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Realty Specialist

Department of Energy
Western Area Power Administration
Headquarters, Realty Office (A9401)

Summary

As a Realty Specialist, you will serve as the highest-level technical expert in the fields of Federal acquisition of land rights and land management to support transmission infrastructure within the Western Area Power Administration's Headquarters Office.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/27/2026 to 05/06/2026
Salary
$118,675 - $154,280 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Lakewood, CO
Loveland, CO
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Situational, as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - The incumbent travels approximately 10-25% of the year, and some or all of it may be overnight travel.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-WA-00507-12944216-MP
Control number
866755900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status or other eligibility; Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses; Individuals with Disabilities Schedule A; Peace Corps, Vista (AmeriCorps) eligibles; Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement or other special appointing authority.

Duties

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As a Realty Specialist, you will:

  • Be responsible for the management of certain WAPA land acquisition projects and supporting activities, federal and/or private, consultation with the Lands Manager, including serving as a technical lead in providing guidance and direction to Realty Specialists to perform tasks that support the NRO's priorities.
  • Develop, recommend and implement land and land rights acquisition policies, standards and procedures for adoption by WAPA and at times develops new theories associated with ROW acquisition.
  • Provide technical assistance and direction at meetings with landowners to advise of WAPA's land acquisition methods and procedures, prior to the initiation of major WAPA land acquisition programs for specific projects.
  • Be responsible for program implementation of WAPA's land management functions, federal and/or private, in consultation with the Lands Manager, including guidance and direction to Realty Specialists to perform tasks that support the NRO's priorities.
  • Lead project teams with regards to acquiring necessary land rights for maintenance and construction projects and ensures land rights are maintained for transmission facilities, and in office projects such as database management, process and policy documentation/SOPs, and gathering or developing information for various reporting requirements.
  • Lead the team in identifying, distributing and balancing workload and tasks among employees; making adjustments to accomplish the workload in accordance with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned team tasks; and ensuring that each employee has an integral role in developing the final product.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • This employer participates in the e-Verify program.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation.
  • May be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period. Employees serving on a probationary or trial period may be terminated at any time during the probationary or trial period for performance, conduct, or business-related reasons in the interest of Federal service.
  • Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages. If more than two pages are submitted, only the first two pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility and qualifications.
  • In accordance with Executive Order 14170, applicants are encouraged to respond to the four short, free-response, essay questions in the questionnaire. Answers to these questions are not scored or rated. Your answers will be reviewed by the hiring manager and agency leadership if you are referred for selection consideration.
  • Security clearance and associated requirements - moderate risk.
  • The incumbent is required to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450), upon entering the position and annually.
  • The incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain the required DOE/WAPA certification to serve as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR).
  • This position requires the ability to operate a Government vehicle. The incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain Defensive Drivers certification and have a valid state driver's license, in order to visit field sits, some of which are remote or in locations affected by natural disasters. Defensive Driver's Training will be completed upon employment.
  • During field site visits, the incumbent may be subject to inclement weather conditions such as high temperatures, rain, sleet, snow, and extreme cold.
  • The selectee for this position may be eligible to receive a recruitment or relocation incentive. You will need to sign an employment agreement to be eligible for this incentive.

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: A qualified candidate's online application and resume must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level [GS-12] in the Federal service. Specialized experience for this position is defined as experience in all of the following:

  1. Land acquisition methods, procedures, and policies of the Federal Government, including the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970.
  2. Real estate terminology, principles, procedures, concepts, practices and of various types of land conveyance documents, instruments, terms, and related matters sufficient to handle a full range of realty transactions, specifically including easements and fee interests on linear facilities.
  3. Federal Laws, rules, regulations and practices of implementing Federal Property Management and Federal, state and local Government real estate laws.

Time-in-Grade: Current career or career-conditional GS employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional GS employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current career or career-conditional federal employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Limit your resume to no more than two (2) pages.

Education

For this position, education cannot be substituted for experience.

Additional information

  • This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across DOE.
  • For general information on government-wide Telework polices visit: www.telework.gov.
  • Applicants may request Reasonable Accommodation (RA) when applying or competing for a job due to a medical condition or to exercise religious beliefs. If you need reasonable accommodation in the application or selection process, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this vacancy announcement.
  • Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.
  • Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs are not authorized.
  • This position may be eligible for creditable service towards annual leave. Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. DOE may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
  • Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications.

The Department of Energy uses an application tracking system to evaluate the scores provided from the SME resume review or USA Hire Assessment to place you into an initial quality category. These categories are "Best Qualified", "Well Qualified", and "Qualified."

Minimum Qualifications: Once the application process is complete, the Human Resources Offices or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will review the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum job qualifications.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses you provided in your online questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork



All qualified Non-competitive applicants and the best qualified Merit Promotion and VEOA applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Career Transition Assistance Programs: To receive selection priority for this position, you must: 1) meet the eligibility criteria; and 2) be rated "well-qualified".

You must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date (05/06/2026) of this announcement.

USAHire: 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.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 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.

To preview the Assessment Questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12944216.

Western Area Power Administration

Join the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Team - Discover Your Next Adventure!


At WAPA, we do more than keep the lights on. As part of the Department of Energy, we are a collective of innovators and problem-solvers dedicated to reliable, cost-based federal hydroelectric power.

Why WAPA?

We market and transmit wholesale electric power generated from 57 federally owned hydroelectric power plants across a 15-state region with over 17,000 miles of transmission lines. As one of the nation's largest transmission providers, WAPA brings wholesale power to market, at cost-based rates, to preference customers such as public utilities and cooperatives, municipalities, national security facilities, and irrigation districts.

Our priority is your career growth and development, with comprehensive training and professional opportunities in a supportive environment. Enjoy competitive salaries, a robust retirement plan, health benefits, flexible schedules, and a work-life balance that values your well-being.

Power Your Career with WAPA

Ready to be part of our dynamic team? Apply to our current openings and take the first step towards a rewarding career that empowers both the West and your future.

Your skills. Our legacy. A shared Future. Are you in?

Agency contact information

PMA Careers
Email
PMACareers@wapa.gov
Address
WAPA Headquarters
12155 W. Alameda Pkwy
Lakewood, CO 80228
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Western Area Power Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dc8BuCJpzbI?si=Ag5NQzaFHe7i7ahJ

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