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Petroleum Engineer

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Office of Offshore and Regulatory Programs
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
09/23/2020 to 09/29/2020
Salary
$102,663 to - $163,172 per year

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13 - 14
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Anchorage, AK
Camarillo, CA
Washington, DC
Houma, LA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel 1- 5 nights per month for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BSEE-EEEE-20-RD-172(DEU)
Control number
579644800

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs (OORP), Best Available and Safest Technology (BAST) Section. The incumbent will serve as a senior petroleum engineer and although the duties of the position may include activities related to renewable energy (RE), the primary focus will be the Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas operations. The incumbent will be key in maintaining the integrity and credibility of science and engineering in the decision process for BSEE as a regulatory agency.

Note: There is currently 1 vacancy to be filled in any of the BSEE locations: Washington, DC; Sterling, VA; Camarillo, CA; Houston, TX; Anchorage, AK or in one of the district offices located in Lafayette, LA; Houma, LA; Jefferson, LA; Lake Charles, LA or Lake Jackson, TX.

At the full performance level (GS-14) the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:


1. Provides technical expertise and leadership in the assessment and vetting of new, emerging and existing technology relative to offshore safety of oil and gas operations.
2. Supports the BAST Chief in developing, operationalizing, implementing, executing, documenting, and auditing BSEE policies, procedures, and programs.
3. Identify and evaluate BAST candidate equipment and technologies and determine relevant data
requirements essential to perform a BAST assessment.
4. Review and aid in regulations development, particularly regarding BAST. Maintain a working knowledge of BSEE regulations (30 CFR 250) and relevant industry standards.
5. Engage with broader multidisciplinary agency personnel to further the BAST mission. Engagements
consist of activities such as risk and hazard assessments, barrier analysis, data mining and data review, and agency implementation impact assessments and implementation planning.
6. Correspond with industry, standards organizations, test laboratories, original equipment manufacturers, and other stakeholders for targeted BAST technologies.

Salary Range Information:

GS-13: Washington, DC & Sterling, VA: $102,663-$133,465 per annum; Camarillo, CA, Anchorage, AK, Lake Jackson, TX, Houston, TX, Houma, LA, Jefferson, LA, Lafayette, LA, & Lake Charles, LA: $106,219-$ 138,089 per annum

GS-14: Washington, DC & Sterling, VA: $121,316-$157,709 per annum; Camarillo, CA, Anchorage, AK, Lake Jackson, TX, Houston, TX, Houma, LA, Jefferson, LA, Lafayette, LA, & Lake Charles, LA: $125,519-$163,172 per annum

BSEE has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

This vacancy is also announced as BSEE-EEEE-20-RD-173(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination
  • You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  • You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  • Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.
  • You will be required to complete a Financial Disclosure.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

Petroleum Engineer, 0881


A. Degree: Professional Engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

-OR-

B. Combination of education and experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following listed in the link below: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/files/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800.pdf

(2) Specialized Experience:

GS-13
To qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) identifying process safety risks and gaps in integrity management; 2) discussing process safety concepts and how they apply to different systems; 3) assisting in developing or evaluating new safety technology to assess the overall risk of utilization; and 4) applying barrier management principles. Must meet all.

GS-14
To qualify for the GS-14, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) identifying process safety risks and gaps in integrity management; 2) communicating or presenting process safety concepts and how they apply to different systems utilized on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS); 3) developing or evaluating new safety technology to assess the overall risk of utilization; and 4) applying barrier management principles to integrity management through the system's life cycle. Must meet all.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:
Problem Solving- Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound engineering principles and reasoning to derive conclusions; finds alternative, executable solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements. Identifies process safety risks and gaps in integrity management. Understands how to utilizes industry recognized standards when required and during technology assessments.
Petroleum Engineer- Knowledge of, and skill in applying, expertise in advanced engineering theories, principles, concepts, standards, and methods sufficient to provide expert advice to senior colleagues and/or agency officials responsible for broad program operations and provide significant and innovative recommendations for advancing programs and or methods.
Teamwork- Skill in coordinating teams to review, analyze, and contribute to high-level technical and operational assessments.
Interpersonal Skills- Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both orally and in writing, and work cooperatively with other OCS stakeholders and industry representatives.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10919958

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