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Petroleum Engineer

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.


This position is located in Reno, Nevada. Information about Nevada State Office in Reno, NV and the surrounding area can be found at Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce

We expect to fill one vacancy 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
05/13/2023 to 06/16/2023
This job will close when we have received 30 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$82,830 to - $107,680 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Reno, NV
Remote job
No
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
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NV-Merit-23-11965746-JP
Control number
725680800

Duties

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  • Performs technical review for all downhole related operations including drilling, production, and plugging according to regulations, policies, and defined procedures.
  • Review/develop procedures for oil and gas drilling or plugging operations to ensure operations are conducted in accordance with accepted petroleum engineering principles.
  • Adhering to applicable laws, regulations, policies, onshore orders, and permit terms.
  • Communicates program/technical information to management, peers, and district/field office staff. Communicates with management, peers, operators, lessees, and other governing entities to build relationship and effectively manage information and data.
  • Provides technical guidance for on-site inspections of onshore oil and gas drilling, plugging, and producing operations facilities to assure operations are in compliance with approved applications and regulations.
  • Issue Incidence of Non-Compliance as necessary in the field to Operators as authorized through holding a BLM PET Certification.
  • Provides input into development of the Statewide Plan.

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.
  • If selected for this position you will need to complete the Federal Information Systems Security Awareness (FISSA) training prior to start date.
  • 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.

Basic Education Requirement (BER):
A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the curriculum must: (1) Lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); 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.
B. I have a 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 engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to mining engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by ONE of the following:

  • Professional registration - Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico.
  • Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration, by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam or Puerto Rico.
  • Specified academic courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements. The courses must be fully acceptable towards meeting the requirements of a professional engineering curriculum as described in paragraph A.
  • Related curriculum - Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate professional field, e.g. engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided that applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.
Specialized Experience:
In addition to the BER you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: performing technical review and making recommendations for approval of all down-hole operations and reviewing applications for permits to drill (APDs) for completeness and adequacy; reviewing downhole pressures, casing and cementing plans, blow out prevention equipment, geology and other procedures to protect people, minerals, and aquifers; coordinating with other specialists; providing on-the-spot instructions and authorizations for final plugging and abandonment of wells; providing technical expertise and support to junior Petroleum Engineers, Petroleum Engineering Technicians, and/or Petroleum Accounting Technicians concerning oil and gas inspection and enforcement issues; conducting both engineering and economic analyses to determine viability of proposals/variances and their respective short and long term benefits; reviewing well data, leases, well spacing, unit agreements for various compliance issues, and maintaining relative spreadsheets; providing various technical reports to management for higher level meetings; providing expertise to management regarding complex technical issues.

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.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Occasionally conducts field work which requires travel over rough roads, hiking or climbing in rough terrain, and carrying field equipment.

Work Environment: Most work is performed in a typical office environment. Occasional field work will require exposure to a range of climatic conditions from subzero to over 100-degree temperatures, rain and snow; exposure to poisonous gasses, and other similar danger conditions.

Education

This position falls under Professional and Scientific positions, IOR of Professional Engineering Series, 0880.

There is no substitution of specialized experience for education at the GS-12 level.

You must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

Additional information

Relocation Incentive: This position is offering a Relocation Incentive, 20% of the annual salary. To be eligible for a Relocation Incentive, you must be a current Federal Employee and the selectee must be employed with the Federal Government and the selectees current duty location is more than 50 miles from the duty location of this position. To be eligible for a Recruitment Incentive, selectee must not be employed by the Federal Government.

Group Retention Incentive: This position is offering a BLM established 7.5% group retention incentive.

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 be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Tax Law Impact for PCS: Moving expenses reimbursement is a taxable benefit. However, the Federal Travel Regulation 18-05 issued by General Services Administration has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance and Relocation Income Tax Allowance to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals.

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.

Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment.

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 questionnaire 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 contacted for an interview.

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

  • Compliance Inspection
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence


In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

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 successful completion of the following additional assessment: Subject Matter Expert Resume Panel Review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

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