Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Land Law Examiner

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Wyoming State Office
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 Cheyenne and Casper, WY. Information about the surrounding area can be found at https://www.cheyenne.org/ and https://www.visitcasper.com/.

We expect to fill 3 vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/06/2023 to 06/20/2023
Salary
$46,696 to - $74,250 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Locations
few vacancies in the following locations:
Casper, WY
Cheyenne, WY
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
No
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
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
WYDE-23-11994631-LC
Control number
730128100

Duties

Help
  • Reviews and processes a full range of difficult and complex mining law and fluid mineral leasing, maintenance and agreement cases.
  • Performs adjudication actions for coal management, mining claims, geothermal and oil and gas leasing and maintenance.
  • Utilizes data systems and applications to collect, enter, update and maintain data according to Bureau and program standards.

Requirements

Help

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.
  • May require a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

The official worksite for this position is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. This position is not considered "remote work" and the selectee will be expected to report to the duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.

This position has an individual occupation requirement that must be met in order to be considered. Please read the Education section to ensure you meet these requirements.

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.

In addition to the individual occupation requirement, to qualify you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

To qualify for the GS-07:
You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the following areas: Ability to utilize computer equipment and software applications to input, manipulates, update, and maintain data and request reports. Basic knowledge of the principles and procedures of legal document examination land law examining and their relation to the public land laws, mineral leasing, and mining laws. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to deal with a variety of individuals and prepare various reports and written material. OR- One full year of graduate level education related to the position; -OR- A combination of qualifying experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. -OR- Superior Academic Achievement. Superior Academic Achievement (See OPM's General Policies, Application of Qualification Standards Section 4.f.) S.A.A. must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.


To qualify for the GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 in the following areas: Ability to utilize computer equipment and software applications to input, manipulate, update, and maintain data and request reports. Knowledge of land surveying terminology and ability to read and search for legal land descriptions, and accurately determine surface and mineral ownership status from surface and quad maps, Master Title Plats and Oil and Gas Plats. Processes relinquishments, proofs of construction and administrative charges and rental fees paid in connection with the grants -OR-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

Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Graduate Education: Education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university in the amounts shown in the table meets the requirements for positions at GS-7 through GS-11. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

Combining Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. (When crediting education that requires specific course work, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.)

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.

Physical Demands: The work is predominantly sedentary although there is some walking, stooping, and bending involved when searching for records.

Work Environment: The work is performed in a typical office setting.

Education

This position has an individual occupational requirement:

For GS-7:

Applicants can qualify for GS-7 based on graduate 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. Applicants who qualify for GS-7 on the basis of the superior academic achievement provision must have had at least 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws.

For GS-9 and above:

Major study -- fields such as those described above for GS-7. For some positions, graduate study alone may not provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the work. Applicants for such positions may be required to have specialized experience at the appropriate grade level.

or

Experience

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided a familiarity with real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies, etc. Such experience may have been gained in positions such as law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or other work dealing with laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc.

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Experience in or directly related to examination or adjudication of cases involving laws and regulations dealing with lands and resources. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

  • Adjudication or examination of applications and claims for the disposal, use of, or title to public lands, issuance of leases, licenses, or permits for land or resources use, and resolving conflicts arising from use.
  • General practice of law that included substantial involvement in examinations of titles or other legal transactions involving acquisition, lease, or disposal of land.
  • Title searching, abstracting, or interpreting land records, survey plats, or tract indexes and books, provided the work demonstrated an understanding of the laws, regulations, and policies associated with land management programs.
  • Work as a land appraiser that involved appraisal of undeveloped or marginal-type land.

If using education to qualify, 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

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.

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.

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

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. 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:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Database Management Systems
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.