Summary Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is located in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Information about Rock Springs and the surrounding area can be found here. We expect to fill one vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available. Responsibilities This position provides professional geological and mining expertise and administration of the solid leasable minerals, mineral materials, locatable minerals and Abandoned Mine Lands programs. The incumbent conducts frequent compliance and production verification inspections on operations related to solid minerals management. Many of these inspections require operating a 4-wheel drive vehicle to access them. Reviews exploration or development operating plans for adequacy and works with operators and consults with the representatives of other governmental agencies to address issues regarding mineral extraction proposals on public lands. Develops mineral potential reports, geologic models, mine engineering reports and mineral evaluations. The evaluations, reports and models are developed by utilizing sophisticated geologic and mine design software, cost estimating data to develop valuation models. Participates in or leads interdisciplinary team projects on public lands to develop environmental documents evaluating the impacts of surface disturbance associated with mineral development operations. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications THIS IS NOT A REMOTE/VIRTUAL POSITION.IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS OPEN CONTINUOUS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: This is an open continuous vacancy announcement that will be used to fill vacancies as they occur. To receive consideration for vacancies, applicants must submit a complete application prior to the established cut-off date(s). The initial cut-off date will take place on July 5, 2024, to begin the initial applicant consideration. Applications received after the initial cut-off date will be considered upon receipt of the next cut-off date. The established cutoff dates are as follows: July 5, 2024 August 5, 2024 August 26, 2024 NOTE: The period of eligibility for applications is through each cut-off date. The agency will issue a list of eligible applicants at each cut-off date to hiring officials within the period of eligibility. To be considered for each cut-off, a new application must be submitted. Applicants may make changes to applications to ensure experience is current. In order to qualify, you must meet the individual occupational requirement for the position you are applying for. (Please see education section below for more details) 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. FOR GS-09: In addition to meeting the education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-8 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Fundamental experience interpreting and applying applicable statues, regulations, procedures and policies, to process typical solid minerals actions. Fundamental experience to support inspection of mineral operations for enforcement of solid minerals laws for standard situations. Fundamental experience gathering, assembling, analyzing and evaluating information regarding typical solid mineral activity. Fundamental experience participating in interdisciplinary teams. FOR GS-11: In addition to meeting the education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-9 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Advanced experience interpreting and applying applicable statues, regulations, procedures and policies to process less typical solid minerals actions. Advanced experience to support inspection of mineral operations for enforcement of solid minerals laws for unique situations. Advanced experience gathering, assembling, analyzing and evaluating information regarding solid mineral activity. Advanced experience participating in interdisciplinary teams. FOR GS-12: In addition to meeting the education 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: Subject matter expert in interpreting and applying applicable statues, regulations, procedures and policies to process unique solid minerals actions. Subject matter expert experience to support inspection of mineral operations for enforcement of solid minerals laws for unique situations. Subject matter expert in gathering, assembling, analyzing and evaluating information regarding solid mineral activity for multifaceted situations. Subject matter expert in leading interdisciplinary teams in support of solid mineral activity. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands: The work includes both office and field conditions. Office work (majority of time) involves long periods of intense concentration on technical details. Most field work requires a certain amount of physical stamina and is often under a variety of arduous conditions, including travel by 4-wheel drive vehicle or on foot over rugged, slippery, and/or hazardous terrain, exposure to extreme temperature and weather conditions, potentially explosive atmospheres, exposure to hazardous surface and subsurface mines as well as topographic extremes. The incumbent may be required to perform duties that require recurring bending, crouching, stooping, reaching or lifting. Work may also include lifting of moderately heavy items, such equipment and samples. Work Environment: When in the office (majority of time), the position is physically located in close proximity to a number of other professional employees, and must tolerate an average amount of conversation, telephone and other similar office distractions and background noise. Office quarters are located in a modern office building and tend to be "cubicle/open space" arrangements. The incumbent will be eligible for maxi-flex scheduling, telework accommodations or may be required to work remotely. Field conditions include the full range of topographic conditions, ranging from rolling hills to a steep mountainous terrain. Incumbent will, on occasion, be required to tolerate high/low temperatures, dust and high levels of noise and vibration, potentially explosive atmospheres, exposure to hazardous surface and subsurface mines. Safety clothing such as safety boots, goggles, etc. are required to be worn. During winter months temperatures in excess of -20 degrees Fahrenheit can be expected, while during the summer temperatures in excess of +90 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon. The incumbent may be subjected to hostile wildlife, chemical and physical hazards. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer. When completing work assignments in the office or field, or operating a motorized vehicle, the incumbent must be alert to safety hazards to ensure work is accomplished in the most efficient and safe manner. Education To qualify for the Mining Engineer position, you must meet one of the below: A. Degree: 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. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: College level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying 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 or licensure. Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions. 2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 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. 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. 4. 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 the applicant has 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.) To qualify for the Geologist position, you must meet one of the below: A. Degree: 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. 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 applicant's 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 by the applicant. 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, the applicant is responsible for indicating clearly the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions. Additional Information DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment.