Summary These positions are located in Pecos District, Carlsbad Field Office , in the Land and Minerals Division. This position is concurrently open to all U.S. Citizens under Announcement Number BLM-NM-25-12582017-DE-OPM. Salary Range: GS-05 $39,576 to $ 51,446 GS-07 $49,025 to $63,733 GS-09 $59,966 to $77,955 Responsibilities This position is responsible for providing adjudication assistance to the Division for processing oil and gas drilling applications and authorizations. The purpose of this position is to provide Carlsbad adjudicative expertise for the oil and gas case work that is handled in the field office. The primary responsibilities include application of public land and mineral law, regulations, departmental decisions, manuals and other internal guidance in adjudication of those cases. Duties will be developmental if selected below the full performance level of GS-09. Collects basic data on lands, oil and gas, mining or minerals cases. Determines the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested. Adjudicates routine applications or transactions in lands, mining, or mineral materials disposal, mining, or mineral leasing applications or notices. Prepares routine correspondence, including decisions, to process cases. Drafts simple adjudication decisions on assigned cases. Utilizes data, systems and applications to collect, enter, manipulate, update and maintain data according to prescribed Bureau and program standards. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience. If qualifying based on education, a copy of your unofficial transcripts must be provided with your application. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience and/or education for the respective grade level in which you are applying: General Experience GS-05: Three (3) years of general experience, one (1) year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) that provided a familiarity with real property laws and legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or other experience that involved explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, policies, etc. Such experience may have been gained in positions such as law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or other work dealing with laws, rules, regulations, procedures, etc. OR, Education GS-05: Successfully completed at least a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree in any field of study from an accredited college or university. OR, Combination Education and Experience GS-05: Have an equivalent combination of experience and education described above, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. Specialized Experience GS-07: One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: (1) determining the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested; (2) adjudicating routine lands, mining, or mineral leasing applications; (3) preparing routine correspondence. OR, Education GS-07: Successfully completed at least one year of graduate level education from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to the work of the position (including law school) that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination Education and Experience GS-07: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) GS-07: Successfully completed all of the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for this position as described above from an accredited college or university, and meets one of the requirements for Superior Academic Achievement based on the following: (1) class standing (upper third standing in the graduating class of a college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses); (2) grade-point average (3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) as recorded on the official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or (3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; (3) election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (Note: You must submit transcripts that have a confer/completion date and any additional documentation to verify that you meet this requirement) Specialized Experience GS-09: One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following:(1) processing mineral leasing and mining law adjudicative cases; (2) adjudicating applications and agreements; (3) processing designation and resignation of unit cases. OR, Education GS-09: Successfully completed at least two years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to the work of the position (including law school) that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of course work related to the administration of land laws. Examples include course work in land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation, from an accredited college or university in a field directly related to the work of the position. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination of Education/Experience GS-09: Have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education described above, when combined, equals 100% of the total requirement. Please note only graduate education in excess of one year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify under this option. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-05 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-07 level. One year at the GS-07 is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-09 level. (Must submit your SF-50 that shows Time-in-Grade eligibility and reflects your title, series, and grade. No award SF-50 will be accepted). Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). 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. You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Education To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. 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. PASS/FAIL COURSES: 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. GRADUATE EDUCATION: 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. Additional Information Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-09. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Physical Demands: The work is predominantly sedentary although there is some walking, stooping, and bending involved when searching for records. Working Conditions: The work is performed in a typical office setting. Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If 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 or Student Loan Repayment. Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP): For information on how to apply as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible see http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap\_guideline.pdf. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 90 or above on the rating criteria for this position. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, please contact San Antonio Services Branch at SASBMailbox@opm.gov or 816-541-8101.