Environmental Protection Specialist - Direct Hire
Read straight from Federal Highway Administration's careers page, verified 11h ago.Seekless can tailor your résumé to it.
Seekless can write your résumé for this posting first.
Before you apply
Salary$90k – $117k
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana, United States
Work modeon-site
Typefull-time
SeniorityMid
Experience1+ yrs
Company size10,000+ people
PostedNov 3, 2026 · 4d ago
Verified live11h ago
At a glanceSummarised by Seekless from the posting.
Experience in applying environmental program laws, regulations, or compliance framework
Experience in administering an environmental program with transportation projects (e.g. planning, implementing, and evaluating)
Experience in providing environmental technical assistance to transportation stakeholders (e.g. advising management on program status, evaluating NEPA documents for compliance with applicable laws, leading process reviews and preparing technical reports)
Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with major federal environmental statutes
Knowledge of planning, coordinating, and execution of a multifaceted environmental program
Oral communication - expresses information effectively, listens, and responds appropriately
Written communication - writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service
A background security investigation is required
Benefits
Relocation assistance
Recruitment incentive
Summary
The candidate will be responsible for providing technical guidance concerning all Federal-aid Highway Program environmental programs, activities, and analyses within a State or, as a shared resource in multiple States.
Duties
As a Environmental Protection Specialist, you will:
•
Review and/or coordinate the review of NEPA documents and other environmental documentation within the Division Office to ensure compliance with requirements and coordinate the review of these documents by other Federal and State resource and regulatory agencies, and Tribal Governments, if applicable.
•
Assist in ensuring environmental laws are addressed and integrated into the NEPA decision-making process. Assist in ensuring the appropriate NEPA classification of a project, i.e., Categorical Exclusion (CE), Environmental Assessment (EA), and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
•
Provide technical assistance to resolve program and project-specific issues.
•
Serve as a technical advisor on FHWA policy, laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and directives related to NEPA and FHWA’s project development process.
•
Conduct field reviews to resolve complex environmental issues/problems and provide technical assistance to the Division Office’s transportation customers regarding the environmental process for FHWA transportation projects.
Nice to have
The ideal candidate is an entry level to mid-career employee with experience implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and/or other environmental laws, regulations, or policy.
Requirements
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
•
your performance and conduct;
•
the needs and interests of the agency;
•
whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
•
whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
•
SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
•
GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel. A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
•
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A background security investigation is required for all selected individuals. Appointment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of the security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
•
PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT: Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
•
PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Applicants may be required to successfully complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed).
Qualifications
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the specialized experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.
To qualify for the Grade 12, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-11 it must include:
•
Experience in applying environmental program laws, regulations, or compliance framework, and/or
•
Experience in administering an environmental program with transportation projects (e.g. planning, implementing, and evaluating), and/or
•
Experience in providing environmental technical assistance to transportation stakeholders (e.g. advising management on program status, evaluating NEPA documents for compliance with applicable laws, leading process reviews and preparing technical reports).
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:
1.
Compliance - Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with major federal environmental statutes; providing professional services related to environmental issues and program planning to achieve compliance with regulations and requirements.
2.
Administration and Management - Knowledge of planning , coordinating, and execution of a multifaceted environmental program.
3.
Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audiences and nature of the information (e.g. technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
4.
Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
For all types of consideration, experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). 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.
For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
How you will be evaluated
DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE: Please be clear and specific when describing your experience, as HR evaluates applications strictly on the facts provided and will not make assumptions. To receive full credit, your narrative responses must be written in paragraph format and explicitly match your resume. Begin each response by listing the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full- or part-time status, average weekly hours, and federal series/grade (if applicable). Within the body of the paragraph, clearly describe your specific duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes. HR will cross-check these details against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every claim and timeframe, the experience will not be considered for credit, which may result in an ineligible determination.
All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process. Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed. Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
Required documents
**RESUME:**In accordance with the OPM memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, resumes with a maximum of two (2) pages in length will be accepted as part of your application. These should be legible and in a readable font size. A determination of your eligibility and/or qualifications will be based only on those two (2) pages.
Your resume MUST contain specific information that can be used to make a qualification determination, including employment beginning and ending dates for each position, whether employment is Full-time or Part-time (e.g., Program Analyst, GS-343-11 | January 2009–Present | 40 Hours/Week) and position titles. If the position is/was in the Federal government, you will need to provide the position series and grade level. The resume should show relevant experience and education, as well as support the required specialized experience. Please visit**: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to**
CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL APPLICANTS: Submit SF-50 documentation proving your highest competitive grade, federal eligibility, and 52-week time-in-grade requirement. To pass HR validation, it’s recommended to combine and upload these into a single PDF:
•
Start Date: The SF-50 showing when you were originally appointed or promoted to the qualifying grade.
•
End Date: An SF-50 dated at least 52 weeks later (e.g., a Within-Grade Increase, promotion, or subsequent action) to prove a sequential 52-week period.
Warning on Incomplete Documentation: Do not submit an award or current-year annual pay adjustment SF-50 by itself. These do not prove your original entry date or grade. If your documents fail to conclusively prove a full 52-week history, you will be rated Ineligible.
DISPLACED EMPLOYEES: If requesting consideration under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency CTAP program (ICTAP), you must meet the standards for this vacancy and provide all of the following documents:
•
your most recent performance appraisal,
•
the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
•
your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade.
Qualified CTAP/ICTAP candidates receive priority and will be referred to the hiring manager.
For more information, please review the OPM Employee’s Guide to Career Transition.
SPECIAL ATTENTION: To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents by the closing date of the announcement.
How to apply
To be considered, you must submit all required resume details and applicable documents no later than 11:59 (EST) by the closing date of the announcement.
Note: Uploading documents to USAJobs does not automatically attach them to this application. You must review and verify that all files are successfully transferred to our system before final submission. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified.
•
To begin, click the “Apply Online” button on the job announcement posting.
•
Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
•
You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: [email protected]
Other information
Legal
The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Transportation and its Operating Administrations from requesting an applicant’s criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202© and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to the Department of Transportation by email at, [email protected]. To learn more, please visit our page at: The Fair Chance to Compete Act | US Department of Transportation
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.