This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/696694400. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is a bureau within the United States Department of the Interior. OSMRE is responsible for establishing a nationwide program to protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations, under which OSMRE is charged with balancing the nation's need for continued domestic coal production with protection of the environment.
Learn more about this agency12/27/2022 to 02/01/2023
$80,832 - $105,085 per year
GS 12
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent -
Full-time -
Competitive
12
1801 General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, And Compliance Series
No
No
OSMRE-23-JB-003(DEU)
696694400
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
All U.S. Citizens
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, in Alton IL.
The incumbent of this position serves as a Surface Mining Reclamation Specialist and performs the full range of inspection and enforcement activities to assure that mining operations are conducted to protect the environment and assure that lands affected by coal mining be returned to valuable uses.
At the full performance level (GS-12) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Serve as Authorized Representative of the Secretary of the Interior and perform comprehensive inspection and enforcement duties. Plan and conduct comprehensive inspections of coal mines (surface and underground), processing plants, tipples, reclaimed mines and other land areas, and bodies of water.
2. Review mining permits and plan to determine approved method, sequence, and direction of mining and reclamation activities; review inspection reports and coordinate with State, Tribal and Federal personnel to obtain the best recent data concerning the mining/reclamation activities.
3. Conduct ground and aerial inspection activities at mine sites and related facilities; discuss conditions, practices and violations requiring enforcement actions with the State/Tribal inspector to include providing advice, assistance and recommendations to inspectors.
4. Discuss findings with State/Tribal inspectors and with mine operation officials; point out violations encountered; discuss alternatives for abatement of any violation encountered; prepare accurate and comprehensive inspection report documenting findings; issue Ten-Day Notices, Notices of Violations and/or Cessation Orders, using sound professional judgment to determine which provisions of which laws/regulations/permit conditions are violated, what is the appropriate abatement actions and what is the appropriate time for abatement.
5. Explain to permittee/operator and other interested parties the effect of the enforcement actions taken; collect and preserve all evidence needed to justify enforcement actions, or relevant to evaluation of the regulatory authority's permitting, inspection, enforcement and bond release activities.
6. Schedule and conduct follow-up inspections; issue modifications, vacations or terminations of enforcement action; and completes inspection reports and inspection statements to assist civil penalty assessment.
Salary Information
To qualify for this position you must meet the Specialized Experience for the series/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) Conducting surveys of hazards resulting from slides or wastes or spoil material or inundations;
2) Evaluating reclamation problems such as subsidence, acid drainage, sedimentation, erosion control, and water quality;
3) Inspecting active and abandoned mines to determine if there are any violations; conducting soil surveys, plant survival studies, and water testing to determine forestry and agronomic species adaptability to the environment;
4) Applying reclamation techniques to resolve reclamation problems; and developing mine plans or permits.
** Applicants are required to meet all 4 of the specialized experience statements to qualify.
Medical Requirements: Medical requirements must be met prior to appointment. The duties of these positions require arduous physical exertion under dangerous and rigorous conditions. Employees may work irregular and protracted hours and are subject to all the dangers inherent in strip mining. Any organic, functional, or structural disease, defect, or limitation that interferes with safe and efficient performance of the duties of these positions will disqualify an applicant for appointment. Applicants must meet the following requirements. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1800/surface-mining-reclamation-specialist-1801/
This position does not allow education as a substitution for experience.
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.
Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.
NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.
A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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.
Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:
Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Project Management - Knowledge of the principles, methods, or tools for developing, scheduling, coordinating, and managing projects and resources, including monitoring and inspecting costs, work, and contractor performance.
Research - Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.
Technical Competence - Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters.
Written Communication - Ability to prepare clear and convincing letters, technical reports, memoranda, briefing papers, etc., for Management, State, Tribal and industry officials, landowners, and the general public concerning surface mining requirements, violations, and expresses facts and ideas in writing in a succinct and organized manner.
Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Note: You may be required to operate a motor vehicle while traveling; therefore you must possess a valid state driver's license.
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.
Your resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement and OPM qualification standards for each grade level(s) for which you are applying. It is strongly recommended that you use the USAJobs Resume Builder as it was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is available at https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/How_to_create_your_resume
Your application package must include: (1) Resume showing relevant experience as written in your own words; (2) Completed online Assessment Questionnaire; (3) College transcript (if applicable) for verification of qualifying education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; (4) Certificates, license, etc. (if applicable); (5) Form DD-214 OR VA letter and Standard Form 15.
NOTE: Applicants claiming veterans preference (TP, CP, CPS) must submit a copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy is preferred), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service (must be honorable); OR acceptable proof of verification of your preference (i.e., official document, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying that the veterans total combined serviced-connected disability rating is 10% or more).
You will find additional information on the following topics: (1) e-Verify; (2) Selective Service; (3) CTAP/ICTAP; (4) Education - accreditation; (5) Foreign education; (6) Veterans preference; (7) Special appointing authority documentation; and more can be found on our web site: https://www.bsee.gov/careers/usajobs-assistance OR https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/boem-employment.
If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, you must submit proof by the closing date of the announcement that you meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP or you will not receive priority consideration. The proof includes a copy of the agency notice, your most recent Performance Rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty station. To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, you must earn a minimum score of 85 or above (prior to the assignment of veteran's preference) on the rating criteria for this position.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
Your complete application, including required documents, must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
To apply on-line, you must complete and submit an application by accessing the USAJOBS website at www.usajobs.gov. To begin, click the Apply Online button near the bottom of this screen and follow the prompts to register into your USAJOBS account, answer the questions, and submit all required documents.
To return to your saved application, log in to your USAJOBS account at www.usajobs.gov and click on "Application Status." Click on the position title, and then select Apply Online to continue.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) that have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, promotion potential and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a Federal job announcement includes the requirement that applicants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to E.O. 14043, that requirement does not currently apply. Federal agencies may request information regarding the vaccination status of selected applicants for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as protocols related to masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.
You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgment from USAJobs that your submission was successful, once we have received your on-line assessment questionnaire, resume and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application via your USAJobs account after we conduct a qualification review of your complete application package. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration. We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/696694400. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
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, and affiliated island communities.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.