Skip to main content
U.S. flag
 

Land Law Examiner (Minerals)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Arizona State Office

Summary

A Land Law Examiner (Minerals) analyzes land records to determine ownership, rights, and legal document validity.

These positions are with the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State office in Phoenix. Information about the location and surrounding area can be found at Phoenix, AZ.

We expect to fill 2 vacancies total at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Overview

Help
Accepting applications
Posted yesterday · Apply by 07/28/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 28, 2026
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$52,783 - $101,558 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 11
Promotion potential
11
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
No
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
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
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
AZMP-26-12999091-AA
Control number
876518300

Videos

Duties

Help
  • Serve as the technical expert in a combination of lands, minerals leasing, mining law, adjudication functions and requirements.
  • Provide advice and guidance to other examiners, management, and Solicitors on general legal principles, precedent decisions, and proper application and use of public land laws.
  • Adjudicate complex cases that are received or referred for final examining decision including cases with complicated title evidence, land status issues, overlapping withdrawals, and title restrictions.
  • Cases may involve conflicting laws, resource conflicts such as endangered species or archeological issues, policy conflicts which may require negotiations and extensive research.
  • Conduct legal research, analyze regulations, judicial decisions, Solicitor opinions, and other decisions that impact land and mineral adjudications.
  • 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.
  • Present evidence and recommendations to members of the public, and land, mineral, mining, and energy related agencies.
  • Provide advice, assistance, and instruction in legal interpretation and other information on land and mineral leasing laws.
  • Prepares a variety of legal documents and responses to protest, contest, disclaimers, and appeals.

Requirements

Help

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 or two year trial period depending on appointment type.
  • If selected for this position, you will be required to annually complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450 within 30 days of reporting to duty. (Required only for GS-9/GS-11)
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.

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.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 07/28/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For GS-07: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 in the Federal service as a Land Law Examiner or directly related position. Specialized experience includes the examination of applications and claims for land or resources use; title searching; interpreting land records; work as a land appraiser; general practice of law that included involvement in legal transactions involving the acquisition, lease, or disposal of land
- OR-
One (1) full year (18 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a master's degree or equivalent that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours or course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation
- OR-
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement. Superior Academic Achievement (See OPM's General Policies, Application of Qualification Standards Section 4.f.) S.A.A. must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.
-OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate undergraduate/graduate education. Undergraduate/graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

For GS-09: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity. Specialized experience is defined as work in the automated system for case recordation, experience generating reports from multiple automated systems, reading and interpreting customer needs from various forms of correspondence, and interpreting and applying guidance, policy, and regulations as appropriate.
-OR-
Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree in a directly related field such as surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising or land use planning water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation.
-OR-
Two full years (36 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a master`s degree or equivalent or LL.B or J.D., in a directly related field such as surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising or land use planning water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation.
-OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

For GS-11, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9. Examples of specialized experience may include: Experience processing complex applications, claims or requests for a broad range of land or mineral leasing and mining laws. Independently research facts and evidence, locating precedents, and drafting letters, notices, and decisions. Provide guidance on complex or unusual claims or applications for rights of interest in mineral leasing, mining, or public lands. Recognize problems that may cause unfavorable public reactions. Interpret and apply numerous provisions of land law or mineral leasing and mining laws and implementing regulations. Coordinate land law cases with numerous parties or major interests (e.g., a large oil company) and relatively high property or economic values. Verify rights or privileges to acquire title to or use of lands or resources based on prior ownership and subsequent conveyances from third parties.
-OR-
a Ph. D. or equivalent doctoral degree
-OR-
3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR related LL. M. OR A combination of qualifying experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify.

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.

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.

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.
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

Education

If using education to qualify, You MUST 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.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) 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 RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)


If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a Student Loan Repayment Benefit (SLRB). The decision to offer an SLRB will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed.

Related Non-Federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at managerial discretion, providing that experience meets certain criteria. This provision allows new employees to earn annual leave at a higher rate than would otherwise be allowed. (5 Code of Federal Regulations, 630).

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Physical Demands: Work is predominantly sedentary although there is some walking, stooping, and bending involved when searching for records.

Work Environment: Work is complete in a typical office setting.

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 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 assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

You will be assessed in 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


In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the USA Hire Assessment, if required.

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

DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. 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, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level.

Bureau of Land Management

The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island Communities. Click here to learn more about The Department of the Interior and its bureaus.

The mission of the Bureau of Land Management is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Click here to learn more about The Bureau of Land Management.

Agency contact information

Austin Ashey
Email
austin_ashey@ios.doi.gov
Address
BLM Arizona State Office
BLM Arizona State Office, AZ-953
One North Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004
US

Visit our careers page

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

https://www.blm.gov/

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.