Bureau of Reclamation
GEOLOGIST
Department of the Interior · Multiple Locations
- Salary
- $106,437 - $154,280 per year
- Pay grade
- GS-13
- Schedule
- Full-time
- Appointment
- Permanent
- Opened
- Oct 31, 2026
- Closes
- Nov 15, 2026
- Remote
- No
- Telework eligible
- Yes
- Openings
- 3
- Security clearance
- Not Required
- Promotion potential
- None
- Announcement
- CBVL-27-13103023-IMP-BDA
Who may apply: Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) · Internal to an agency · Land and base management
Applications are submitted on USAJOBS.gov, not on Careers.org. Always confirm details in the official announcement.
Summary
You will serve as a GEOLOGIST with Bureau of Reclamation. Locations: Lakewood, CO - 2 Vacancies Billings, MT - 1 Vacancy
Duties
- Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Develops, performs, and provides technical peer review of simple to complex engineering geologic field studies for the purpose of gathering engineering geologic data applicable to the evaluation of foundation conditions at various project sites. Independently performs moderate to complex geologic studies or investigations for Reclamation projects. Maintains a high degree of current awareness in state-of-the-art practice for engineering geology, techniques for appropriate applications to Reclamation operations, procedures and programs. Provides quality assurance and quality control for planning documents and field activities performed by Reclamation geologists. Communicates with fellow workers and professional community on technical investigations and results. Provides technical guidance as a lead Geologist for simple to complex geologic projects. Participates in Dam Safety Office technical reviews. Develop and Peer Review construction specifications for simple to complex projects. Support construction management planning, risk review, and foundation acceptance and foundation approval. Prepares engineering geologic reports and written documents. Provides technical Peer Review for engineering geologic products and reports. Performs project management duties to define internal processes related to successful completion of geologic program goals and technical projects.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/15/2026 - 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: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Basic Educational Requirements: In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following: A. Degree: Geology, plus 20 additional semester hours in any combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological science, structural, chemical, civil, mining or petroleum engineering, computer science, planetary geology, comparative planetology, geophysics, meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, physical geography, marine geology, and cartography. You must submit transcripts. -OR- B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Specialized Experience: To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Conducting and providing oversight of the planning and execution of engineering geological investigation programs related to the engineering evaluation and design of civil structures including: the collection, interpretation and analysis of geologic data; preparation of geologic logs, reports, drawing, figures, and presentations; conducting technical reviews; and providing support for Safety of Dams projects and construction projects. You must include hours per week worked. OR Combination of education and experience as listed above. 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
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
Job data from USAJOBS.gov. Careers.org is not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM. Retrieved Nov 4, 2026, 3:58 AM EST.