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Land Law Examiner

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Gulf of Mexico Region, Office of Leasing and Plans, Adjudication Section
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages the exploration and development of the nation's offshore resources. It seeks to appropriately balance economic development, energy independence, and environmental protection through oil and gas leases, renewable energy development and environmental reviews and studies. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.boem.gov/

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/22/2022 to 12/06/2022
Salary
$44,740 to - $86,074 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 7 - 11
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Jefferson, LA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel to conferences and meetings 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
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BOEM-MMLL-23-AW-004(MP)
Control number
690397900

Duties

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These positions are located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Adjudication Section, in Jefferson, Louisiana.

At the full performance level (GS-11) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Interpreting and applying laws and regulations from other Federal agencies or various state governments, as well as established business law practices and jurisprudence in adjudicating corporate governance documents in connection with initial qualification, corporate mergers, corporate name changes, and corporate business conversions of OCS bidders, lessees, and operators.
  2. Interpreting and applying laws and implementing regulations in the adjudication of legal filings submitted in connection with transfers of interest in ownership and operatorship of OCS leases.
  3. Participating in the review, updating, and creation of regulations and guidance documents related to OCS leasing.
  4. Representing the Office of Leasing and Plans, Gulf of Mexico Region on interregional and intraregional teams related to OCS leasing.
  5. Coordinating and consulting with the Departmental Solicitor's office, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Office of Natural Resources Revenue, and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in the issuance and adjudication of OCS leases, revocations of operatorship, disqualifications from operatorship, and suspension and/or debarment issues.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Salary Information
GS-7: $44,740 - $58,158 per annum
GS-9: $54,727 - $71,146 per annum
GS-11: $66,214 - $86,074 per annum
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

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

This vacancy is also announced as BOEM-MMLL-23-AW-003(DEU) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Competitive Examining procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. 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/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:To qualify for this position you must meet the Educational Requirements OR Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

GS-07
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 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) Reviewing filings/documents made by customers/clients to ensure same are complete; and 2) Identifying inadequacies or errors in documents/filings and communicating with filers to provide guidance for bringing documents into compliance. If qualifying based on experience, MUST MEET ALL.
-OR-
Education: Must have completed one (1) full academic year of graduate level education (including law school) that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. One year of graduate education is the number of credit hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) is considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.
-OR-
Superior Academic Achievement: Must have completed a bachelor's degree in any field that included at least 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws and meets eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) provision. For more information on S.A.A. requirements, see link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/.
-OR-
Combination of Experience and Education: Must have a combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience. Note: This will be calculated using your resume and official or unofficial transcripts submitted with your application.

GS-09
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 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) Reviewing filings/documents related to federal offshore oil and gas leasing to ensure same are complete; 2) Identifying inadequacies or errors in documents/filings related to federal offshore oil and gas leasing and communicating with filers to provide guidance for bringing documents into compliance; and 3) Conducting data entry and querying databases related to offshore oil and gas leasing. If qualifying based on experience, MUST MEET ALL.
-OR-
Education: Must have completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related, with major study in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation.
-OR-
Combination of Education/Experience: Have a combination of education and experience described above; (To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify).

GS-11
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 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) Reviewing filings/documents made in connection with the terms and conditions of federal offshore oil and gas leases for completeness and adherence to regulatory requirements; 2) Identifying inadequacies or errors in documents/filings made in connection with the terms and conditions of federal offshore oil and gas leases and communicating with filers to provide guidance for bringing documents into compliance; 3) Conducting data entry and querying databases related to offshore oil and gas leasing; and 4) Identifying and correcting discrepancies in databases for offshore oil and gas leasing. If qualifying based on experience, MUST MEET ALL.
-OR-
Education: Have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.M., if related, with major study in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation.
-OR-
Combination of Education/Experience: Have a combination of education and experience described above; (To calculate, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify).

NOTE: Applicants utilizing education to qualify at the respective grade level must provide transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) in order to verify that the educational requirement has been met. The documents must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information will result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating.

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.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of the 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

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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.

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 well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Clerical
  • Computer Skills
  • Conscientiousness
  • Customer Service
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Problem Solving
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

DUE WEIGHT
Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11716626

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