Engineering Technician Petroleum.

Bureau of Land Management; Bakersfield (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking qualified candidates in California for Petroleum Engineering Technician roles at multiple grades. The position emphasizes on-site inspections of drilling, production, and abandonment activities, with responsibilities to review records, prepare reports, and enforce federal regulations.

It offers progression based on experience and education. Qualified applicants may qualify at GS-7, GS-8, or GS-9 levels with requirements including graduate study or related

Qualifications

• All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• Time-in-Grade requirements apply (5 CFR 300, Subpart F).
• GS-7: Experience or Education or Combination as described.
• GS-8: Two full years of graduate work or master’s degree related to petroleum engineering technology.
• GS-9: On‑site inspections, production verification, and abandonment operations; documentation and follow‑up.

Responsibilities

• Inspect oil and gas drilling, production, workover, plugging, or abandonment activities.
• Review production and measurement records for accuracy.
• Prepare routine inspection reports and enforce applicable regulations.
• Conduct follow-up inspections and document compliance status.
• Document observations in automated databases and support enforcement actions.

Skills

Inspections

Record review

Safety inspections

Documentation

Education

Graduate education related to petroleum engineering

1 year graduate education with transcripts

Job description

Duties

Some Of The Major Duties You Will Perform, At The Full Performance Level, Include But Are Not Limited To The Following:

• Perform inspections of oil and gas operations and enforces all appropriate laws, rules, and regulations as well as the terms and conditions specified in the various approvals.
• Perform on-site compliance inspections for all phases of oil and gas operations, specifically: drilling and work-over, production, environmental, and plugging and abandonment.
• Prepare documentation after compliance inspection(s) are complete and issues Written Orders and Incidents of Non-Compliance (INC) when problems or violations are noted during inspection(s).
• Complete follow-up inspections to determine if compliance was met by operators and recommends further action as necessary. If required, prepare documents for evidence in legal contests.
• Utilize applicable government databases to document inspections and completes enforcement actions as applicable within the database.
• This position requires a considerable amount of math at the high school algebra level to verify volume and height of cement, other drilling fluids, oil, and gas volumes to account for production from Federal oil and gas leases, and other assignments.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Must possess (or obtain within 30 days of appointment) a U.S. Government Motor Vehicle Operator's Identification Card.
• A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment.
• You must successfully complete the Petroleum Engineering Technician (PET) Certification Program and continue service in the Federal Government for 2 years from the date of obtaining certification.
• PET certification is required at the GS-10 and GS-11 grades and must be maintained.
• 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 or 2-year trial period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary or 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.

• Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

• Additional Requirements Continued... 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 or trial 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 - 11/12/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-7 grade level:

Experience:

• Assist with inspections of oil and gas drilling, production, workover, plugging, or abandonment activities.
• Review production and measurement records for completeness and obvious errors.
• Perform general housekeeping and safety inspections to ensure compliance with applicable approvals and regulations.
• Prepare routine reports of inspection findings.

-OR- Education: Successful completion of at least one year of GRADUATE education directly related to the work of this position (for example, major study in petroleum engineering or a related field). You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above.The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-8 grade level:

Experience:

• Perform a variety of standardized inspections of drilling and production operations.
• Conduct production verification inspections to confirm proper handling, accurate measurement and correct reporting of lease production.
• Inspect minor incidents, such as contained spills with limited environmental impact.
• Inspect and witness plug and abandonment operations.
• Prepare reports and recommend compliance or enforcement actions when needed, to appropriate personnel for further action as necessary.

-OR- Education: Successful completion of at least two full years of graduate or a master's degree; education must be directly related to the work of a petroleum engineering technician (for example, petroleum engineering or a related field). You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level:

Experience:

• Perform on-site inspections of oil and gas drilling operations, production operations, and associated facilities to ensure compliance with applicable approvals and regulations.
• Verify production volumes, sales, and fuels used on lease and analyzes past production and operator records to resolve anomalies.
• Inspect undesirable events including documenting causes, volume loss, and recommending remedial actions to be taken.
• Inspect plug and abandonment operations, calculating cement volumes and displacement to ensure all minerals and water zones are properly protected.
• Document problems, determine corrective action, and conduct follow-up inspections to determine compliance.
• Document observations, recommendations, compliance, noncompliance, verbal communications, through preparation of appropriate forms, and input into applicable automated databases.

-OR- Education: Successful completion of at least full years of graduate or a master's degree; education must be directly related to the work of a petroleum engineering technician (for example, petroleum engineering or a related field). You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

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

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:

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

This position may be eligible for a 7.5% retention incentive in addition to the salary listed in this announcement. The incentive is paid on a bi-weekly basis and is initiated after 90 days of successful performance in the position.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

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,

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

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.