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Land Surveyor

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Land Surveyor. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.

Duty Location: Grand Junction, Colorado

**Announcement open period has been extended. Announcement will close on 5/05/2023.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/08/2023 to 05/05/2023
Salary
$46,696 to - $89,835 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Grand Junction, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% or less - 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
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
BOR-UCB-23-DE-11853300-OPM
Control number
717768500

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Duties

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  • Serves as a Land Surveyor, supporting surveying activities concerned with land and property boundaries, preparing plat and legal descriptions for tracts of land within the area office and to other offices.
  • Implements cadastral and engineering surveys, as well as subprofessional engineering work related to operation, maintenance, and construction program activities for Reclamation-owned infrastructure.
  • Serves as project leader on a variety of land surveys and mapping projects.
  • As part of the Safety of Dams program, oversees and performs structural behavior monitoring of major structures within the Region.
  • Compiles topographic and/or planimetric maps for small contour interval and large-scale maps.
  • Performs remote sensing surveys including sonar based bathymetric and terrestrially based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveys and inspections.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
  • You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
  • This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.
  • You may be required to serve an initial probationary period.
  • You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
  • You must submit eligibility documents for veterans consideration (see Required Documents).
  • You must meet any minimum education and/or experience requirements (see Qualifications).
  • You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
  • You must maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times as the position requires operation of government vehicles on government and public roads. Failure to maintain a valid State Driver's License at all times will result in removal from the position.
  • Per HRM 05-01-3(G) and IAW LND 06-01 E, 1, at the GS-11 level, the incumbent must be licensed in Colorado as a Professional Land Surveyor and maintain this licensure in good standing. This licensure will be required before promotion to the full performance level (GS-11).
  • Frequently works outside of regular tour of duty with supervisor approval, e.g., Credit Hours, Overtime.
  • Frequent travel, at least 50% of the time (some overnight stays) for field work, attend meetings, conferences, training, site visits, etc.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, 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.

BASIC Requirement for the 1373 series:

A. Education: Successful completion of a 4-year bachelor's degree or higher in Land Surveying; or Civil Engineering with a surveying option/emphasis. The civil engineering major must have included at least 6 semester hours of surveying, 3 semester hours of land law, and 21 additional semester hours in any combination of the following: surveying, photogrammetry, geodetic surveying, geodesy, route surveying, remote sensing, cartography, survey astronomy, land information systems, computer-aided mapping, aerial photo interpretation, and survey analysis and adjustments. (Note: You must submit a complete copy of your transcripts showing the required course work and your degree awarded information.)
OR
B. Combination of Education and Experience-
Courses equivalent to a major in Land Surveying or Civil Engineering as described in paragraph A, plus appropriate experience or additional education. (Note: You must submit a complete copy of your transcripts showing the required course work and your resume must clearly define the appropriate experience.)
OR
C. Current registration as a Land Surveyor in a State, territory, or the District of Columbia-
Such registration must have been obtained under conditions outlined in the National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE) Unified Model Law for Registration of Surveyors. Applicants wishing to be considered under this provision must show evidence of registration based on successful completion of the written examinations. Registrations granted prior to adoption of a registration law with qualification requirements equivalent to the NCEE Model Law by the State, territory, or District of Columbia are not acceptable under this option. To be considered equivalent to the NCEE Model law, registration laws must include the four options listed within the NCEE Unified Model Law in the section specifying "General Requirements for Registration" as a Professional Land Surveyor. (Note: You must submit proof of your registration based on successful completion of the written examinations.)

AND

To be considered minimally qualified for this position, in addition to the Basic Requirement above, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education below for the grade level for which you are applying:

GS-07 Minimum Qualifications:
Specialized Experience:
Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following duties: (1) conducting surveys of land and/or other natural resources; (2) measuring land areas to obtain estimates of excavatable yardage, total acreage or exterior dimensions; (3) manually computing mathematic formulas to calculate distance and find land area.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester hours or equivalent) of graduate education from an accredited college or university in a closely related field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience:
Successful completion of an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.
OR
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA):
Successful completion of a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position as described above from an accredited college or university, and meets one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement based on the following: (1) class standing (upper third standing in the graduating class of a college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses); (2) grade-point average (3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) as recorded on the official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or (3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; (3) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society.

GS-09 Minimum Qualifications:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing at least 3 of the following duties: (1) compiling and processing field survey data using various processing programs; (2) applying mathematical computations for traverse closures; (3) conducting routine analysis on land areas and/or other natural resources; and (4) applying basic land surveying techniques to establish land and/or property boundaries; (5) creating draft reporting for boundary and high precision surveys.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least two years of progressively higher-level graduate education from an accredited college or university leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a closely related field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience:
Successful completion of an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. (Only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used.) This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

GS-11 Minimum Qualifications:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing at least 3 of the following duties: (1) analyzing field survey data; (2) manually calculating mathematical computations for boundary closures; (3) conducting routine analysis on land areas and/or other natural resources; (4) leading the implementation of cadastral surveys according to law, technical, and/ or administrative standards.
OR
Education:
Successful completion of at least three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a PhD degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in a closely related field which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position.
OR
Combination of Education/Experience:
Successful completion of an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above, when combined, equal 100% of the total requirement. (Only graduate education in excess of 36 semester hours may be used.) This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.
AND
GS-11 Selective Factor: This position performs Land Surveyor duties within the state of Colorado, and at the full performance GS-11 level, the incumbent must be licensed in Colorado as a Professional Land Surveyor and maintain this licensure in good standing. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

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

Education

(Qualifications continued from above)

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".

You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors if applicable, by 05/05/2023.
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.

Education:

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.



Additional information

Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses are authorized with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: Work is performed in both office and field settings. Office work is mostly sedentary performed at a workstation with a desk, and personal computer. Field trips to remote dam sites and other facilities are frequently required. Field work includes walking on uneven ground, steep slopes, embankments, streambanks and reservoir shorelines with loose rock or unstable footing, climbing ladders and stairs, and entry of confined spaces. Field activities involve considerable walking, bending, stooping, and climbing in and around large dams and associated facilities, and lifting equipment less than 50 pounds per component. Moderate to frequent travel is required to remote field locations primarily by traveling long distances in vehicles and occasionally by commercial transportation. If conducting a bathymetric survey, work may require time in/on marine equipment and time wading in streams, rivers and/or lakes.

Working Conditions: The work environment is approximately 50% in an office setting and 50% in the field. The outdoor environment varies from flat, barren desert land or open prairie to extremely steep, rugged and broken mountains covered with dense brush and timber. The temperatures fluctuate from extremely hot to uncomfortably cold, though temperatures are monitored for safety. At times, crews are required to work in rain and snow. Individuals are exposed to poisonous plants, snakes, insects, and most animals common to the outdoors. Work is often near large construction and hoisting equipment. Work is in and around large power and pumping plants and associated dams and reservoirs. Considerable travel throughout the projects area will be required in accomplishing the responsibilities of the position. Such travel may extend over a number of weeks although the incumbent will usually return to the duty station on weekends.

Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to: https://www.sss.gov

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

If you are unable to apply online, please email SASBMAILBOX@OPM.GOV prior to the closing of the announcement.

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 your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. 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 resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Highly Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Surveying
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11853300

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to opt in of having your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.

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