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Summary

A Land Law Examineranalyzes land records to determine ownership, rights, and legal document validity.

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

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Accepting applications
Posted this month · Apply by 07/31/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 31, 2026
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$40,736 - $80,243 per year

Listed salary is based on the Rest of U.S. pay scale. Final salary will be determined based on duty location and applicable locality pay scale.

Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 9
Promotion potential
9
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-26-12999093-AA
Control number
877821500

Videos

Duties

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  • Prepares a variety of legal documents and responses to protest, contest, disclaimers, and appeals.
  • Ensures data quality and integrity by adherence to quality control standards and procedures.
  • Present evidence and recommendations to members of the public, and land and energy related agencies.
  • Provide advice, assistance, and instruction in legal interpretation and other information on land leasing laws.
  • Utilizes data, systems, and applications to collect, enter, manipulate, update, and maintain data according to prescribed Bureau and program standards.
  • Conduct legal research, analyze regulations, judicial decisions, Solicitor opinions, and other decisions that impact land adjudications.
  • Cases may involve conflicting laws, resource conflicts such as endangered species or archeological issues, policy conflicts which may require negotiations and extensive research.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Serve as the technical expert in a combination of lands leases adjudication functions and requirements.

Requirements

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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)
  • 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 - 07/31/2026-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-05: A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in any field and 3 years of experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 in the career field
-OR-
One (1) year of experience that provided a familiarity with real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies, etc. Such experience may have been gained in positions such as law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or other work dealing with laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc.
-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-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.

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
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • 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/

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