Land Surveyor

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous Federal Service is required. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

• Plans, directs, conducts, documents and guides Public Land surveys and resurveys, mineral surveys, Homestead Entry surveys, Indian allotment, riparian or littoral boundaries in accordance with public land laws and Interior Land Board Appeals.
• Designs data collection projects and collects accurate geodetic data, in order to verify accuracy and reliability of existing surveys and/or to provide more precise positions for the Geographic Data Coordinate Data Base (GCDB).
• Prepares, reviews, conducts the preparation of, and trains others in, official plat and note production; provides technical assistance to other personnel in cadastral program, external and internal customers, and private Sector surveyors.
• Prepares Special Instructions for survey requests by accurately researching, documenting, collecting, and interpreting the administrative record.
• Creates reports for Group file that document circumstances supporting unusual survey decisions in preparation for expert witness testimony that could be required by a court of law.

Conditions of employment

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

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.

In addition to meeting the education requirement (see Education section), 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:
Determining approaches and solutions to land surveying problems using established guidelines and standards; applying standard practices to new situations, relating the work to precedents; communicating and coordinating project status and with interested parties as project manager or chief of parties; use a variety of survey equipment, including total stations, data collectors, handheld calculators, and GPS receivers; prepare written reports describing unique problems encountered with recommendations for solutions for management to make proper decisions; preparing draft field notes and plats describing in detail of land surveys performed; Reading and interpreting land survey records, deeds, historical data and legal decisions to assess positing boundaries; Performing land surveys in the full field-to-finish mode using electronic data collection and computer-based measurement software.

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:Work is performed both in the field and office setting. Office work is sedentary. May be required to walk, stand, bend, carry light items. Field work is physically demanding, may require long workdays that includes walking, climbing, carrying heavy objects. May be required to operate tools and perform strenuous activities.

Work Environment: Office work is performed in a well-lighted, air conditioned, or heated room. Remote work requires incumbent to have a working space free of distractions in accordance with agency policy. Field work may take place in the wilderness or remote locations and in a variety of terrain and weather. Incumbent must adhere to all safety precautions and regulations.

Probationary Period:
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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire. In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications requirement(s), The best qualified candidates will be identified through a structured panel review that will result in a ranking referral to the hiring manager. The assessment will measure the specialized experience and critical competencies and/or job elements listed below that are required to successfully perform in the position.

• • Database Management Systems
  • Research
  • Surveying
  • Technical Competence

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position

• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

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 and narrative responses. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) -07/22/2026-unless otherwise stated.

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
1. Resume with dates in month and year format: To accurately reflect your length of experience, you can also include your start and end dates in month/day/year format in the body of your resume. Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. At a minimum, 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. USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YX7o1PBoFk

Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. You are welcome to submit an optional cover letter.
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2. Transcripts: You MUST submit a copy of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. Upon selection, official transcripts must be received prior to appointment. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

3. Veterans (if applicable): If you are claiming veterans' preference you 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 written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted.

If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit documentation that supports your claim as shown on the back of the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. SF-15.

If you are claiming Sole Survivorship Veterans' Preference (SSP), please provide the documentation you received granting this preference.

Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/special-hiring-authorities/.

4. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles (if applicable): Submit documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.


Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added to your application. You need to transfer your document(s) in the 'Documents' step during the application process.

Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application.

Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on 07/22/2026.

Next steps