Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Federal Lands Highway
We Work Where You Play
Join our Team
Left to right: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona; South Lake Road, Inyo National Forest, California; Glacier National Park, Montana; Native Village of Elim, Alaska; Arlington Memorial Bridge, DC/Virginia. All Images Source: FHWA, Office of Federal Lands Highway
The Federal Lands Highway (FLH) organization, part of the FHWA, is an engineering organization with locations nationwide. Our mission is improving transportation to and within Federal and Tribal Lands by providing technical services to the highway/transportation community, as well as building accessible and scenic roads that ensure the many national treasures can be enjoyed by all within our Federal Lands.
FLH offers a variety of exciting career building opportunities in highway construction and design, project management, accounting, survey and cartography, community and transportation planning, contracting, and program management to name a few. Our engineering technology professionals specialize in pavements, materials, structural, environmental, geotechnical, hydraulics, quality assurance, and more.
A career with us can include working in an office setting in one of our Division or Regional Project offices (see map below) combined with field work in a series of different environments: our national (?) parks, forests, refuges, or grasslands. The great outdoors, in some of our most pristine environments, may often be where the majority of your work is focused. We are sensitive to the environment and work within the context of a particular location to provide access while preserving and protecting the beauty of surrounding nature.
Federal Lands consists of a Program Office in Washington, DC, and three field division offices (Eastern, Central, and Western) located in Ashburn, VA; Lakewood, CO; and Vancouver, WA; respectively. In addition, we are staffing thirteen new Regional Project Offices (RPOs) in the following locations: Sevierville, TN; Tupelo, MS; and Hato Ray, PR; Grand Junction, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Carson City, NV; Clovis, CA; Henderson, NV; Kalispell, MT, Great Falls, MT; Idaho Falls, ID; Eugene, OR; and Wasilla, AK.
FHWA job opportunities for US citizens, including those for College Students, Recent Graduates, Veterans, and Current Federal Employees are posted on USAJOBS, the Federal Government’s official employment site.
The following steps will walk you through the process:
- Create a USAJOBS Account
Creating a USAJOBS account can take time, so it’s best to be prepared and create an account before you plan to apply for a vacancy. Keep your information in the USAJOBS account current by updating if you change jobs, change employment status, etc.
- Create a Resume on USAJOBS with the Resume Builder
Be sure to show the beginning month/year and ending month/year for each position listed. The information provided will be used to verify that you meet the qualification requirements publicized in the vacancy announcement. This also validates the level and type of experience from your answers on the online applicant questionnaire.
- Search through current FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway Job Postings
You can begin your search by typing "federal lands highway" in the search field of the USAJOBS home page, or by following this prepared search of FLH opportunities.
Areas of expertise we seek include: Bridge Inspection, Bridge Management, Construction, Environmental Compliance, Geotechnical, Highway Design, Hydraulics, Materials, Pavements, Road Inventory, Survey & Mapping, Transportation Planning & Programs, and Transportation Operations (Safety & Traffic).
U.S. citizenship is required to qualify.
A complete application package (including resume, answers to the vacancy questionnaire, and supporting documents) must be submitted no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement to be considered.
- 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.
- Insert details on required documentation
- Upload Veterans’ preference/military service documents.
Upload all DD214 discharge documents (member copy 4 is preferred) which show type of discharge and reflect dates of service and any medals or badges received. If claiming 10-point preference due to compensable disability rating, provide a VA Letter showing percent of disability compensation awarded.
- Upload a copy of your college transcripts.
If the job for which you are applying has a mandatory education requirement (for example Civil Engineer, GS-0810; Accountant, GS-0510; Community Planner, GS-0020), upload your unofficial transcripts. (Please note, that for other occupations, transcript copies are desirable). Keep in mind that transcripts will be used to verify if you possess any mandatory education requirements for the occupation. If your transcript is illegible or not specific as to course titles, you may upload an additional attachment listing your classes to meet the education requirements specified for the occupation.
If you are selected, you may be asked to provide an official copy of your college transcripts.
- If you are a previous Federal employee, upload your most recent SF-50 that shows:
- Status: Block 24 (1-career, or 2-career conditional) and Block 34 (1-Competitive Service or 2-Excepted Service)
- Title, series, and grade
- Highest grade held (ideally, the SF-50 showing the date of promotion or appointment)
- Please note that you do not need to create a USAJOBS account to search for jobs, but you must create an account to apply for jobs online. See discipline list to aid with keyword searches.
- Save your favorite jobs and searches to receive e-mail updates from jobs in which you’re interested.
- Read the vacancy posting in its entirety.
- Make your resume clear and concise.
- Be sure to address all required basic qualification requirements in your resume.
- Focus on your achievements.
- Provide examples that demonstrate active involvement.
- Allow plenty of time to apply for a vacancy:
- Remember: A complete application package (including any supplemental documents as required) must be submitted no later than midnight Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement.
- An application limit may apply.
- You may review your saved application(s) at https://my.usajobs.gov
Western Federal Lands Highway Division staff pose with The Best Places
to Work plaque at Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington.
The people of FHWA take great pride in what they do and make service to the traveling public their top priority. We are committed to providing our employees with the opportunity to achieve their professional goals through challenging work assignments in an atmosphere of service, teamwork, professionalism, diversity, and inclusion. FHWA is consistently ranked on the list of The Best Places to Work each year. The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings offer the most comprehensive assessment of how federal public servants view their jobs and workplaces. The rankings provide employee perspectives on leadership, pay, innovation, work–life balance, and a range of other issues.
We are also proud to note that FHWA/DOT was named a Top Supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in 2021. Since 2003, engineering deans of HBCU engineering programs, and the Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE) corporate-academic alliance, have completed Career Communications Group’s (CCG) Top Supporters of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Engineering Schools list, a survey conducted by US Black Engineer & Information Technology (USBE) Magazine. Top supporters are companies and government agencies who make it a priority to contribute to the institutional missions of HBCU engineering programs.
For additional information, please check out the Help Center on USAJOBS. If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via e-mail at transjobs@dot.gov.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.