Mining Engineer

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified:

• Applicant must be able to possess and maintain a valid driver's license to drive a government vehicle.
• Applicant must either be or become a BLM mineral mine inspector within one year of obtaining the position. This includes the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 40-hour Underground and Surface New Miner and Coal and Other Solid Leasable Minerals Mine Inspector Certification Course.

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.

In addition to the Basic Education requirements, to qualify at the GS-13 level you must meet the following:

Specialized Experience: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-12 level comparable in difficulty and complexity to perform the duties of a Mining Engineer. Qualifying specialized experience includes: reviewing or evaluating exploration, development, and production plans for compliance with regulations, safety, and environmental factors; examining mineral properties utilizing software tools which may include ArcMap, AutoCAD, Carlson, Vulcan, or other similar software; analyzing the geological formations to determine if geological features above and below the mineralized zone will require a specialized mine design; writing inspection reports or similar reports for technical and regulatory adequacy by incorporating figures, maps, and pictures for clarification; and calculating and/or writing evaluations for current mineral values utilizing the principles of Income (Discounted Cash Flow or DCF), Market (comparable sales) or Cost approach to determine Fair Market Value (FMV).

Please note there are no educational substitutions at this grade level.

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.

Physical Demands: The work is usually sedentary in an office environment, requiring high concentration levels and subjected to pressures associated with meeting deadlines and sudden shifts in workload priorities. Work performed with production oversight may involve regular and recurring District and Field Office visits with concomitant on-site inspections. Field and inspection work may include walking, lifting items weighing less than 50 pounds, or driving a 4x4 vehicle over rough terrain during extreme weather conditions.

Work Environment: The work environment in the office typically involves completing technical work in a short time frame. These short time frames and heavy workloads commonly involve relatively high-stress situations. Fieldwork and inspections may include walking or driving over rough terrain in harsh weather conditions. Fieldwork requires frequent surface and underground mining operations visits, necessarily exposing the employee to hazardous mine conditions, complex and dangerous mobile mining machinery, large trucks, blasting operations, drilling equipment, etc. Underground in coal mines will be dark, wet, and cold in the winter, with uneven surfaces and electrical cables on the floor and the mine roof. Safety equipment such as goggles, steel-toe shoes or boots, and self-rescuers is mandatory during these visits. The incumbent will require a working knowledge of MSHA and OSHA regulations and will be required to take self-rescuer and other mine safety training as needed. There may be times when assisting with non-energy inspections, including very narrow (down to 18" in width) and small enclosed workspaces in underground vein-type deposits or climbing sets of ladders up to 299 feet or more, are required in some cases. Understanding ventilation principles of airflow, oxygen-deficient air or carbon dioxide (CO2) (sometimes called black damp) limits, methane (CH4) explosive limits (sometimes called firedamp), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure limits (sometimes called stink damp), and carbon monoxide (CO) (sometimes called white damp) limits are required.