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Physical Scientist (AML/HML Program Lead)

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

Summary

The position serves as the program lead for the Abandoned Mine Lands and Hazardous Materials Management Program (AML/HMM) for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon/Washington State Office (OSO). The incumbent is the senior authoritative expert for the program that protects public health and safety and the environment.

Duty station negotiable after selection, potential duty stations to be considered are any Bureau of Land Management Office in Oregon or Washington.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/14/2024 to 06/28/2024
Salary
$103,409 to - $134,435 per year

The salary range shown is for Rest of US (RUS) locality only, actual salary will be determined based on the duty location of the selectee.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% 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
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
NCS/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
OR-24-DE/MP-12429393-WDS
Control number
795291200

Duties

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The incumbent serves as the program lead, highest technical authority, and primary advisor and authoritative expert to the State Director, Associate State Director, Deputy State Director for the Division of Resources, Lands, and Minerals, Branch Chief for Land, Mineral, and Energy Resources, District and Field Office Managers, and staff for the Abandoned Mine Lands and Hazardous Materials Management (AML/HMM) Program for the OSO.

Reports directly to the Branch Chief, Lands, Minerals and Energy Resources.

Provides environmental expertise, leadership, assistance, and technical guidance to all levels and programs of the Oregon/Washington State Office with respect to abandon mine lands and hazardous material impacts, which are often complex and controversial.

Administers the budget processes as well as assisting the BLM-HQ in preparing the nationwide annual Planning Target Allocations (PTA) and Directives and Annual Work Plan (AWP) for the program.

Incumbent coordinates CERCLA response activities for the Oregon and Washington region and provides technical and scientific advice to the field offices and functions as the On-Scene Coordinator/Remedial Project Manager where the situation involves an unusually high degree of complexity or controversy

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • May be required to complete background investigation.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents) prior to the closing date of this announcement.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Status applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements.
  • You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. You must be eligible to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating.

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.

You must meet the BASIC Requirement *AND* meet the ADDITIONAL Requirement in order to qualify for this position.BASIC Requirement for the 1301 series:


Degree: Successfully completed a degree or higher in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics. Note: You must submit your transcripts.
OR
Combination of Education and Experience:
Courses equivalent to one of the majors shown above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education. When combining education with experience, first determine your total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then determine the your experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; finally, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify this grade level. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education.

*AND*
ADDITIONAL Requirement: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the position in which you are applying:


A. Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sector) performing the following 3 or more of the following: 1) managing a hazardous material management and/or environmental programs to include oversight, planning, or restoration; 2) conducting environmental site assessments to determine need for remedial action; 3) providing technical expertise on environmental investigations, inspections, remediation actions, or oversight activities related to hazardous materials; 4) developing program management plans (e.g., work plans, health and safety, community relations, quality assurance project, restoration plans, site investigation, etc.) for staff implementation; 5) implementing strategies to resolve resource management, public health, hazardous waste disposal or facility compliance.

Status merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-12 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-13 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted).

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

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".

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.

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.

Education

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.

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.

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.

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.

Additional information

  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 on an annual basis.
  • 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. See "Other" section for additional information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to PCS.
Physical Demands: Office and field work are needed to accomplish the duties of the position. Outside working conditions require physical stamina for frequent field work or travel and exposure to sometimes unpredictable Pacific Northwest weather conditions. Fieldwork is often in harsh conditions where the climate may be extremely hot, cold, wet or windy. Temperatures may be below freezing in winter and exceed 100 degrees in the summer. Conducts assessments, inspections and investigations that often necessitates hiking or vehicular travel over rough terrain to remote locations. Field work involves operation of 4 X 4 vehicles over rough terrain and walking, bending, climbing over steep terrain covered with brush, rock, and other debris which is unstable and can cause falls. Occasional heavy lifting may be required.

Working Conditions: The work environment will consist primarily of an office environment, with some office duties conducted in a meeting setting. Periods of varying length of sedentary duty in front of a computer are expected. However, some work occurs in field conditions which require a person to be in sound health and be able to withstand extreme weather conditions including extremes of cold and heat. Although safety protocols and precautions are exercised, program operations related to inventories, investigations, incident responses, site assessments, and other duties may result in exposure to regulated or hazardous material substances. Unknown risk of a toxic materials' investigation can cause both mental and physical fatigue. Use of personal protection equipment is required in situations that pose bodily risk due to a potentially contaminated site. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated safety officer.

Telework: The Bureau of Land Management has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.

How you will be evaluated

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

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 resume review and/or a panel interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform the job.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Hazardous Materials
  • Oral Communication
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Problem Solving
  • Technical Competence


Candidates not eligible to apply under merit promotion 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:
  • Best 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.
Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Non-Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Performance Appraisals for Competitive and Non-Competitive Merit Promotion Applicants: In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must submit a performance appraisal with 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.

Recruitment incentive awards: Applicants that have received recruitment incentive awards during the last two years, must list them on their resume.

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