Supervisory Biologist/Physical Scientist/Environmental Engineer

Marine Minerals Administration; Louisiana (MO); On-site; USD 126,000 - 164,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement seeks a Supervisory Biologist/Physical Scientist/Environmental Engineer to lead the Coordination and Review Unit and oversee environmental compliance activities on the Outer Continental Shelf.

The role emphasizes supervision, NEPA policy development, and cross-agency collaboration to ensure regulatory compliance and effective oversight of offshore energy operations.

Qualifications

• Basic Educational Requirements: Biological sciences, environmental engineering, or physical sciences.
• Professional experience in supervisory roles within regulatory compliance is expected.
• Knowledge of NEPA and environmental laws relevant to OCS operations.

Responsibilities

• Directs and supervises biologists, physical scientists, environmental scientists, engineers, and others in the Coordination and Review Unit.
• Oversees compliance verification, monitoring, and enforcement activities related to OCS operations.
• Represents the bureau in meetings with stakeholders and oversees NEPA coordination and documentation.

Job description

Summary

You will serve as a Supervisory Biologist/Physical Scientist/Environmental Engineer with Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. This position serves as Supervisor and assists with the management and oversight of the functions and responsibilities of the Coordination and Review Unit and the mission of the Environmental Compliance Division.

Duties

BSEE/BOEM Wide - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional BSEE/BOEM employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

1. Supervision/Leadership:

Directs and supervises biologists, physical scientists, environmental scientists, environmental engineers, archaeologists, ecologists, etc.) in the Coordination and Review Unit (CRU) who are experts in regulatory compliance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), National Fishing Enhancement Act (NFEA), and other laws/regulations.

2. Administrative Management of the CRU:

As the Unit Supervisor, the incumbent oversees the following items:

• Assigns work to subordinates and reviews resultant products ensuring that National and Regional efficiency, consistency, and accuracy requirements are met; including planning and compliance work to be accomplished by Unit staff, setting and/or adjusting short-term and long-term priorities, preparing work schedules, and using selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments based upon the capabilities of the employees;
• Approves leave and hears and resolves complaints from employees/grievances before recommending solutions to the Section manager;
• Prepares hiring packages for Unit personnel and makes and/or approves selections for staff positions;

3. Advisory/Compliance Verification/Monitoring/Enforcement:

Under this major duty, the incumbent:

• Serves as the Section's Office Compliance Program lead, which includes establishing compliance authority for OCS operations, development of the associated policy/guidance, managing PAS and similar data collection, conducting primary analyses, and preparing reports on the effectiveness of established mitigation and permit/plan conditions placed on OCS activities;
• Oversees, schedules, and participates in Field Inspections related to his/her area of expertise; including acting in a leadership role on Seafloor Compliance, Assessment, and Monitoring Program (SCAMP) projects related to OCS site assessments, compliance research, and other associated offshore efforts, which involve highly-technical sonar, remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), and other remote-sensing surveys at OCS locations;?

4. Liaison/Representation/Procurement:

Under this major duty, the incumbent:

• Briefs and defends agency programs, policies, and conclusions to other Federal, State, and local government, industry, private agencies, and the public, prepares and presents briefing papers, policy documents, and technical reports and serves as the bureau representative during meetings with Congressional members and their staff, elected state officials, lead industry representatives, and the media and at various scientific and technical workshops and conferences;
• Establishes and maintains relationships with individuals, industry associations, the media, Federal, State, and Local government bodies, special interests groups/Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other Federal agencies on matters of mutual interest concerning environmental compliance during OCS energy operations; and

5. NEPA Compliance/Decision-making:

Under this major duty, the incumbent: Develops and manages policy, assignment, and tracking of NEPA Program and associated coordination efforts to ensure National and Regional compliance with NEPA regarding the permitting of the offshore exploration, development, and production of oil, gas, sulfur, and other minerals on the Federal OCS, and preparing the requisite compliance documentation as it relates to well, pipeline, and structure permits;

• Oversees the preparation and approval of the NEPA compliance work, which includes reviewing, evaluating, and recommending changes/improvements to ensure consistency, accuracy, and the quality of the final documents and the administrative-record; and
• Continually evaluates the NEPA program to support adaptive-management efforts needed to aid agency SMEs and decision makers in improved reviewing/permitting processes and developing more feasible and effective mitigation measures for future operations.

Salary Range Information:

$125,776 (Step 1) to $163,514 (Step 10)

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

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 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 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. 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/18/2026-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:

Basic Educational Requirements:

To be qualified for this position, you must meet either A or B below for the series to which you are applying.

Biological Sciences Series, 0401:

A. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.

-OR-

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Environmental Engineering Series, 0819:

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

-OR-

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure
2. Written Test
3. Specified academic courses
4. Related curriculum

For further information on the adequacy of such background demonstrated by one of the above listed are found in the link below: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/0800/environmental-engineering-series-0819/

Physical Science Series, 1301:

A. Degree: physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics.

-OR

-

B. Combination of education and experience -- education equivalent to one of the majors shown in A above that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-14 grade level:

Experience