Geologist

Summary

You will serve as a Geologist with Bureau of Reclamation. This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Engineering Geology & Geophysics, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO.

Duties

Bureau-Wide (Bureau of Reclamation) - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Bureau employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), Current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Conducts and supports the execution of engineering geology evaluations, materials and hydrogeologic characterization, geotechnical investigations, hazard identification, and construction management duties by providing expert review, interpretation, technical expectations and work products. This position serves as a Safety of Dams advisor and provides senior-level authoritative technical input on the application of engineering geology principles across all phases of SOD processes. The position serves as a senior technical specialist providing authoritative engineering geology evaluation, guidance, and Technical Approval for construction-phase activities and geology related documentation. Provides authoritative guidance to ensure individual projects to programmatic processes conform to Reclamation and industry standards and guidelines. Provides authoritative technical recommendations for project- and program-level engineering geology decisions related to geologic practice, SOD processes, construction-phase activities. The position will serve as an engineering geology independent reviewer of final design documents and construction specifications for engineering analysis, and modification and construction of dams and associated heavy civil infrastructure projects. The position will provide authoritative engineering geology technical recommendations for Reclamation projects and for other government agencies projects. Requirements

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. Additional Requirements located under qualifications Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/11/2026-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. Individual Occupational Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements 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 or additional education. To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: experience in engineering geology including the engineering geologic characterization of soil, rock and man-made materials to support engineering evaluation of civil structures, and to lead management in the integration of engineering geology best practices in design, construction and Safety of Dams risk management processes, and experience providing oversight with the planning and execution of engineering geological investigation programs related to the engineering evaluation and design of civil structures. 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 has a mandatory education requirement. You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. 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 How You Will Be Evaluated

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 result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Geology Manages and Organizes Information Project Management Technical Competence To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review.These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Other 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. Physical Demands/Work Environment: About 75% of the work of the position takes place in an office setting. No special physical effort is required. About 25% of the work is conducted in the field to support ongoing geologic investigations and construction projects, and training of personnel. The position may be expected to hike distances of several miles over uneven terrain while carrying equipment. Field work may require working in remote field sites with limited to no services. Field work typically requires the use of proper personal protective equipment, working in dusty, hot, humid, and extreme cold environments, occasional off-road driving of 4-wheel drive vehicles, and less common traveling to remote field sites in helicopters or small fixed wing planes, and/or boats. Lifting equipment and objects weighing up to 50 pounds may be necessary. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.