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Legal Instruments Examiner

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
High Plains District- Buffalo Field Office; Casper Field Office
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource.

This position is located in Buffalo, WY. Information about Buffalo and the surrounding area can be found at We expect to fill 2 vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/15/2023 to 12/15/2023
Salary
$37,696 to - $60,703 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Buffalo, WY
Casper, WY
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
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
WYMP-24-12175677-JP
Control number
760725700

Duties

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  • Responsible for completing a comprehensive review of case file information and coordinating with State/District/Field Offices to resolve omissions or discrepancies.
  • Use automated programs to track and process Applications for Permit to Drill and sundry notices, prepare and distribute correspondence, and create reports for internal and external customers.
  • Use electronic and hard copy filing systems to update and maintain official records.
  • Communicating information related to oil and gas permitting to internal and external customers.

Requirements

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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.
  • May require a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

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.

For GS-5: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-4 in the federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as

  1. Experience working with legal documents and processing requirements involving a variety of lands and minerals actions; e.g., leases, sales, and conveyances, in order to perform pre-adjudication and legal document examination duties;
  2. Experience working with legal land descriptions and interpretations on master title plats, maps and other location documents with the efficiency to ensure accuracy of legal status.
  3. Ability to communicate in writing and verbally.
  4. Experience with the function and operation of computers and associated software, and,
  5. Experience with general office procedures, e.g., filing, answering telephones, and maintaining records.
OR
education 4 years above high school

OR
a combination of education and experience

For GS-6: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-5 in the federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as
  1. Experience working with the public land and mineral laws, regulations and procedures, Department Directives, Bureau and State Office Instruction and Information Memoranda pertaining to lands, minerals and oil and gas;
  2. Experience working with legal land descriptions, land status records, filing systems, and the terms and lay language associated with prospecting and mining of minerals;
  3. Ability to read and abstract information from a variety of legal documents such as lease offers, applications, leases, assignments, and relinquishments to determine land status.
  4. Experience working with the public land survey system, including the ability to read and write legal land descriptions; and
  5. Experience working with office automation systems, including word processing, databases, spreadsheets, case recordation, and other business systems.
For GS-7: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-6 in the federal service. Specialized experience at this level is defined as
  1. Knowledge of the content, purpose and legal requirements of lands and minerals records and the docket control system and the practices, techniques, procedures and mechanics for operation of the system;
  2. Experience working with an automated database system such as MLRS, including the ability to input and query data and produce reports;
  3. Experience working with land adjudication and the processing of all types of land and mineral transactions, including the review, processing and routing of files and documents;
  4. Experience working with specialized terminology, technical subject matter, and concepts used in the land and mineral fields; and
  5. Experience reading and interpreting master title plats, historical indices, and other public land records, including the ability to describe land, such as legal subdivisions, survey courses and distances, metes and bounds, and to interpret legal descriptions to locate lands on maps

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 within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

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.

Education

As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

???????If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

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

Travel 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.

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.

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.

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:

  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Database Management Systems
  • Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
  • Petroleum Engineering


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.

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