Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Southwest Region, Office of the Deputy Director - Trust Services, Division of Natural Resources, Branch of Water Resources, Operations Section in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Responsibilities * This position is being advertised concurrently with Announcement Number ST-25-12605504-CCAR-JM which is open to status candidates and others eligibles and applies Merit Promotion procedures. Applicants who wish to be considered under both Merit Promotion and Competitive Examining procedures must apply directly to each announcement. * Incumbent is responsible for the management and operation of a safety of dams program, an irrigation, range and agriculture program, the fact-based and technical aspects of assertion and defense of water rights through litigation and negotiation, and the protection of water supplies; Incumbent coordinates and performs case work involving annual inspection, emergency action plans, maintenance, and operation of 29 high hazard dams in the region. Incumbent coordinates and performs case work involving operation and maintaining of irrigation projects that BIA owns and operates. Incumbent performs program case work and assures that the program staff: Provides technical support to the agencies and tribes in the Region on range vegetation inventories, eradication of noxious weeds, soil surveys, grazing permits, stocking capacity and associated conservation or integrated resource management plans Develop the technical studies and completes adjudication and settlement of water rights cases, collection and analysis of data and preparation of research needed to participate in negotiations or litigations for Indian water rights accurately, timely, and in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor and the Department of Justice Review Indian and non-Indian irrigation, municipal, industrial, flood control, recreational, and other water related features and programs to ascertain that Indian water rights are protected. Performs supervisory duties that include planning work to be accomplished, setting priorities, assigning work, evaluating the performance of subordinates, counseling on technical and administrative matters, interviewing, selecting, and assigning new employees or reassigning those currently employed, hearing and resolving complaints, effecting minor disciplinary measures and identifying development and training needs of subordinates. Provides high-level leadership to branch employees, short-term and long-term strategic planning and execution, briefing high-level officials orally and compiling briefing papers on highly-complex and controversial matters, performs supervisory duties include planning work to be accomplished, setting priorities, assigning work, evaluating the performance of subordinates, counseling on technical and administrative matters, interviewing, selecting, and assigning new employees or reassigning those currently employed, hearing and resolving complaints, effecting minor disciplinary measures and identifying development and training needs of subordinates. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Basic Requirements Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. or Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Specialized Experience: GS-14: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level. Examples of specialized experience involves: Planning, coordinating, and overseeing major initiatives or projects to develop and implement new systems and/or processes. Obtain and/or develop models for managing various complex water and natural resources matters, issues, and identifies and resolves problems that are barriers to achieving goals. Supervise directly or indirectly, through subordinate managers, a large workforce of full-time permanent employees to improve or increase the quality of the work supervised. Perform workload analyses and establish organization and staffing priorities in response to workload demands. Provide advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on work and administrative matters, as well as compiling briefing documents and providing briefings to executive leadership on potentially sensitive high-level matters. Serve as a senior branch manager and advisor to executive leadership in developing and implementing strategic plans in support of achieving the program goals and objectives. Consult with key managers and stakeholders to ensure that all implications are identified, weighted, and considered in study and discussion. Identify areas with potential for organizational-wide application and coordinate with other offices, as appropriate, to foster common business and operational practices. Serve as a focal point and frequent spokesperson for the natural resources and water branch while ensuring awareness of related programs. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date. Education Additional Information All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2024 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from the Albuquerque, New Mexico to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. This is a supervisory position. Under provision of the Civil Service Reform Act, first-time supervisors are required to serve a one year supervisory probationary period before their appointment becomes final. Those who do not satisfactorily complete this probationary period will be returned to positions of no lower grade and pay than those they occupied before assuming their supervisory assignment. TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for Situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. This position has been designated as an Incidental Operator under the Indian Affairs Motor Vehicle Safety Program and requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to properly carry out his/her assigned duties but whose principal duties are not operating a motor vehicle and his/her position is not classified as a motor vehicle operator. The incumbent will be required initially and annually to acknowledge and certify possession of a valid state driver's license. Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp . Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.