Duties

Summary

If you are ready to begin your new career or are looking for a place to make an impact, what better place than a top ranked agency in the federal government? We are looking for the best and brightest to join our team of dedicated professionals here at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), where we are ranked number three among mid-size agencies in the Best Places to Work in the federal government rankings!

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is seeking a highly motivated and qualified candidate for an exciting full-time permanent position within its' Office of Energy Projects. The position is located in the Washington, DC Office, and the incumbent will serve as a Geologist in the Division of Gas-Environment & Engineering. The position will largely be responsible for reviewing natural gas facility applications, create National Environmental Policy Act documents, and conduct inspections of natural gas facilities to ensure their compliance with the Commission's authorization. The ideal candidate will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong environmental review fundamentals, and a strong background in geology. This position will require some travel to natural gas facilities and interactions with other federal counterparts, as well as state and local agencies, and members of the public. The mission of the Office of Energy Projects is to facilitate potential benefits to the nation through the review of natural gas and hydropower infrastructure proposals and minimize risks to the public associated with FERC jurisdictional energy infrastructure. To learn more about the Commission, please visit www.ferc.gov.

Major Duties include:

• Analyzes geologic hazards and geologic impact-related issues, as well as hydrogeologic related impact associated with constructing and operating natural gas pipelines, natural gas compressor stations, and gas storage facilities.
• Reviews applications and environmental reports filed with the Commission, determining the adequacy of the data supplied, identifies data deficiencies, and assists project teams with developing additional resource related environmental information.
• Assists members of multidisciplinary teams assigned to prepare geology,
  groundwater, and soil sections on staff NEPA documents and orders.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Some travel is trequired.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must meet specialized experience.
• One year probationary period may be required.
• Generally, male applicants must be registered with the Selective Service.
• A background investigation is required.

Your resume must clearly document how you meet the specialized experience in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements for this vacancy. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. All required documents must be received by the closing date of this announcement. If you do not submit a required document (e.g. transcripts, etc.) your application will be considered incomplete and you will not receive further consideration.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT: If selected for this position, you will be required to: - Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment. - Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Fund Transfer. - Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission participates in the USCIS Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program ( E-Verify ). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify .

Qualifications

This position is INCLUDED in the bargaining unit.
Please note - Only your resume and cover letter will be forwarded to the selecting official.
More than one selection for similar positions may be made from this announcement and the program office for that selection may vary. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with any interested selecting official(s).

Candidates must have one full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-9 level OR have completed requirements for a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree.

Specialized Experience is defined as: experience applying geological science knowledge to environmental analysis of energy projects.

Education

OPM Education Requirement: https://cms.ferc.gov/about/careers/qualifications/wildlife-biology-series-0486

TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION. FAILURE TO SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS AT TIME OF APPLICATION WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING INCOMPLETE AND YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's website - http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/us/workrecog.doc . You must provide a copy of the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

Additional information

FERC is ranked number three among mid-size agencies in the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings! FERC is currently number one Work/Life Balance, for the seventh year in a row. As a leader in Work/Life Balance FERC is proud to offer telework flexibilities in accordance with agency policy. Telework is not guaranteed and is offered on a case-by-case basis. FERC does not currently have any 100 percent telework positions.

When promotion potential is shown, the agency is not making a commitment and is not obligated to provide future promotions to you if you are selected. Future promotions will be dependent on your ability to perform the duties at a higher level, the continuing need for an employee assigned to the higher level, and administrative approval. You must submit all required information by the closing date. The materials you send with your resume will not be returned. If you are selected at a grade lower than the highest shown in this listing, you will be placed under a career development plan and can be non-competitively promoted when you successfully complete the requirements for the higher grade. Before entering on duty, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-450. You will need to provide the information annually. Relocation expenses will not be paid.

It is the policy of the Government not to deny employment simply because an individual has been unemployed or has had financial difficulties that have arisen through no fault of the individual. Information about an individual's employment experience will be used only to determine the person's qualifications and to assess his or her relative level of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Although an individual's personal conduct may be relevant in any employment decision, including conduct during periods of unemployment or evidence of dishonesty in handling financial matters, financial difficulty that has arisen through no fault of the individual will generally not itself be the basis of an unfavorable suitability or fitness determination. Please use the following link for additional information: Ctrl+Click or tap to follow the link" href="https://hru.gov/Studio_Recruitment/tools/Mythbuster_on_Federal_Hiring_Policies.pdf">Mythbusters of Federal Hiring Policies .

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your resume, responses to the questionnaire and required documents to ensure you meet the basic qualification requirements. Your resume must address the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the Qualifications Section. If you meet basic qualification requirements, your application will be further evaluated based on your answers to the on-line assessment. Your responses to the on-line assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for the position. You are being evaluated under the category rating method which means, if you are determined to be qualified, you will be placed into the 'Best Qualified', 'Well Qualified', or 'Qualified' Category. We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If you rate yourself higher than what is supported by your application materials, your responses may be excluded from consideration for this job. We will evaluate your qualifications and eligibility and notify you if you meet minimum qualification requirements. NOTE: We do not require a separate statement responding to the competencies, also referred to as Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). However, your resume should clearly show possession of these competencies. The Occupational Questions are used to evaluate your relevant educational and work experience. The questions are related to competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities such as:

• Geology
• Environmental review
• Communication
  
  

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

Please note that if you do not provide all required information by the closing of the announcement, as specified in this announcement, you will not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration, e.g. Vet's Preference, for which you may be eligible).
CTAP/ICTAP PRIORITY PROVISIONS: Current or former Federal employees who are or were on career or career conditional appointments may have special priority selection rights under the Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To receive this consideration, applicants must be 'Well Qualified' for the position to which applying. You will need to provide the Federal Agency Name and date of your Reduction in Force notice, what your most recent performance rating was and your position, grade level and duty location of your last SF-50. At time of appointment, you will be required to provide a copy of agency Reduction in Force notice, a copy of most recent performance rating and a copy of most recent SF-50. You must provide a statement of eligibility at the point of application.
VETERANS' PREFERENCE DOCUMENTATION If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty, DD-214 (Member 4 copy), or other official documentation from a branch of the Armed Forces or the Department of Veterans Affairs showing dates of service and type of discharge. 10 point preference eligibles must also submit an Application for 10-point Veteran Preference, SF-15, along with official VA letter and the required documentation listed on the back of the SF-15 form. An SF-15 may be found at: SF-15 . For more information on veterans' preference, go to the Vet Guide at: Vet Guide

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.