Job Information
Bureau of Land Management Land Surveyor in United States
Summary Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource. This position is within the Bureau of Land Management, California State Office and assigned to a Cadastral Field Unit throughout the state. For information about the duty locations click: Atascadero, Palm Springs, Redding, El Dorado Hills, Sacramento We expect to fill 5 vacancies at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available. Responsibilities Coordinates and integrates phases of survey projects, applies field survey methods, techniques, and procedures in day to day operations. Plans and conducts surveys and resurveys involving problems of substantial variety and complexity. Leads survey crews, makes work assignments, and provides direction during the progress of each project. Prepares reports, field notes and plates describing in detail the survey performed, and maintains records of work accomplished. Determines and implements appropriate resolutions to unforeseen conflicts or delays on individual projects. Meets expected deadlines for submission of field notes, final plats, and status reports of work accomplished. Communicates with other surveyors, team leads, and landowners that may have an interest in survey projects. Replies to the public, private surveyors, State and Federal agencies on technical inquiries concerning interpretation of past and present land surveys in areas assigned. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) that must be met to be considered. Please read the education section to ensure you meet this requirement. 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. You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: To qualify for the GS-9, in addition to the IOR, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Perform the necessary mathematical computations involved in traverse closure, azimuth determination, state plane coordinate transformation, section subdivision, route alignment, and location. Prepare preliminary and final survey plats, drawings, reports, legal records, and title descriptions for review and approval. Utilize software and automation tools to compute geographic coordinates from various survey records. -OR- Education: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.- OR- A combination of qualifying education and experience. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. To qualify for the GS-11, in addition to the IOR, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Plan and conduct land surveys, prepare written survey documents or notes, and coordinate with interested parties or project managers. Manage or lead cadastral survey or resurvey projects using a variety of survey equipment including total stations, data collectors, handheld calculators, and GPS receivers. Conduct survey computation and adjustments to produce final geographic coordinates. Research and analyze ancient and modern survey records. -OR-Education: 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. -OR-A combination of qualifying education and experience. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with 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 meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level. Physical Demands: Work may take place in an office setting or outdoors. Field work may involve extensive hiking, carrying heavy loads, cutting/clearing brush and debris with tools such as axes, hooks, or chain saws. Work Environment: Work environment varies from an office setting to outdoors. Outdoor work environment varies from flat, barren desert land or open prairie, to extremely steep, rugged mountains which may be covered in debris and timber. Temperatures fluctuate from extremely hot to uncomfortably cold. Crews may be required to work in rain or snow. May be exposed to outdoor hazards such as poisonous plants, snakes, insects, and other wildlife. Education This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). To be considered you must meet one of the below requirements: Have a degree in land surveying; or civil engineering with a surveying option/emphasis. The civil engineering major must have included at least 6 semester hours of surveying, 3 semester hours of land law, and 21 additional semester hours in any combination of the following: surveying, photogrammetry, geodetic surveying, geodesy, route surveying, remote sensing, cartography, survey astronomy, land information systems, computer-aided mapping, aerial photo interpretation, and survey analysis and adjustments. Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major in land surveying or civil engineering as described in paragraph A, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The basic requirements for this series may be fully satisfied by a current registration as a land surveyor in a State, territory, or the District of Columbia obtained by written examination. Such registration must have been obtained under conditions outlined in the National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE) Unified Model Law for Registration of Surveyors. Applicants wishing to be considered under this provision must show evidence of registration based on successful completion of the written examinations. Registrations granted prior to adoption of a registration law with qualification requirements equivalent to the NCEE Model Law by the State, territory, or District of Columbia are not acceptable under this option. To be considered equivalent to the NCEE Model law, registration laws must include the four options listed within the NCEE Unified Model Law in the section specifying "General Requirements for Registration" as a Professional Land Surveyor. If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information. Additional Information DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): 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, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. This announcement is being advertised concurrently under number CADE-25-12613349-JB, which is open to all qualified persons. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. 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. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-11. 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.