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

Engineering Technician (Petroleum)

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 most precious resource.

We expect to fill 3 vacancies at this time.

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. See "Other" section for additional information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to PCS.

Overview

Help
Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/12/2025 to 05/23/2025
Salary
$46,513 to - $74,906 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
3 vacancies in the following location:
Dickinson, ND
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
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
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
MT-MP-25-12733047-GMS
Control number
836762200

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

All current career/career-conditional or former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and former Public Land Corps (PLC) eligibles; Persons eligible under other Special Hiring Authorities. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area.

Duties

Help
  • Performs on-site inspections of most phases of oil and gas drilling/work-over operations and associated facilities.
  • Performs general inspections on well production equipment, production handling, and surface activities to assure that the leasehold is maintained, and that surface use conforms to the approved plan.
  • Conducts routine production verification inspections to confirm lease production.
  • Conducts abandonment inspections for operations on leased Federal lands.
  • When certified, issues Incidents of Noncompliance (INC) in operations inspected, when violations are detected.

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.
  • 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.
  • You must successfully complete the BLM Petroleum Engineering Technician (PET) Certification Program and continue service in the Federal Government for 2 years from the date of obtaining PET certification.
  • May require a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified:

  • Demonstrated skill and ability in the use of mathematics at the high school algebra level to verify volume and height of cement and to calculate other drilling fluids and oil and gas volumes to account for production from Federal and Indian oil and gas leases.

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 order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. You must meet the qualification requirements to be found qualified.

GS-05 - applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors), that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Architecture, drafting, cadastral/surveying, construction operations; Physical, environmental, natural sciences (Geography, Geology, etc.); Chemical systems; Electrical or mechanical systems; Mining or petroleum systems; Experience in a trade or craft that provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, and methods.
OR
Education: Four (4) full-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree 1) with major study in an appropriate field of engineering, construction, or industrial technology; or 2) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as engineering, engineering or industrial technology, construction, physics, drafting, surveying, physical science, or mathematics. At least 6 of the 24 semester hours must have been in drafting if the position has been designated by a drafting area of specialization. Must provide transcripts.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate
undergraduate education. Courses equivalent to a degree, in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Must provide transcripts.

GS-6: One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-5 level. Examples of specialized experience may include extracting data from a variety of sources (e.g., field notes, design manuals, laboratory reports, handbooks, etc.) requiring knowledge of the applicability and use of the data and the characteristics of the sources; recognizing and reporting errors, non-consistencies, and other deficiencies in the technical data; selecting the method for presenting the data for internal use, using tabular and graphic means; resolving technical problems in measuring uncomplicated surveys, conducting P-Line and site surveys; and plotting roadway alignments, grade lines, cross sections, culvert locations, and related information from field notes and other sources.

OR
Successful completion of one full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position.

OR
A combination of experience and education to meet the total experience.

GS-7: One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-6 level. Examples of specialized experience may include performing survey and design of roads associated with annual work plans, including flagging final road grades, gathering road design data, surveying P-lines and designing P or L line roads, and establishing final road locations; performing a wide range of standard and special purpose tests of soils, concrete, and other materials used in construction of dams, tunnels, reservoirs, culverts, roads etc.; performing routine inspection functions, administration of engineering construction, supply, service and timber sale contracts; preparing right-of-way letters and agreements, preparing NEPA documentation; gathering and analysis of facility and transportation system condition assessment data; calibrating laboratory equipment and modifying test equipment or procedures to meet unusual field conditions or special requirements; and inspecting contractor's concrete manufacturing operation for compliance with specifications and recommending, through supervisor, correction of concrete mix.

OR
Successful completion of one full year of graduate education directly related to the work of the position.

OR
A combination of experience and education to meet the total 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 by the closing date of the announcement.

Physical Demands / Work Environment: The work ranges from sedentary when completing duties in the office to frequent field work requiring a considerable amount of walking, riding, stooping, bending, and lifting. Office work is performed in adequately lighted, heated, and air-conditioned offices. Much of the time is spent in the field where exposure to extremes of heat and cold, rough terrain, insects, snakes, and other hazards are common. The incumbent carefully adheres to all safety procedures to mitigate hazards encountered.

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.

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

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.

Travel, per diem, and lodging expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulations.

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.


This announcement is being advertised concurrently under number MT-DE-25-12734996-GMS, which is open to all qualified persons. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

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.

This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-XX. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.

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
  • General Engineering
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • 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.

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.