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Indian Self-Determination Officer

Department of the Interior
Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Vancouver, Washington; Washington, District of Columbia.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 07/06/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 6, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following locations:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$127,141 - $187,093 per year

Salary will be set in accordance with pay scale of finalized location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
ST-26-12980797-CAWV-CAC
Control number
873890700

Duties

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As Indian Self-Determination Officer, GS-1101, your typical work assignments may include, but not limited to:

  • Develops policy and procedural guidelines for implementation of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEA), P.L. 93-638 and P.L. 100-472 as amended.
  • Serves as a Level II Senior Awarding Official as the delegated authority to award, modify, administer, or approve of contract/grants.
  • Serves as staff advisor in the interpretation of Self-Determination legislation, regulations related to grant activities of tribes and tribal organizations.
  • Responsibility for pre-award and post-award activities, through contract and grand close-out procedures.
  • Directs and provides all levels of training and technical assistance regarding P.L. 93-638 and pre and post award process to office staff, personnel, tribes, and other Federal and bureaus offices.
  • Resolves issues arising during the negotiation phase of self-determination contracts/grants, including subpart-J construction contracts.
  • Conducts research and analysis of regulations, authorities, correspondence, historical records, decisions of the Comptroller General, Boards of Appeals, treaties, laws, and articles on Government contracts and grants.
  • Attends tribal meetings and other committee meetings to represent the Approving Official.
  • Assists tribal governments in the development, improvement and administration of planning, financial management system of tribally funding programs or activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated
  • A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  • Incumbent is required to operate a government motor vehicle, must possess a valid driver's license, and have a safe driving record within the 3 year period immediately preceding submittal of GSA Form 3607.
  • Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: This position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement, and you will be required to complete either OGE Form 278e or OGE Form 450 as applicable within 30 days of your appointment
  • AN INCENTIVE MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES AT MANAGEMENT DISCRETION. A SERVICE AGREEMENT WILL BE REQUIRED.
  • TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards or Clerical and Administrative Support Positions, General Business and Industry Series, 1101a).

Qualification for GS-14
Must have 1 year of specialized experience at the 13 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include in providing leadership and/or management of the Indian Self-Determination as Amended and the Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA) and Public Law (P.L. 93-638) program activities to include serving as an Awarding Official providing advisory services to develop, coordinate, negotiate and award on a variety of contracts and grants; handling contract management, policy development reviews, negotiating and resolving administrative or management issues; determining organizational training needs regarding self-determination and determining activities associated with the development of training and curriculum development to support the implementation of P.L. 93-638.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education



Additional information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2026 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Albuquerque, New Mexico; Vancouver, Washington; Washington, District of Columbia. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.

The full performance level of this position is None. 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. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed.

The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

This is a supervisory position. Under provision of the Civil Service Reform Act, first-time supervisors are required to serve a one year supervisory probationary period before their appointment becomes final. Those who do not satisfactorily complete this probationary period will be returned to positions of no lower grade and pay than those they occupied before assuming their supervisory assignment.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

SPECIAL APPOINTING AUTHORITY: Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

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.

Your application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position.

Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 07/06/2026 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully, 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 structured resume review and structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies required to successfully perform the job.

  • Administration and Management
  • Contracting/Procurement
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Technical Competence
Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC, Section 472). Verification Form BIA-4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. Indian Preference eligibles not currently employed in Federal service may be appointed under the Excepted Service Appointment Authority Schedule A, 213.3112(a)(7). Consideration will be given to Non-Indian applicants in the absence of qualified Indian Preference eligibles. For more information, please visit: https://www.bia.gov/jobs.

DUE WEIGHT FOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS AND AWARDS. For Current and Former Federal Employees, due weight will be given for performance and awards. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12980797.

Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

BIA's mission is to enhance the quality of life, to promote economic opportunity, and to carry out the responsibility to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians, Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives.

Indian Affairs (IA) provides services to 575 federally recognized tribes with a population of about 2.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. While the role of IA has changed significantly in the last three decades in response to a greater emphasis on Indian self-governance and self-determination, Tribes still look to IA for a broad spectrum of programs such as social services, law enforcement and detention services, administration of Tribal courts, natural resources management, economic development, implementation of land and water claim settlements, housing improvement, disaster relief, and the replacement and maintenance of schools, roads, and bridges.

Agency contact information

Antonia Gachupin
Phone
(505) 563-5135
Email
antonia.gachupin@bia.gov
Address
IA Reston - BIA
P.O. Box 1487
Anadarko, OK 73005
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.bia.gov/

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