Petroleum Engineer

U.S. Department of the Interior; Houma (LA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is seeking a Petroleum Engineer to serve as a technical expert on oil and gas drilling operations. This federal position involves technical reviews, inspections, and leadership responsibilities on complex drilling activities.

Salary ranges from GS-13 Step 1 to Step 10, with potential progression and required background checks including a 1-year probationary period. Must be a U.S.

Qualifications

• 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, E-Verify, and potential probationary/trial periods are required.

Responsibilities

• Performs technical reviews of applications for permit to drill, approval to change plans, alter casing programs, and plug and abandon new wells.
• Provides technical reviews and assessments on welding and burning plans for compliance with regulations and submits plans for supervisor approval.
• Conducts inspections of drilling operations, workover/completion, plugging and abandonment, environmental quality, H2S and sulphur operations.
• Ensures leases under suspension of production operate per the approved activity schedule.
• Visits oil & gas leases to verify proper operating practices and analyzes operations beyond the scope of lower-graded staff.
• Mentors and provides technical leadership to engineers and staff; presents testimony as an expert witness on petroleum issues.

Job description

Summary

You will serve as a Petroleum Engineer with Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. You will serve as a technical expert on oil and gas drilling operations. Salary Range Information (Per Annum.) GS-13: Step 1 $122,749 - Step 10: $ 159,575 First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Major Duties

1. Performs technical reviews of applications for permit to drill, approval to change plans, alter casing programs, and plug and abandon new wells.
2. Provides technical reviews and assessments on new and/or revised welding and burning plans pertaining to drilling operations for compliance with the regulations and submits completed plan to the supervisor for approval.
3. Conducts inspections involving the full range of operations such as drilling, workover/ completion, plugging and abandonment, environmental quality, H2S and sulphur operations, and activities on the OCS that often include facilities with known safety and environmental problems or hazards.
4. Assures that leases under suspension of production are conducting operations in accordance with the approved activity schedule.
5. Visits oil & gas leases under District supervision on a regular basis to determine that proper operating practices are followed, particularly where unusual or unique problems have developed, and analyses of such drilling operations are beyond the scope of the inspectors, lower graded engineering staff, and platform operators.
6. Mentors and provides technical leadership, expertise and guidance to lower-level engineers and other staff in the conduct of day-to-day operations, investigations, inspections, and audits.
7. Presents testimony as an expert witness on complex petroleum issues concerning drilling operations.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience. 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

Requirements

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/ A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or a 2 year trail period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. This probationary or trail 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 period or trail period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Evaluations

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): Technical Competence Writing 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 accomplishment record review.These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. DUE WEIGHT: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, you must submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. 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 your 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.

What to Expect Next

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application. You can find your path with the Department of Interior at https://careers.doi.gov/. Any exaggeration of