Summary Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. These positions are located in Dickinson, ND and Great Falls, MT. Information about Dickinson & Great Falls and the surrounding area can be found at Dickinson Chamber of Commerce and Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. We expect to fill 2 vacancy/vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available. Responsibilities This position serves as a highly skilled specialist providing advanced petroleum engineering expertise in the field of reservoir engineering, drainage and/or operations on federal oil and gas leases. If selected at the GS-11 grade level, the incumbent will perform the duties of the position, with a reduced level of responsibility and/or difficulty, while receiving on-the-job trainee assignments or other appropriate training. At the full performance GS-12 level, incumbent is responsible for performing a variety of duties including, but not limited to, the following: Performs technical review and makes recommendations for approval of all down-hole operations. Analyzes complex operational programs that ensure adequate resource protection including cement types and placement techniques, alternative fluids, and corresponding evaluation tests. Provides professional petroleum engineering and regulatory review of Sundry Notice applications for oil and gas operations. Coordinates and provides input and recommendations to the reservoir management group. Identifies potential drainage situations using standard engineering and economic principles and determines Indian Diligence Development. Provides technical oil and gas support and when appropriate, prepares reasonably foreseeable development scenarios necessary for any revisions to the RMP or Programmatic Assessments associated with the Field Office. Provides technical expertise and support to the Petroleum Engineering Technicians and Petroleum Accounting Technicians concerning oil and gas inspection and enforcement issues. Serves as a subject matter expert pertaining to petroleum engineering issues in his/her respective office. This responsibility may include providing expert testimony in the litigation process. Prepares written correspondence regarding leases, agreements, and inspection and enforcement issues. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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. This position has a positive education requirement. See Education section for additional information. You must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution See Foreign Education. In addition to meeting the positive education requirement, you must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level for the position being filled, that is similar in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: 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 difficult and complexity as indicted by the following examples: Assisting higher-level petroleum engineers in the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources including: well design, well completion, workover, and plugging; working independently to carry out routine engineering assignments that require the applications of mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to the petroleum engineering field and progressively carrying out more complex assignments (i.e., abandonment and reservoir engineering and analysis) under supervision; providing basic recommendations and advise senior staff regarding onshore oil and gas situations or complications; assist with diverse engineering projects; provide technical guidance and assist with on-site onshore oil and gas inspections. -OR-Two (2) years of DIRECTLY RELATED graduate-level education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. -OR- A combination of successfully completed DIRECTLY RELATED graduate education and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level that totals 100% of the requirement for this grade level. -OR- A combination of Superior Academic Achievement in an engineering program and 1 year of appropriate professional experience that is related to the position. -OR- Successful completion of a 5-year program of study of at least 160 semester hours leading to a bachelor's degree in engineering and 1 year of appropriate professional engineering experience is qualifying at GS-09 grade level. For GS-11: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level that is equivalent in difficult and complexity as indicted by the following examples: Providing petroleum engineering expertise to carry out difficult and conventional assignments; unconventional applications including those covering unprecedented, complex and/or novel proposals needing senior engineering assistance; investigating and analyzing reservoir management problems and drainage determining drainage areas and volumes providing professional petroleum engineering and regulatory review and making recommendations for approval of conventional oil and gas applications and inspecting oil and gas activities for conformance with standards and compliance.??????? -OR- Three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. -OR- A combination of successfully completed DIRECTLY RELATED graduate education (only successfully completed education beyond the second year (or 36 semester hours) is creditable towards meeting this requirement) and specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level that is related to the position and total 100% of the requirement for this grade level. For GS-12: 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: Performing technical review and makes recommendations for approval of all down-hole operations; reviews downhole pressures, casing and cementing plans, blow out prevention equipment, geology and other procedures to protect people, minerals, and aquifers; coordinates with other specialists; provides on-the-spot instructions and authorizations for final plugging and abandonment of wells; provides technical expertise and support to junior Petroleum Engineers, Petroleum Engineering Technicians, and Petroleum Accounting Technicians concerning oil and gas inspection and enforcement issues; conducts both engineering and economic analyses to determine viability of proposals/variances and their respective short and long term benefits; reviews well data, leases, spacing units/communization agreements and/or federal units for various compliance issues, and maintains relative spreadsheets; provides various technical reports to management and state office for higher level meetings; provides expertise to management regarding complex technical issues. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. 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. Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Occasionally, the employee conducts field work which requires travel over rough roads, hiking or climbing in rough terrain, and carrying field equipment. Work Environment: Most work is performed in a typical office environment. Occasional field work will require exposure to a range of climatic conditions from subzero to over 100 degrees temperatures, rain and snow; exposure to poisonous gasses, and other similar dangerous conditions. Education This position has a mandatory education requirement. Applicants must submit a copy of college transcript(s) (unofficial copy is acceptable) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. 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. 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: 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. 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. 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. 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 one (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.) Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management at https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/ and U.S. Department of Education websites at https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html websites. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, applicants 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 further information visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html If selected, will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications. An official transcript must be sent directly from the University's Registrar's office and must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. Academic transcripts certified by notary publics are NOT official. Official transcripts must be submitted prior to reporting to work as a condition of employment. Failure to submit official transcripts may be grounds for dismissal or rescission of the job offer. Additional Information Pay Rates Based on Location Dickinson. ND: $69,298-$130,640 Great Falls, MT: $59,966-$113,047 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)/lnteragency 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 Tax Law Impact for PCS: Moving expenses reimbursement is a taxable benefit. However, the Federal Travel Regulation 18-05 issued by General Services Administration has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance and Relocation Income Tax Allowance to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. Travel, per diem, and lodging expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulations. Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. See "Other" section for additional information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to PCS. 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. This announcement is being advertised concurrently under number MTDE-25-12594142-JBC, which is open to all qualified persons. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. 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. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-12. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied.