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Legal Instruments Examiner

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

Summary

BLM is seeking a dynamic and energetic individual to serve as a Legal Instrument Examiner in the Eastern Montana/Dakotas District Office, North Dakota Field Office, Division of Minerals, Dickinson, North Dakota.  Information about the Dickinson area can be found at Dickinson Chamber of Commerce. 

This position is also being advertised under vacancy announcement MT Merit-2019-0068. More than one person may be selected from these announcements. 

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Posted 03/13/19
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$37,223 - $53,773 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 06 - 07
Promotion potential
07
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time - Full-time. 1 vacancy available The closing date of this announcement has been extended to 4/3/19.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - At times, travel for meetings and/or training may be required.
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent position in the competitive service.
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Announcement number
MT-DEU-2019-0031
Control number
527327500

Duties

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At the full performance level, the incumbent is responsible for performing a variety of duties including, but not limited to, the following: 

  • Reviewing and processing applications and submissions, such as Permits to Drill (APD), Sundry Notices, Communitization Agreements (CAs), and required reports from operators, to insure all legal aspects required in approval of applications are timely and correct.
  • Analyzing and processing a variety of applications and legal documents relating to lease operations and rights of lessees and operators, allottees and operators.
  • Entering, retrieving, and manipulating data in databases and maintaining accuracy of the minerals data bases and permanent records.  
  • Tracking and verifying progress on Unit Agreements, Participating Areas, and Compensatory Royalty Agreements to assure agreement terms are followed.
  • Determining if bonding submitted with applications satisfies applicable statutory and/or regulatory requirements.
  • Providing advice and assistance to the public, supervisors, and staff relating to a variety of legal and other questions regarding leasing, applications, lease operations, units, CAs, bonding, and related activities.
  • Compiling necessary statistics and reports, including the Monthly Lease Extension Report.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Background Investigation 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 Land.
  • Direct Deposit Required.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

For GS-06:  One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service.  Examples of qualifying specialized experience include reviewing legal land documents such as title plats to determine mineral ownership, verifying legal land description notations, and identifying discrepancies in title documents.

For GS-07:  One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service.  Examples of qualifying specialized experience include performing research of current and historical land status records and related legal documents to determine status of surface and mineral ownership, providing assistance to lessees and operators on various bonding problems/questions, and providing information regarding permits, rights or privileges, and contracts related to legal ownership or title or interest in property.

Specialized Experience:  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. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

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.

Additional information

  • Appointment is subject to meeting one-year probationary requirements.
  • RELOCATION EXPENSES:  Travel, transportation 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.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System website.
  • Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.
  • Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP):  CTAP/ICTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP.  If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well qualified, you must receive a score of at least 90 to receive priority consideration under either program. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP.
  • Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.  The BLM manages more land - 245 million surface acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The BLM, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. For additional information about the BLM, please visit our website.
  • 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.
  • Selectee(s) may be eligible for a 10% retention incentive supervisory determination of fully successful performance.

How you will be evaluated

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

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your rating will be based on your responses to the Job Specific Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. If qualified, your score may range from 70-100 points. In addition, interviews may be conducted for this position. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis or may be scored. The job specific questions relate to the following knowledge, skills, and abilities required to do the work of this position:

  • Comprehensive knowledge of extensive and various public and Indian mineral leasing and operation laws and regulations.
  • Knowledge of land surveying technology and ability to read and comprehend complex legal land and mineral descriptions, and accurately determine surface and mineral ownership.
  • Knowledge of oil and gas leasing operations, technical language and terminology to process applications and answer inquiries.
  • Skill in using automated systems and computer programs for data management, the development and production of complex reports and formats.
  • Skill in effective oral and written communication to coordinate within a team environment.

    On-line Questionnaire:
    Please make sure that your responses to the on-line questionnaire are supported in your resume.

To preview questions please click here.

Bureau of Land Management

For additional information BLM’s mission, please visit our website.

Agency contact information

Branch of Human Resources
Phone
406-896-5002
Fax
406-896-5297
Email
apply@blm.gov
Address
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Montana State Office, MT-933
Branch of Human Resources
5001 Southgate Drive
Billings, Montana 59101
United States

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