Legal Administrative Specialist (Water Rights)

Summary This position is a Legal Administrative Specialist (Water Rights) GS-0901-12 at the Bureau of Land Management MT930-DIV OF RESOURCES AND PLANNING located in one of the following locations: Billings, MT Butte, MT Dillon, MT Lewistown, MT Miles City, MT This position is also open to public under announcement CBUI-26-13062273-DE-AWF. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. Responsibilities Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Perfect and maintain water rights on BLM Administered lands on behalf of the U.S. Government Coordinate with the State and Local Governments on water rights issues Coordinate with the Office of the Solicitor and the Department of Justice on water rights litigation Coordinate monitoring of water rights and water uses with the BLM MT field and district offices Provide oversight and guidance to BLM MT field and district offices regarding water rights and uses on BLM Administered lands Requirements Conditions of Employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. 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. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Minimum Qualification GS-0901-12: A. Specialized Experience Requirement: To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Experience or understanding of state based water rights and federal water reserves to include water rights applications, land claims, or water right claims; ability to maintain a variety of data using GIS information management systems and spreadsheets; ability to communicate effectively with a wide audience including internal and external parties, such as, senior level executives, field office specialists, state and local government officials and members of the general public.. You must include hours per week worked.-OR- B. Education: There is no substitution for education in lieu of experience at this grade level. 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. Education This position does not allow substituting education for experience. 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 more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications Additional Information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.