Summary
Reclamation is seeking a career professional looking for an opportunity to capitalize on their expertise as a Regional Liaison. You can make a difference in the West by assisting in meeting increasing water demands while protecting the environment.
Five Regional Liaisons will be filled at the following Duty Location(s):
Salt Lake City, Utah (UCB)
Boulder City, NV (LCB)
Lakewood, Colorado (DO/WO)
Billings, Montana (MB)
Boise, Idaho (CPN)
**ONE REGIONAL LIAISON PER REGION**
This job is open to
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Land and base management
Current or former employees of a base management agency.
Clarification from the agency
Opened to Department of Interior employees only.
Duties
At the full performance level (GS-13) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:
- Serves as the region's primary representative at the Reclamation Headquarters level, advising, consulting, and coordinating within the Washington Office on technical, administrative and policy matters related to the region's design, construction, environmental, operations and maintenance, resource management, dam safety, and planning program areas.
- Provides coordination, assistance, and independent analysis of complex issues and activities in the Region and assists on special projects, activities, and issues.
- Maintains updated Issue/Briefing papers for use by Departmental officials, Commissioner, Regional Director, and others. Prepare required reports on regional accomplishments and activities.
- Keeps abreast of legislative activities, both state and federal, for the purpose of keeping management informed regarding those activities of special interest.
- Takes the initiative and coordinates requests for comments on legislative proposals or related actions.
- Works directly with the regional office and area office managers in working through and resolving a range of key issues.
- Presents work projects, accomplishments, recommendations, and findings utilizing formal and informal methods.
The incumbent will be on a Temporary Duty Extended assignment to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Commissioner's Office, Washington, D.C., not-to-exceed two years. Assignment may be extended at management's discretion for an additional year, for a total of three years. During the temporary assignment, the incumbent will be duty-stationed at their assigned Regional Office and will report organizationally to the Regional Directors Office. This temporary assignment may be spent rotating through various offices within the Region or spent in Washington D.C.
Under the current policy the incumbent is entitled to the reduced per diem for long-term temporary duty assignments (TDE) which is set at 55% of the Washington D.C. rate, per day. The rate of 55% is reviewed annually and subject to change at any time during the 2-year assignment. No relocation expenses will be paid while on this assignment either to or from Washington D.C., in accordance with the Long-Term Assignment Travel Guidance dated August 2013, which is available from Reclamation's Human Resources office. Travel and per diem expenses will be considered part of the incumbent's gross taxable income.
Upon completion of the temporary assignment the incumbent will be assigned to a permanent position and officially duty stationed within the Bureau of Reclamation. The exact location of the duty station will be dependent upon the location of the permanent position.
Promotion Potential: If the selectee encumbers a GS-12 at the time of selection and is otherwise eligible, they will receive a temporary promotion to the GS-13 level. Upon completion of the assignment, the individual may be non-competitively returned to a similar position/grade within a designated region within the Bureau of Reclamation. This does not constitute a non-competitive commitment or an obligation on the part of management to place the selectee in a permanent GS-13 position.
Reassignment: If the selectee encumbers a GS-13 at the time of selection, they will retain the permanent GS-13 grade in the liaison assignment and be returned to a GS-13 position at the end of the assignment within a designated region of the Bureau of Reclamation.
Salary: The salary listed on the announcement is based on Salt Lake City, UT locality pay. Upon selection, salary will be adjusted to match the appropriate locality pay table. Locality pay tables can be found for reference General Schedule
Requirements
Conditions of employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. National.
You must be suitable for federal employment, determined by a background investigation.
You must submit a resume and supporting documentation (see Required Documents).
You will be required to complete a Financial Disclosure Form.
Continue to the Additional Information section for the Condition of Employment For Probationary Period.
Who May Apply:
- Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Competitive)
- Bureau of Reclamation Employees (Non-Competitive)
- Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)
- Department of the Interior Employees (Competitive)
- Department of the Interior Employees (Non-Competitive)
- Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)
Qualifications
GS-13: In order to qualify for the GS-13 grade level, your resume must reflect one year of specialized experience equivalent in complexity and difficulty to the GS-12 grade level.
To qualify at the GS-13: Specialized experience at this level is defined as experience performing inter or intra-agency relations work with constituent groups; briefing and/or presenting program information to higher-level Reclamation staff and/or stakeholders; coordinating special projects; making determinations and recommendations for implementation; producing final work products; and establishing relationships within and outside Reclamation.
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.
Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Federal government, or former career or career-conditional employees, who have a break in service of less than one year, are required to meet the time-in-grade restriction of one year of Federal experience at the next lower-grade, with few exceptions outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b).
You must meet all
Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 07/30/2026.
Education
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
Additional information
Condition of Employment For 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: 1) your performance and conduct; 2) the needs and interests of the agency; 3) whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and 4) 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.
Telework: Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval.
E-Verify: DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including applicant rights and responsibilities, please visit
https://www.e-verify.gov/
Background: This position is designated as a
MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. This is a condition of employment.
Selective Service: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify registration with the Selective Service System or that the applicant is exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. Go to:
https://www.sss.gov
Bargaining Unit: This is a non-bargaining unit position.
Additional vacancies may be filled using this announcement.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments
here.
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 results of the online assessments required for this position. After submitting your application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take an additional online assessment through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):Interpersonal Skills; Oral Communication; Strategic Thinking; Technical Competence; and Writing.
Additionally, in order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment - if you are invited to complete the assessment (please check your junk mail). The online assessment measures critical competencies required to perform the job. Those competencies are as follows:
- Occupational Judgement Assessment: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
- Occupational Reading Assessment: Understands and interprets written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applies what is learned from written material to specific situations.
- Occupational Reasoning Assessment: Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information; analyzes information and makes correct inferences or draws accurate conclusions.
- Occupational Interaction Assessment: Measures general competencies such as, Attention to Detail, Flexibility, Integrity, Interpersonal Skills, Self-Management, and Teamwork.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
The application questionnaire can be previewed here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13000651
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. You may choose to have your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate you are on, you will be notified.
Required Documents
Please submit the supporting documents outlined below applicable to your claimed eligibility status and the position and grade to which you are applying. Failing to submit required documents will result in non-consideration due to an incomplete application package.
Resume: You must submit a resume that demonstrates how skills and experiences through job duties meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job announcement to be considered for the job. Each job experience must include dates of employment including start and end dates (month and year), work schedule (full-time or part-time), and hours worked per week. 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. For more information, click here.
Performance Appraisal: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act/achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. This documentation is required to be considered as a current or former federal employee and optional for all other appointment types (e.g., veterans, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
Federal Employees: Competitive Service current and/or former federal employees eligible for Promotion, Reassignment, Transfer, Reinstatement, etc. You must submit a copy of your SF-50, verifying highest rate of pay and documenting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2) for which the applicant is claiming eligibility. Do not submit award SF-50s. If you are applying for a higher grade and your SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you meet the one year time-in-grade requirement so you will need to provide an SF-50 which clearly demonstrates you meet the time-in-grade requirements (examples of appropriate SF-50s include Promotions, Within-grade Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s with an effective date more than one year old). For more information, click here. See above section for Performance Appraisal documentation requirement.
Career Transition Programs: Permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including selective factors, education and experience requirements) and score at least 85.0 on the assessment questionnaire as established, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information, click here.
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act: Current or former land management agency appointees. You must submit (1) a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, that reflects having initially been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited (temporary/term) appointment; (2) a copy of SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action(s), that reflect having served under one (1) or more time-limited (temporary/term) appointments by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two (2) or more years; and (3) a copy of your Performance Appraisal Plan and/or Supervisor Memorandum that reflects having performed at an acceptable level during each period of service. For more information, click here.
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
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and to be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
- If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
- Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
- Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
- Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
- Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.
For more general information, system requirements, reasonable accommodation information, and to request assistance regarding the USA Hire Assessments, review the following resources:
https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=USA_Hire_Assessments
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click
Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has close
To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.
Next steps
Upon successful submission of the application packet, you will receive a confirmation email from USAJOBS. If you do not receive this email confirmation, the application has not yet been accepted by the system.
After all application packages have been received, resumes and supporting document(s) will be reviewed to ensure applicants meet the basic qualification requirements. Each applicant who meets the basic qualifications will be further evaluated on the information provided in the resume, application questionnaire, and other assessment criteria identified in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. Best-qualified applicants will be referred to the selecting official. After making a tentative job offer, a suitability and/or security background investigation will be conducted. A final job offer is typically made within 40 days after the deadline for applications. Applicants should monitor their status for positions with the Bureau of Reclamation by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.