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Geologist

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

Summary

This position is located in the Carlsbad Field Office, in the Division of Minerals.

This position is open to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico current permanent employees on a competitive appointment and employees that meet Land Management Authority. This includes Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/06/2024 to 09/17/2024
Salary
$100,495 to - $130,640 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Carlsbad, NM
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
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
NM-MP-24-12504313-AO
Control number
808087100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is open to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) New Mexico current permanent employees on a competitive appointment and employees that meet Land Management Authority. This includes Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees in New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. ICTAP eligibilities will not receive consideration.

Duties

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  • Coordinate and communicate with other groups and offices throughout the organization such as program and project managers, finance, maintenance, permit compliance, and acquisition.
  • Provide answers to complex minerals program questions concerning the Minerals Program.
  • Work with Contracting Officer/Grants Officer/Awarding Official to implement and administer a variety of assigned contracts.
  • Identify and devise courses of action in coordination with the Contracting Officer, Grants Officer or Awarding Official.
  • Analyze and interpret geological and geophysical data to carry out investigations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • May be required to complete background investigation and drug screening.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this Geologist, GS-1350-12, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application.

** This position requires that you must meet ONE of the BASIC requirement options *AND* meet the ADDITIONAL qualifications requirement in order to qualify for this position.**


BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR GEOLOGY SERIES, 1350:
Option A: EDUCATION:
You have successfully completed a 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. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.
-OR-
Option B: COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: You have a combination of education and experience, that includes course work as shown in A above [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.] PLUS, appropriate experience or additional education related to this position. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in one of the fields stated in A above. (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 geological 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.) This combination must be sufficient to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the duties of a professional Geologist. NOTE: You must submit copies of your transcripts.

-AND-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

GS-12:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing professional geology work executing actions for a wide range of geological assignments. This experience includes: (1) managing complex and/or controversial minerals/geology projects relating to land use; (2) leading interdisciplinary teams for compliance with environmental laws, regulations, and policies (i.e., NEPA, ESA, NHPA); (3) communicating with internal and external stakeholders regarding complex or controversial projects; (4) applying sophisticated processes and analytical methods to the preparation and analysis of field/remote sensing observations and/or laboratory samples. Note: Your resume must fully support this experience in order to be found qualified.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-11 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Volunteer 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 include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours 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) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
Physical Demands:
Some work of the position takes place mostly in an office or laboratory setting. No special physical effort is required.

During emergency response periods, training of personnel on new equipment, or field work, the scientist may be expected to hike distances of several kilometers over uneven terrain while carrying equipment. Field work may require working in remote field sites with limited to no services.

Field work may require the use of proper personal protective gear, working in dusty, hot, humid, and extreme cold environments, occasional off-road driving of 4-wheel drive vehicles, traveling to remote field sites in helicopters or small fixed wing planes, and/or boats. Lifting of equipment and objects weighing up to 50 pounds may be necessary.

Working Conditions:
Some work takes place in office or laboratory settings with adequate heat, light, and ventilation.

Office conditions do not require special safety precautions; field conditions may include extreme heat or cold, rain or snow, and hazardous conditions such as exposure to extreme temperature, noxious or toxic gasses, ice or flooding.

Field work may involve encounters with dangerous fauna and flora, and other wilderness dangers. International field work may be conducted in culturally hostile areas.

Geology position with duties that involve subsurface investigation require geologists to work near drill rigs and heavy equipment. Geology positions with duties that involve construction support require geologists to work near heavy equipment and construction hazards. Some work is carried out in proximity to explosives.

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

The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and 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.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact Amanda Ozuna at aozuna@blm.gov.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

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 additional assessments required for this position.

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 additional assessments, including a subject matter expert (SME) resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Geology
  • Leadership
  • Project Management


Performance Appraisals: 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.

Recruitment incentive awards: Applicants that have received recruitment incentive awards during the last two years, must list them on their resume.

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