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Petroleum Engineer

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, Office of Production and Development
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) works to promote safety, protect the environment, and conserve resources offshore through vigorous regulatory oversight and enforcement. For information about our bureau go to: http://www.bsee.gov/

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/03/2023 to 01/26/2023
Salary
$54,111 to - $124,779 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 12
Location
Jefferson, LA
Few vacancies
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
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BSEE-EENN-23-KL-024(DEU)
Control number
697607600

Duties

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These positions are located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR), Office of Production and Development, Measurement Approval and Enforcement Section, in the Commingling and Measurement Approval Unit in Jefferson, LA.

At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

1. Independently or in collaboration with senior engineers, reviews and analyzes commingling and measurement applications that involve production facilities, allocation procedures, transportation issues, and marketing arrangements.

2. Coordinates efforts with senior engineers to ensure that all measurement facilities are maintained in accordance with all applicable OCS operating regulations and notices using inspection reports and producer submitted data.

3. Reviews applications from operators for lease automatic custody transfer facilities and gas royalty metering points for compliance with regulations and industry standards and prepares a draft response for signature of the Section Chief.

4. Investigates measurement issues at offshore and onshore separation facilities, conducting inspections when necessary.

5. Functions as a specialist in the allocating of production and participates in conferences with industry engineering and accounting personnel in order to obtain reports, information, and statistics necessary for proper royalty accounting and to discuss policy issues on matters under consideration by the Unit.

6. Under direction of the Unit Supervisor, represents the Unit at meetings with producers, transporters, processors, and State agencies where commingling and measurement issues are being discussed and at industry technical conferences.

Jefferson, LA Special Salary Rate Range Information (Per Annum):
GS-07: $54,111-$70,343
GS-09: $66,188-$86,041
GS-11: $80,081-$104,101
GS-12: $95,984-$124,779
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as BSEE-EENN-23-KL-025(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience AND/OR Education for the series/grade to which you are applying.

Petroleum Engineering Series, 0881:
Individual Occupational Requirements
(1) Basic Educational Requirements:

To be eligible for this position, you must meet either A or B below for the series to which you are applying.

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by 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.

-OR-

B. 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 one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

  1. Professional registration or licensure
  2. Written Test
  3. Specified academic courses
  4. Related curriculum
For further information on the adequacy of such background demonstrated by one of the above listed are found in the link below: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/all-professional-engineering-positions-0800/

Please Note: This position requires specific educational coursework to qualify. You MUST provide transcripts in order to verify that the educational requirements have been met. This information must be received by the closing date of the announcement. Failure to provide this information may result in you receiving an "INELIGIBLE" rating.

-AND-

GS-7

Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1. Working on any projects related to the application of engineering practices and principles to the development of liquid hydrocarbon and natural gas resources.

Education: You may substitute education (education that is directly related) for experience at the GS-07 level if you have achieved:

One year of progressively higher-level graduate education.

-OR-

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in an engineering program (For more info on how to qualify for SAA: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4f )

-OR-

Successful completion of a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering.

-OR-

Combination of Graduate Education and Experience: A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience that totals 100% of the requirement for the GS-07 grade level.

GS-09

Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

1. Working on projects related to the application of engineering practices and principles to the development of liquid hydrocarbon and natural gas resources; AND
2. Preparing technical reports or other technical documentation.
MUST MEET ALL


-OR-

Education: You may substitute graduate education for experience if you have achieved:

A combination of Superior Academic Achievement and 1 year of appropriate professional experience that is related to the position.

-OR-

2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree.

-OR-

Master's or equivalent graduate degree.

-OR-

Appropriate Combination of Graduate Education and Experience:

A combination of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level that totals 100% of the requirement for this grade level.

-OR-

A combination of superior academic achievement and 1 year of appropriate Professional Experience.

GS-11

Specialized Experience:
A. To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:1. Working on projects related to the measurement, or sampling of hydrocarbon production. 2. Preparing technical reports or other technical documentation. 3. Ensuring compliance with regulations and petroleum industry standards. MUST MEET ALL

-OR-

Education: You may substitute graduate education for experience if you have achieved:

3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree.

-OR-

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

-OR-

Combination of Graduate Education and Experience: A combination of successfully completed graduate education (only successfully completed education beyond the second year (or 36 semester hours) is creditable towards meeting this requirement) and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level that is related to the position and total 100% of the requirement for this grade level.

Note: Education may not be substituted for experience at the GS-12 grade level.

GS-12

Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-12, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
1. Working on projects related to the measurement, or sampling of hydrocarbon production;
2. Preparing technical reports or other technical documentation;
3. Ensuring compliance with regulations and petroleum industry standards; AND
4. Selecting, sizing, designing, installing, operating, or maintaining production measurement equipment.
MUST MEET ALL


Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

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 assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the "Platinum" category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans' preference rules for category rating will be applied.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to the technical detail.

Petroleum Engineering: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods related to the exploration, development, extraction, recovery, processing, and conservation of fluid minerals, geothermal resources, organic compounds, or natural gas resources.

Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Written Communication: Ability to write highly technical documents related to petroleum engineering, ensure the information is up to date and in compliance with industry standards; Skill and ability to understand and clarify technical information; skill in drafting or developing new or updated standards and/or regulations regarding hydrocarbon measurements and/or commingling operations.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11781006

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