Lead Realty Specialist

Summary You will serve as a Lead Realty Specialist with the Bureau of Reclamation. This position is in the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Public Safety, Power, Infrastructure Directorate and the Dam Safety and Infrastructure Office. This position serves as Reclamation's Chief Realty Officer and is recognized by the Department as Reclamation's Lead Realty Specialist. This is not a remote position. Responsibilities Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Execute and coordinate complex land acquisitions across multiple states for large-scale projects. Conduct negotiations for purchases, leases, easements, and eminent domain actions, often involving challenging or atypical cases. Manage federally owned, tribal, leased, or defaulted properties. Oversee construction, maintenance, marketing, and repair practices; advise headquarters and regional staff on property management transactions and efficiency. Develop, implement, and coordinate bureau-wide realty policies, procedures, and guidelines. Lead teams to improve program efficiency, ensure compliance with statutory requirements, and brief senior management and external stakeholders. Assess program accomplishments, develop performance measures and target, prepare briefing papers, and communicate results to senior management, Congress, and external organizations. Lead, coach, and mentor a team of program analysts, ensuring alignment with organizational mission, strategic plans, and goals. Guide team members in project work, problem resolution, and skill development. Requirements Conditions of Employment Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship. 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/ 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 trial 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 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 - 09/03/2026-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 at the GS-14 grade level, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: 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 for this position includes: 1) Leading a team of professionals to accomplish land management and realty objectives, including providing direction, coordination, and oversight of program activities. 2) Performing complex realty functions, such as acquiring, managing, disposing of, and withdrawing land and interests in land for Federal projects. 3) Issuing permits and use authorizations and developing formal agreements to support land management, realty and operational needs. 4) Developing and writing policy and guidance, applying comprehensive knowledge of statutory and regulatory requirements governing land, natural resources, and realty and real property management. 5) Communicating program changes and issues effectively to internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clarity, transparency, and alignment with organizational goals. You must include hours per week worked. 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. Time-In-Grade: Current career or career-conditional employees of the Bureau of Reclamation 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). You must meet all Eligibility and Qualification requirements, including time-in-grade restrictions and any selective placement factors if applicable, by 09/03/2026. Education This position does not allow substituting education for experience. Additional Information Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive. 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. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive. Reclamation has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and you may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. This is a non-bargaining unit position. 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: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, books, or small parts; or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Some field trips may be required to inspect projects and will require walking over rough terrain, some lifting and climbing. Work Environment: Work is done primarily in an office setting. The environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, residences, or commercial vehicles, e.g., use of safe work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. Occasional field trips are required to attend meetings and conduct field reconnaissance of projects.