Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
- Direct Deposit participation required.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit www.dhs.gov/EVerify/.
- You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
- An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a US Government Motor Vehicle Operator's Identification Card.
- Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
- Must be able to operate 4-wheel drive vehicles in order to perform site inspections.
- You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
- A financial disclosure report, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report OGE-450, will be required within 30 days of appointment.
- You must successfully complete the BLM Petroleum Engineering Technician (PET) Certification Program and continue service in the Federal Government for 2 years from the date of obtaining certification.
- PET certification is required at the GS-10 and GS-11 grades and must be maintained.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/30/2026-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 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.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:
Specialized Experience Requirement:
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience performing at least one of the following examples: 1. Utilize monitoring systems for drilling fluids; 2. Operate and maintain drilling and production equipment; 3. Safety compliance (i.e. follow procedures, check surface casing, and check cementing operations); 4. Work closely with engineers and other technical teams to optimize production methods. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least one year of GRADUATE education directly related to the work of this position (i.e., major study in petroleum engineering or a related field).. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience. Total qualifying education and experience as listed above when combined must total to 100 percent to qualify. Your resume must reflect hours worked per week and you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-08 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in private or public sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience performing at least two of the following examples: 1. Utilize monitoring systems for drilling fluids; 2. Operate and maintain drilling and production equipment; 3. Safety compliance (i.e. follow procedures, check surface casing, and check cementing operations); 4. Work closely with engineers and other technical teams to optimize production methods. 5. Review regulations related to the petroleum industry. Your resume must include hours worked per week.
-OR-
Education: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree; education must be directly related to the work of a petroleum engineering technician (i.e., major study in petroleum engineering or a related field). You must submit a copy of your transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Total qualifying education and experience as listed above when combined must total to 100 percent to qualify. Your resume must reflect hours worked per week and you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-8 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in private or public sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience performing at least three of the following examples: 1. Utilize monitoring systems for drilling fluids; 2. Operate and maintain drilling and production equipment; 3. Safety compliance (i.e. follow procedures, check surface casing, and check cementing operations); 4. Work closely with engineers and other technical teams to optimize production methods providing technical guidance and assisting with on-site onshore oil and gas inspections; 5. Drafting correspondence such as reports, inspections, violations, etc. for gas and oil operations. Your resume must include hours worked per week.
-OR-
Education: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree; education must be directly related to the work of a petroleum engineering technician (i.e., major study in petroleum engineering or a related field). You must submit a copy of your transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Total qualifying education and experience as listed above when combined must total to 100 percent to qualify. Your resume must reflect hours worked per week and you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
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.
Education
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
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.
These positions and locations are eligible for a 7.5% retention incentive in addition to the salary listed in this announcement. The incentive is paid on a bi-weekly basis and is initiated after 90 days of successful performance in the position.
If otherwise 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. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.
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.
Physical Demands: The duties of this position may require hiking into unusually rugged areas to inspect abandoned sites. PETs are subject to call 24 hours a day and may be required to work long non-stop tours-of-duty, occasionally in excess of thirty (30) hours. Some work is sedentary, although much of the job requires overnight field trips which involve physical activity on irregular terrains and work at physically demanding job sites. Work involves climbing up and down ladders and steep stairways. A large part of the time is spent driving to work sites that are located in isolated areas. This work environment requires the use of hard hats, hard-toe boots, safety glasses, ear protection equipment, poisonous gas detection equipment, and cold weather gear and/or a respirator may also be required.
Work Environment: The duties of this position requires walking under and around heavy derrick and hoisting equipment and piping and around other potentially hazardous operating equipment. Work environment involves exposure to extreme weather conditions, hostile flora and fauna, hazardous explosive fumes, poisonous gasses, toxic chemicals, high frequency noises, high-pressure and high temperature equipment, detonating devices, and moving machinery.
The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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):
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Oral Communication
- Teamwork
- Technical Competence
- Written Communication
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.
All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.
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. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.