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Geologist

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

These positions are located in the Bakersfield Field Office and Ridgecrest Field Office. Information about Bakersfield, CA and Ridgecrest, CA can be found at https://bakochamber.com/ https://www.ridgecrestchamber.com/

We expect to fill two vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/25/2021 to 04/07/2021
Salary
$49,884 to - $95,980 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Locations
Bakersfield, CA
1 vacancy
Ridgecrest, CA
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CADE-21-11067702-AG
Control number
596409200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous Federal Service is required. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

Duties

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  • Develops, implements and updates the geology and minerals portion of the district planning system that could include inventories, opportunities for development, economic data, and possible conflicts with other programs.
  • Participates in or leads projects in the development of environmental documents evaluating free use permits, material sales, oil and gas leasing, geothermal resource leasing, exploration and development drilling, and mining plans of operation.
  • Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with other BLM offices, user groups, and State and Federal agencies concerned with the Bureau's mineral management program.
  • Prepares reports and appraisals on mineral leases, sales and mining operations, reviews the exploration or development/operating plan for adequacy and recommends the amount of bond to be required.
  • Provides technical expertise in formulating surface protection stipulations, standards, and mitigating measures to reduce the adverse impacts of surface disturbing activities.
  • Ensures compliance relating to surface and mineral material management, mining law administration, oil and gas, and non-energy leasable mineral management.
  • Determines procedures for safe abandonment of mine shafts, portals, and other features caused by mining and exploration operations. Inspects facilities to ensure the operations are conducted in accordance with acceptable practices.
  • Processes applications for mining law, mineral materials, oil and gas, and non-energy mineral management; prepares reports leading to the issuance of permits and leases; and prepares letters of approval for plan of operations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Be sure to read the How to Apply and Required Documents Sections.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
  • Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
  • If selected for this position, you will be required to annually complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 within 30 days of reporting to duty. You will be required to provide this information annually.
  • An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
  • May require a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

GS-07: In addition to meeting the education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: taking samples; handling various types of instruments and equipment; reporting findings orally and in writing; performing field work which includes technical observance of exploration and classification of geologic materials in accordance with field manual; field mapping; and interpretation of data. -OR- One full year of graduate level education in the field of geology or directly related field of study; -OR- an equivalent combination of experience and education; -OR- Superior Academic Achievement.

Superior Academic Achievement: Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on (1) Class standing-applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average-applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

GS-09: In addition to meeting the education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: performing geological studies and preliminary analyses; performing calculations and applying correction factors; plotting of preliminary prediction values for portions of larger studies; identifying fossils, rock samples, and determining extent of formation; -OR- 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master`s degree or master`s or equivalent graduate degree in the field of geology or directly related fields of study; -OR- have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the first year of may be combined with experience.

GS-11: In addition to meeting the education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: performing duties associated with geological investigations including the collection, interpretation, and analysis of geologic data, and the preparation of reports, figures, and presentations and project management. -OR- 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the field of geology or directly related fields of study; -OR- have an equivalent combination of the type and level of experience and education described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the first two years may be combined with experience.

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.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level.

Education

Basic Requirement for Geologist, GS-1350:
A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.
OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience: Course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: acceptable experience may have been gained through geological field or laboratory work that provided a means of obtaining professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of geology and closely related sciences, e.g., geophysics, geochemistry, or hydrology. Such work generally must have involved making close observations, taking samples, handling various types of instruments and equipment, assembling geologic data from source materials, and analyzing and reporting findings orally and in writing. In some situations, professional scientific experience in other fields may be accepted in part as professional geological experience. Such experience must have been preceded by appropriate education in geology or by professional geological experience, and must have contributed directly and significantly to the applicant's professional geological competence. To receive credit for geological experience obtained in positions that are not full-time professional geological positions, the applicant is responsible for indicating clearly the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions.)

Additional information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

This is a Bargaining Unit position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document, you do not have in electronic form; view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position. 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 questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. Qualified applicants will be placed in one of three predefined categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Candidates placed in the Best Qualified category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.

Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Compliance Inspection
  • Geology
  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


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