides technical assistance to state and local agencies to improve safety, mobility, and to encourage innovation.
The Office of Federal Lands Highway (FLH) was established to promote effective, efficient, and reliable administration for a coordinated program of federal public roads and bridges; to protect and enhance our Nation's natural resources; and to provide needed transportation access for Native Americans. FLH's primary purpose is to provide financial resources and transportation engineering assistance for public roads that service the transportation needs of Federal and Indian lands. FLH provides these services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and US Territories through our Headquarters, Eastern, Central, and Western Federal Lands Highway Division offices.
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Are you ready to start your career in a federal agency that consistently ranks highly as the best place to work in the Federal government? Do you want to make a difference designing and overseeing construction of roads, bridges, and trails in National Parks, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, Recreation Areas, and other Federal lands?
Since the early 1900s, FLH has built safe, reliable, equitable, and resilient access to our Nation's treasures as core to its mission! Our partners rely on FLH to solve and manage unique program and project challenges that are wide-ranging in environment, geography, and complexity through engineering solutions that are sensitive to the context of the land. Learn more about our work by visiting the hyperlink below - #WeWorkWhereYouPlay!
https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/careers
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As a Highway Design Civil Engineer, you will design transportation infrastructure for national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and develop the plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) packages for advertisement and construction.
As a Highway Design Civil Engineer, you will:
- Develop plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) packages that clearly define the work, are biddable, and emphasize context sensitivity, safety, and constructability. Identify appropriate bid items, perform quantity computations for all facets of highway design, and develop summary tables for project plans and price estimates for all work items for assigned projects. Prepare appropriate design documentation, provide quality control reviews on PS&Es prepared by other designers.
- Develop the design and monitor the budget and schedule for assigned projects and have responsibility for the project from initial scoping through construction support. Manage workload by setting and adjusting short-term priorities, as required, to meet changing project needs and information.
- Generate and evaluate geometric design alternatives and develop sound design concepts, using 3D design software. Assess the impact of standard exceptions/compromises to established engineering principles and practices and conceptualize acceptable design exceptions and mitigation strategies, as necessary, to meet customer needs.
- Interpret, apply, and communicate the laws, regulations, policies, and guidance related to highway design. Assist in the development of plans for accomplishing business objectives and implementing quality initiatives, including assisting in the formulation and establishment of policies, standards, guidelines, and priorities for team operations.
- Identify, recommend, and/or use appropriate technologies for gathering data during PS&E development. Improve the quality of highway design work using new technologies and process improvements. Collaborate with internal staff and outside agencies.
The ideal candidate is a mid-career design engineer with experience working both independently and with multidiscipline teams in developing, monitoring, and adhering to the design, budget, and schedule for assigned roadway construction projects, providing technical assistance from initial scoping through construction support, and addressing design engineering issues with a wide range of external contacts.
This is an open continuous announcement for six months with various cut-off dates. We will routinely review applications.
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Colorado, a western U.S. state, has a nuanced landscape of arid desert, river canyons, and snow-covered Rocky Mountains. Elsewhere, Mesa Verde National Park features Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. Perched a mile above sea level, Denver (Colorado's capital and largest city) features a vibrant downtown area.
Lakewood, a major Colorado municipality, has a dynamic landscape of sprawling green belts, tranquil reservoirs, and rolling mountain foothills. Elsewhere, William F. Hayden Park features an extensive network of rugged multi-use trails. Nestled against the base of the Rockies, Lakewood (the fifth-largest city in the state) features a bustling open-air downtown district known as "Belmar."
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Washington state occupies the upper northwest corner of the United States, defined by a striking contrast of misty temperate rainforests, the dramatic Cascade Mountain range, and the sun-drenched and arid wine country of the eastern plains. The rugged Olympic Peninsula borders the Pacific Ocean, sheltering the bustling urban centers and deep-water ports of the Puget Sound. Rising prominently above the region's skyline is Mount Rainier, an iconic and snow-capped volcano that serves as a majestic backdrop to the state's wilderness and tech-driven cities alike.
Situated on the north bank of the Columbia River, Vancouver blends rich Pacific Northwest history with a rapidly growing, urban landscape. As one of the oldest settled places in the region, the city proudly showcases its heritage at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Today, it boasts a newly revitalized, modern waterfront packed with vibrant restaurants, tasting rooms, and scenic walking piers. All of this offers a distinct community identity just across the river from Portland (Oregon).
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Find FHWA's Central Federal Lands Highway Division at 12300 West Dakota Avenue in Lakewood!
Find FHWA's Western Federal Lands Highway Division at 610 East Fifth Street in Vancouver!
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