US Department of the Interior Hiring for Environmental Protection Specialist at Lakewood, CO Full Time

This position is located within the United States Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary of the Interior, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment in Lakewood, Colorado.

At the full performance level (GS-11) the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Provide support to Authorized Officials and case team efforts, as requested, to plan, implement, and monitor restoration activities.
• Assist senior specialists in developing documents, policy, guidance, procedures and practices that enhance the Department’s conservation efforts by restoring injured resources and habitats more efficiently and effectively.
• Enhance consistency in restoration implementation and monitoring by providing coordinated expertise to case teams.
• Coordinate with external and internal restoration partners to support restoration documentation, fund transfers, and data management.
• Assist with Department-wide and bureau-specific activities including developing guidance, policy, budgets, performance planning and reporting, outreach and related activities that affect: (1) habitat restoration and conservation on private and public lands; (2) partnership development; and (3) natural resource assessments.

The Office of the Secretary of the Interior has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in an office environment. There may be some commercial travel to field offices and sites, which may be in remote locations or involve exposure to unfavorable conditions, including temperature and weather extremes.

Salary Information:

GS-09: Step 1: $ 63,271.00 to GS-09, Step 10: $ 82,249.00 per annum.

GS-11: Step 1: $ 76,551.00 to GS-09, Step 10: $ 99,513.00 per annum.

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

This vacancy is also announced as OS-6016-24-ETA-026(MP) for those applicants who wish to apply and be considered under Merit Promotion procedures.

Help Help Requirements Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
• You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
• Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position, you must meet either A, B or C defined below. If qualifying on education OR combination of education and experience, you must provide transcripts.

GS-09:

• Education: Master’s or equivalent degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree or LLB or JD if related.

OR

• Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-09, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
• Applying the National Environmental Policy Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, Clean Water Act, and Oil Pollution Act as it relates to environmental assessment and natural resource restoration.
• Writing, preparing, and/or coordinating environmental documents as part of a team.
• Uploading data from various information sources into a database.

MUST MEET ALL

OR

• Combination of education and experience: A combination of specialized experience and education that totals 100% of the experience requirement.

GS-11:

• Education: You may substitute education (education that is directly related) for experience at the GS-11 level if you have achieved: a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

• Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-11, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:
• Applying, writing, preparing, and/or coordinating restoration planning documents including project design, costing, and implementation elements, to include the preparing of environmental assessment documents in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) requirements; AND
• Training and or experience applying the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act 42 CFR section 11, Clean Water Act 33 USC 1321, and Oil Pollution Act 15 CFR part 990 as it relates to natural resource damage assessment and restoration; AND
• Organizing and uploading data from various information sources into a database; AND
• Working with other Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as Federally recognized tribes in the development of environmental assessments.

MUST MEET ALL

OR

• Combination of education and experience: A combination of education and specialized experience, which when combined, equal 100% of the qualification requirement. Only directly related education in excess of the first two years of progressively higher-level graduate education toward a doctoral or the equivalent graduate degree may be used toward this combination. (Example: 2.5 years in a doctoral program (50%) plus 6 months of specialized experience (50%) =100%)

Note: Applicants selected for interview may be asked to participate in a writing exercise or submit a writing sample as part of the interview process.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM’s website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

Education: If this position requires specific educational course work to qualify, or you are qualifying based in whole or part on education, you are required to provide transcripts as proof of meeting the requirements.

Foreign Education: Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the specific educational requirements as stated above. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

Additional Information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict of interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You Will Be Evaluated Based On How Well You Meet The Qualifications Listed In This Vacancy Announcement. 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 Online Assessments Required For This Position. You Will Be Assessed On The Following Competencies (knowledge, Skills, Abilities, And Other Characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

In order 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 an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. You are being evaluated under the Category Rating method, which means, if you are determined to be qualified you will be placed in one of three pre-defined categories. These categories are “Platinum”, “Gold”, and “Silver”. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Candidates placed in the “Platinum” category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview. Veterans’ preference rules for category rating will be applied.

If you are a status applicant (current career or career-conditional Federal employee or former permanent Federal employee with reinstatement eligibility in the competitive service), or are eligible under a special appointing authority and you are selected under this vacancy, you may be subject to serving a new one-year probationary period.

To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12248714