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Land Law Examiner (Lands & Realty)

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.

This position is located in Reno, NV. Information about the Reno area can be found at Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce.

We expect to fill one vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

This position is authorized a 20% incentive - see Additional Information.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
11/28/2023 to 12/18/2023
This job will close when we have received 30 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$54,727 to - $86,074 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Reno, NV
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
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NV-Merit-24-12221381-JP
Control number
762548000

Duties

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  • Reviews and processes the full range of difficult and complex fluid mineral leasing adjudicative cases.
  • Performs independent adjudication actions in areas such as oil and gas, and geothermal resources.
  • Provides advice, assistance, and instructions in legal interpretation and other information on fluid mineral laws.
  • Conducts legal research, analyzes regulations, judicial decisions, Solicitor opinions and other decisions that impact fluid minerals.
  • Prepares decision documents and or notices such as those rejecting or accepting applications, or requesting additional information or curative actions.
  • Utilizes data systems and applications to collect, enter, manipulate, update, and maintain data according to prescribed Bureau and program standards.
  • Ensures data quality and integrity by adherence to quality control standards and procedures.
  • Exchange information/assemble data from different sources, to negotiate differences of application criteria with operators/users of public lands. May also provide interpretive guidance regulations and procedures for mineral applications and actions.

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.
  • If selected for this position you will need to complete the Federal Information Systems Security Awareness (FISSA) training prior to start date.

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-9: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-7 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: experience in adjudication or examination of applications & claims for the disposal, use of, or title to public lands, issuance of leases, licenses, or permits for land use; OR have a master's or equivalent degree; OR 2 full years (36 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a master`s degree or equivalent or LL.B or J.D., if related, in a directly related field such as surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising or land use planning; OR an equivalent combination of experience and education as described above.

For GS-11: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-9 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: processing applications, claims or requests for information regarding land records or the disposal of land; making determinations and judgments on complex and controversial issues; OR 3 full years of graduate level education leading to a PH.D. degree or equivalent in a directly related field such as surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising or land use planning; OR an equivalent combination of experience and education as described above.

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

This position falls under the Land Law Examining Series 0965, Administration and Management Positions. There are Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) for this job series (See below)

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR):

Education: Major study -- Land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. For some positions, graduate study alone may not provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the work. Applicants for such positions may be required to have specialized experience at the appropriate grade level; OR

Experience: Experience in or directly related to examination or adjudication of cases involving laws and regulations dealing with lands and resources. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:

  • Adjudication or examination of applications and claims for the disposal, use of, or title to public lands, issuance of leases, licenses, or permits for land or resources use, and resolving conflicts arising from use.
  • General practice of law that included substantial involvement in examinations of titles or other legal transactions involving acquisition, lease, or disposal of land.
  • Title searching, abstracting, or interpreting land records, survey plats, or tract indexes and books, provided the work demonstrated an understanding of the laws, regulations, and policies associated with land management programs.
  • Work as a land appraiser that involved appraisal of undeveloped or marginal-type land
Transcripts: If using education to qualify, submit a copy of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. Upon selection, official transcripts must be received prior to appointment. 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. All selections and tentative offers of selection are contingent upon submission and verification of 'official' transcripts.

Additional information

Relocation/Recruitment Incentive: This position is offering a Relocation/Recruitment Incentive, 20% of the annual salary. To be eligible for a Relocation Incentive, you must be a current Federal Employee and the selectee must be employed with the Federal Government and the selectees current duty location is more than 50 miles from the duty location of this position. To be eligible for a Recruitment Incentive, selectee must not be employed by the Federal Government.

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 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. 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.

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:

  • Information Management
  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence
  • Technical Documentation


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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