FUL-Land Law Examiner (Minerals).

Responsibilities

• Collects data on a variety of assigned cases related to lands, oil and gas, mining, or minerals cases.
• Determines the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights as requested.
• Adjudicates routine lands, mining, or mineral leasing applications that have more complex statutory and regulatory provisions, require development and review of a considerable amount of data, and involve controversial factual situations.
• Prepares routine correspondence, including decisions, to process cases.
• Drafts progressively complex adjudication decisions concerning lands, mining, oil and gas, or mineral leasing cases.
• Independently gathers and researches information and data necessary to complete and adjudicate a legal document.
• Utilizes data, systems, and applications to collect, enter, manipulate, update, and maintain data according to prescribed Bureau and program standards.
• Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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.
• Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• Cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• May be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Must serve a 1-year probationary period during which fitness and whether continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• Residency within the defined local commuting area (75 miles from the Santa Fe Field Office, located at 1474 Rodeo Road Santa Fe, NM 87505) is required at the time of application. Proof of residency (e.g., mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy) must be provided.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement (08/10/2026) unless otherwise stated. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

GS-05 Level

• Three years of general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Experience must demonstrate familiarity with real property laws, legal land descriptions, land titles, tract maps, and legal documents, or involve explanation, application, or interpretation of laws, regulations, or policies. Examples include work as a law clerk, claims examiner, contact representative, or similar roles.
• OR: A 4-year bachelor’s degree in any field.
• OR: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate education.

GS-07 Level

• One or more years of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience includes:
  • Determining the accuracy and proper execution of applications or claims and the qualifications of applicants for legal rights.
  • Adjudicating routine lands, mining, or mineral leasing applications.
  • Answering inquiries from the public or internal customers regarding public land laws and regulations.
  • Preparing routine correspondence.
• OR: One full year of graduate-level education that included or was supplemented by 12 semester hours of coursework related to the administration of land laws (e.g., land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation).
• OR: Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) with a bachelor’s degree supplemented by 12 semester hours of relevant coursework, and meeting one of the following:
  • Class standing in the upper third of the graduating class.
  • GPA of 3.0 or higher (based on 4 years of education or final 2 years) or 3.5 or higher in the major field.
  • Membership in a national scholastic honor society.
• OR: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education.

GS-09 Level

• One or more years of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience includes:
  • Reviewing and processing mineral leasing and mining law applications.
  • Adjudicating land use applications and authorizations.
  • Adjudicating and/or resolving land law issues using applicable regulations, decisions, and policies.
  • Applying laws, regulations, or governmental policies to fluid mineral and/or land law issues or authorizations.
  • Composing letters, notices, decisions, and/or memoranda to internal and/or external customers relative to land and/or fluid mineral actions.
• OR: A master’s or equivalent graduate degree, or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B. or J.D. in a relevant field (e.g., land surveying, cartography, land use law, real estate law, land appraising, land use planning, water rights, mining laws, or legal instrument review and interpretation).
• OR: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

Education

• If substituting education for experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s). Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), GPA or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred (if applicable). Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for application, but official transcripts will be required if selected.
• Foreign education must be evaluated by a private organization specializing in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and deemed equivalent to U.S. education programs. Proof of such evaluation must be provided.