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Environmental Protection Specialist

Department of the Interior
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Regions 1 & 2
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 1 & 2, Pittsburgh Field Office in Green Tree, PA.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/21/2024 to 09/11/2024
Salary
$89,910 to - $116,879 per year

First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Green Tree, PA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for site visits, meetings, training, and conferences.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OSMRE-24-ETA-028(DEU)
Control number
805567900

Duties

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

  1. Provide advisory assistance to Branch Chief as it relates to the development, implementation, and maintenance of coal mining regulatory and abandoned mine land programs in the Region.
  2. Review, analyze, and initiate documents related to the State program amendment process to ensure documents are complete, accurate, and conform with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) regulations and policies.
  3. Provide assistance to the Field Solicitor in conducting legal analyses.
  4. Assist in implementing the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) for the Regional/Field Offices and ensures that all NEPA requirements are met regarding reclamation actions and comparative activities with other agencies.
Salary Range Information:
GS-12: $89,910 (Step 1) - $116,879 (Step 10) per annum.
First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level.

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

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

Minimum Qualification Requirements:
To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience for the grade to which you are applying.

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. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

  1. Evaluating Abandoned Mine Land (AML) programs for compliance with Federal and/or State regulatory requirements;
  2. Applyingknowledge of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to ensure programs and procedures are consistent and/or legal; and
  3. Providing recommendations, technical guidance, and/or assistance on the interpretation of environmental requirements.
MUST MEET ALL.

Note:
Applicants selected for interviews may be asked to participate in a writing exercise or submit a writing sample as part of the interview process.

Drivers License Requirement:
Please note: You may be required to operate a government vehicle, to complete assigned tasks i.e. site visits, field research, etc.; therefore you must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state driver's license.

Physical Requirements:
Although a large portion of the work is performed in an office setting, the incumbent occasionally visits mining and reclamation sites to evaluate conditions and to determine if consistent program evaluations are being employed. Such visits may require physical activities in the field such as extensive walking, steep climbing in and around coal mine areas, kneeling, stooping, and crawling over rough terrain. In order to obtain needed information, the employee must travel overnight on occasion.

Work Environment:
Most of the work is performed in a normal office environment. Field work is performed in both active and abandoned mine sites and involves moderate risks and discomforts associated with travel by helicopter and small plane, commercial air and ground transportation, climbing over rough terrain and exposure to inclement weather. For this position, field work occurs in varying weather conditions, commonly under dusty, snowy, or muddy conditions. Field work may require exposure to the risks associated with mining, such as working in the vicinity of high explosives storage and around heavy earthmoving equipment; work involves potential risk of landslides, injurious noise, fly rock, vehicle collisions, flash flooding, and other accidents. Incumbent is expected to follow customary safety precautions and, where necessary, will be provided with and be required to use personal protective equipment, including hard hats, steelĀ­ toed shoes, and safety glasses.

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

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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 online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Problem Solving
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence
  • Writing


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 an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

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 application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12515333

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