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 must meet any minimum education and experience requirements (see Qualifications).
You must submit transcript(s) to verify education requirements (see Qualifications/Education).
You will be required to complete a Financial Disclosure Form.
You will be required to work from the Pleasant Grove, UT Office, located approximately 15 miles from the Provo Area Office, at various times.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements, including time in grade requirements and any selective factors, by the closing date of the announcement.
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)
- Federal Employees (Competitive Transfer)
- Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Transfer)
- Former Federal Employees (Competitive Reinstatement)
- Former Federal Employees (Non-Competitive Reinstatement)
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)
- Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)
- Military Spouses
- Miscellaneous Appointing Authorities
- Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)
Qualifications
You must meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective factors, by the closing date of this announcement. There is no education substitution for Time in Grade requirements.
BASIC INDVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR) - GS-1350:
Basic Requirements:
A. Degree: geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography.
or
B. Combination of education and experience -- course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience (see below for acceptable experience) or additional education.
Evaluation of Experience: Acceptable experience may have been gained through geological field or laboratory work that provided a means of obtaining professional knowledge of the theory and application of the principles of geology and closely related sciences, e.g., geophysics, geochemistry, or hydrology. Such work generally must have involved making close observations, taking samples, handling various types of instruments and equipment, assembling geologic data from source materials, and analyzing and reporting findings orally and in writing. Experience that involved only one phase of geology work, e.g., collecting samples, would not be acceptable as providing the required professional knowledge of the theory and principles of geology. In some situations, professional scientific experience in other fields may be accepted in part as professional geological experience. Such experience must have been preceded by appropriate education in geology or by professional geological experience and must have contributed directly and significantly to the applicant's professional geological competence. Examples include some positions in geophysics, mining engineering, soils science, physical oceanography, hydrology, climatology, biology, analytic or experimental chemistry, metallurgy, and comparable fields where the normal duties or results of investigations have been extended to the solution of geologic problems by the applicant. Ordinary functions of positions such as seismic, computer, petroleum or mining engineer, mine superintendent, or metallurgist generally are not considered professional geological experience. To receive credit for geological experience obtained in positions that are not full-time professional geological positions, the applicant is responsible for indicating clearly the actual time or percentage of time devoted to geologic duties within such positions, and for giving adequate descriptions of the geologic functions.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT: To qualify for the position (in addition to meeting the basic IOR requirement above), your resume must clearly describe specialized experience that demonstrates the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities as follows:
To qualify at the GS-13 grade level, your resume must demonstrate at least one year of full-time specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and complexity to at least the GS-12 grade level or pay band in the Federal Service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized Experience must demonstrate all the following:
Must have experience mentoring and developing junior geologists and/or geotechnical engineers, and collaborating with peer level geotechnical engineers, and at least three of the following:
(1) Experience participating in Reclamation's Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams and Safety of Dams programs, practices, and guidelines (or equivalent Federal or State programs).
(2) Experience participating in risk-based decision-making processes, such as Best Practices in Dam and Levee Safety Risk Analysis (or similar State or Federal programs).
(3) Experience developing exploratory drilling programs and geologic investigations related to water storage, conveyance, or appurtenant infrastructure.
(4) Experience with instrumentation, and instrumentation used to evaluate dam safety, such as is done in the Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams and Safety of Dams programs, to provide technical review, analysis, and interpretation.
(5) Experience interpreting data collected and logged in the field, directing collection of additional data depending on project requirements, compiling all information into reports, figures, and diagrams necessary to support adjoining and dependent activities of geotechnical engineers and other similar professionals.
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. Applicants will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
If selected, the selectee 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.
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).
Work Environment: Approximately 70 % of the time spent in an office setting. Travel/driving to field sites is involved 30 % of the time; approximately 3-5 overnight stays a month. Some physical exertion such as walking, bending and lifting up to 50 lbs.
Physical Demands: Physical activity varies from sedentary office work to light walking to rigorous hiking in steep terrain with up to 50 pounds of field gear. Work environment ranges from modem office conditions to a wide variety of field conditions that include warm to very hot, cold, windy, wet, and rainy to snowy weather.
You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 06/22/2026.
Education
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
This position has a mandatory education requirement. You 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.
You will be required to provide official college transcripts to verify educational qualifications, if selected. 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.
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 info, refer to the Office of Personnel Management and U.S. Department of Education.
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 additional info, refer to the U.S. Network for Education Information.
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:
- 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.
You may be required to serve an initial supervisory probation period.
Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Full time telework or remote work is not available for this 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.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) expenses or first-post-of-duty relocation expenses are authorized, as applicable, with the exception of the Guaranteed Home Sale Provision. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed into law December 2017, suspends the moving expense deduction and the exclusion from income of qualified employer reimbursements of moving expenses that was allowed under previous tax laws. Employer reimbursements for moving costs are now generally taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.
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/
This position is designated as a MODERATE RISK Public Trust position. It requires a fully completed and favorably adjudicated Public Trust Suitability Background Investigation (T2S or T2RS or equivalent) that is current (within the last 5 years). This is a condition of employment.
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
This is a non-bargaining unit position.
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
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 to the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies:
- Leadership: Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment, coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts
leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.
- Geology: Knowledge of concepts, principles, and theories of the origins and structure of the earth, including the physical forces that have shaped it and its physical and organic history.
- Geotechnical Engineering: Knowledge of concepts, principles, theories, and methods related to the investigation and evaluation of subsurface soil or geologic conditions and properties for the purpose of designing stable foundation systems, earthen structures, or the remediation of subsurface conditions.
- Project Management: Applies principles, methods, or tools for developing, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and managing projects and resources, including technical performance.
The application questionnaire can be previewed here:
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12972702
Your answers will be verified against information provided in your resume. Your resume must clearly support the responses to all the questions by addressing experience, education, and/or training relevant to this position. You must make a fair and accurate assessment of your qualifications. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than what is apparent in the description of your experience, competencies, skills, and/or education/training (or that your resume/application is incomplete), you could be rated ineligible or your score could be lowered.
Phase 1: Applicant resumes will be reviewed by Human Resources to ensure they meet the basic qualification requirements. If applicants meet basic qualifications and any education requirements, they will continue on to the second phase.
Phase 2: Candidates who pass the first phase will have their resume reviewed by a panel of subject matter experts against the following competencies listed above.
Phase 3: Candidates will be given a score. Those candidates whose score place them in the best qualified category will be referred to the selecting official for consideration.
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 opt in of having 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
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.
TRANSCRIPTS: Required for candidates using education as a basis for qualifications.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: You must 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: 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.
VETERANS: If you are claiming eligibility based on veterans preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15. 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.
OTHER HIRING AUTHORITIES: Applicants claiming eligibility based on a Special Hiring Authority must submit applicable proof of eligibility as outlined in the following site(s): Special Hiring Authorities, Interchange Agreement, Military Spouse.
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.