Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located in the Montana/Dakotas State Office, Division of Energy, Minerals & Realty, Solid Minerals Branch, located in Billings, Montana. Information about the area can be found at Billings Chamber of Commerce website. We expect to fill (1) vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Duties

Prepares the annual work plan for the mineral leasing and lease management programs as well as numerous cost recovery accounts associated with various functions of coal and leasable energy minerals. Provides technical oversight of and assistance to Field Office staff who are developing, implementing, and updating the geology and minerals portion of the District and Field Office National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents. Review mine and exploration plans, inspect operating mines and exploration activities for compliance with laws, regulations, and approved operating plans. Necessary for both Federal and Tribal minerals. Verifies production, tracks diligent development and continued operation requirements. Reviews and makes recommendations on pre- and post- leasing actions including royalty reduction applications, Logical Mining Unit Applications, and mineral and economic evaluations for mineral exchanges and mineral leasing.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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.
• May require a one-year probationary period.

Qualifications

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. 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. IMPORTANT: Your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary. These details are critical in determining qualifications. This is an Interdisciplinary position which may be filled under any of the following occupational series, depending on the qualifications of the applicant and needs of the agency: Mining Engineer, GS-0880 Geology, GS-1350 You must meet at least one of the Basic Requirements for either the Mining Engineer, and/or the Geology series. See education section for Basic Requirements. Applicants must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education. Transcripts must include the name of the college or university and date the degree was conferred. Non-submission will result in being rated not qualified for the position. In addition to the Basic Requirements, described in the education section, you must have specialized experience, as described below. Specialized Experience, GS-12: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-11 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: 1) geological modeling using systems such as AutoCAD, Vulcan, or similar; 2) engineer or geological support and demonstrated knowledge of coal mining operations, equipment, and surface inspection requirements; 3) NEPA experience and/or technical writing. ***Note: Your resume must indicate how you meet this requirement, otherwise you may be found ineligible. 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. One year at the GS-11 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-12 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted). Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion during regular inspection of operations on leases or permits. This requires walking over uneven terrain and crouching, bending, and climbing when investigating surface and underground mining operations. Work Environment: Work is usually performed in an office setting. During required inspections of leases and mining operations, safety equipment such as steel-toed boots, hard hat and safety glasses are required. In underground operations, a safety lamp and self-rescuer are required.

Education

This position has a positive education requirement which requires that you have a degree in engineering or geology, or a combination of education and experience--courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

You must meet at least one of the Basic Requirements for either the Mining Engineer, and/or the Geology series.

Basic Requirement, Mining Engineer Series:
A. Have a bachelor's or higher degree in professional engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Note: You must submit documentation to support your claim, or you will be found ineligible.
OR
B. A combination of education and experience consisting of successful completion of college level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying professional engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:
1. Professional Registration - Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico;
OR
2. Written Test - Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico;
OR
3. Specified Academic Courses - Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.

Note: Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided you have had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all-inclusive.)

Basic Requirement, Geology Series:
A. Have a bachelor's or higher degree in geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Note: Evaluation of Experience: Acceptable experience may have been gained through geological field or laboratory work that provided a means of obtaining professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of geology and closely related sciences, e.g., geophysics, geochemistry, or hydrology. Such work generally must have involved making close observations, taking samples, handling various types of instruments and equipment, assembling geologic data from source materials, and analyzing and reporting findings orally and in writing. Experience that involved only one phase of geology work, e.g., collecting samples, would not be acceptable as providing the required professional knowledge of the theory and principles of geology. In some situations, professional scientific experience in other fields may be accepted in part as professional geological experience. Such experience must have been preceded by appropriate education in geology or by professional geological experience and must have contributed directly and significantly to the professional geological competence. Examples include some positions in geophysics, mining engineering, soils science, physical oceanography, hydrology, climatology, biology, analytic or experimental chemistry, metallurgy, and comparable fields where the normal duties or results of investigations have been extended to the solution of geologic problems. Ordinary functions of positions such as seismic, computer, petroleum or mining engineer, mine superintendent, or metallurgist generally are not considered professional geological experience. To receive credit for geological experience obtained in positions that are not full-time professional geological positions, you are responsible for clearly indicating the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions.

Contacts

• Address BLM Montana State Office BLM Montana State Office, MT-933 Branch of Human Resources 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101 US
• Name: Antoniette Bonenberger
• Phone: 406-896-5233
• Email: [email protected]