Legal Instruments Examiner Job in Anchorage, AK

Vacancy No. STIMP-24-12449241-CAWY-MG Department Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Salary $44,705.00 to $79,725.00 Grade 5 to 8
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/18/2024 Close Date 7/2/2024
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Anchorage, AK


Job Description (Please follow all instructions carefully)

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Alaska Region, Office of the Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director-Trust Services, Title Services in Anchorage, Alaska.

This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units?


NOTE: THE PAY FLEXIBILITIES OF A RECRUITMENT BONUS, RELOCATION BONUS, OR STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT MAY BE AUTHORIZED, PENDING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND MANAGEMENT APPROVAL.

Duties

  • *Analyze and examine extremely difficult, complex, or controversial title cases, including areas of titles as they relate to the rights of Indians to hold or own realty property life estates and others.
  • *Plans, organize, conduct research and analyzes legal documents pertaining to each specific case worked.
  • *Examine extensive chain of title, validating and certifying land/parcel title documents and reviewing the last certified and issued Title Status Report.
  • *Prepare abstracts of titles.
  • *Prepare administrative probate modifications to add property to the inventory of an estate, add an interest to previously inventoried lands, and/or to correct typographical errors in legal descriptions or incorrect fractions of the owners' interest.
  • *Image title documents and receives title documents for encoding into the electronic records system.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Form BIA -4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference.
  • You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
  • You may be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
  • A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  • Incidental Operator position. If you are required to operate a motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties, the 25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program Policy applies.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Clerical and Administrative Support Positions, GS-0963).

GS-8: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-7 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; examine and correct complex title documents; research and analyze legal documents pertaining to statutes, regulations and judicial decisions; examine complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands; advise realty specialists in the preparation of various forms of title conveyance and divestment documents, equitable title documents, deeds, leases, grants, property management agreements, stipulations, memoranda of understanding, easements, affidavits, reservation statements, etc.; and prepare probate modifications to add property to the inventory of an estate, add interest to inventoried lands, and/or correct typographical errors; prepare or assist in preparing various forms of title conveyances and divestment documents.

GS-7: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-6 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; gather and assemble relevant title documents, identifying potential problems on land/parcel title documents; prepare abstracts of title by carefully examining each legal instrument, determining the correct legal description of the property, identifying current owners of the property and their fractioned title and monetary interests, identifying and curing title defects; image title documents; scan and code the title document into the electronic records system; and receive the scanned title documents and encode into the records system.

GS-6: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-5 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; research various title documents; pull the historical file to extract document information needed; encode encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership; examine complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands.

GS-5: 1 year of full-time specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-4 in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). This experience must include; maintain files pertaining to land title information by entering all pertinent data on the document requests; research for various title documents; encode encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership; OR 4 years of successfully completed education above the high school level in any field at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school.)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472).

Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education

If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the 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. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION

Additional information

All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2024 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Anchorage, Alaska to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.

COLA (COST OF LIVING ALLOWANCE): Government employees in Alaska receive a cost of living allowance presently equivalent to 1.69% of the base salary. This allowance is tax free for federal income tax purposes. The COLA is subject to annual OPM Review. Survey results may determine that the COLA could possibly be reduced or eliminated at specified times.

The full performance level of this position is GS-8. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed.

TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

As a incidental motor vehicle operator position, you may be required to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle in the performance of duties; therefore, a valid driver's license is required and be able to meet the safe driving requirements of the Bureau of Indian Affairs 25 IAM 4 Motor Vehicle Safety Program. For more information visit: http://Indian Affairs IAM Motor Vehicle Safety Program

Career Transition Assistance Programs: 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 for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .

Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.

Benefits

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 application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position. Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 07/02/2024 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. Competencies measured include:

  • Applies Technology to Tasks
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Technical Competence

We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If the information in your resume does not support your responses to the assessment questions, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your qualifications.

Qualified Indian preference candidates will be referred to the hiring manager in order of veterans' preference.

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and awards during the interview/selection process conducted by the hiring manager. If referred, all relevant documents including performance appraisals and awards submitted with your application package will be forwarded to the hiring official for review.

You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12449241.

Required Documents

The following documents are required for this position:

  • Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy); position title; position series and grade (if federal service); work schedule; hours worked per week; relevant duties performed; supervisor with contact information, and 3 professional references and contact information (Do not include current/former supervisors), etc. Important! If your resume does not show complete information for each job entry, your application will be considered incomplete. Specifically:
  • On-line Assessment Questionnaire
  • Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
  • Veteran's documentation - (if applicable) VA letter on VA letterhead stating your overall combined rating, SF-15, DD-214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge and dates of active duty military service.
  • Special Appointing Authority documentation (if applying under a special hiring authority)
  • BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference)
  • Performance Appraisal (if applying under the Land Management Flexibility Act)
  • Current & Former Federal Employees
    • If you are a current career or career-conditional Federal employee OR a former Federal employee who has reinstatement eligibility, you must submit the following by the closing date of this announcement, or you will not receive consideration as such:
      -- a copy of a recent SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" documenting proof of competitive status, tenure, position title, occupational series, grade level and step; and
      -- your most recent performance appraisal (if you do not have your most recent performance appraisal, please submit an explanation as to why it is unavailable); and
      -- if applicable, a list of any awards you received in the last 5 years (i.e., superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.).
If you are applying as a VEOA candidate, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 and your letter from the VA reflecting an honorable discharge and that you either completed three years of active duty service or are a preference eligible. For more information see: https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx#veoa.

If you are unable to apply online, require reasonable accommodation in the application process if you are an applicant with a disability, or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM Eastern Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted. Please double check your application package before you submit it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

ONLINE APPLICATION SUBMISSION:

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login ); all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ .

PLEASE NOTE - NO APPLICATION MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA E-MAIL.

Agency contact information

BIA Human Resources
Address
BIA Center for Recruitment Anadarko
P.O. Box 1487
Anadarko, OK 73005
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.