About this role
Job Summary
You will serve as a Program Manager (Associate State Director) with the Bureau of Land Management with either the Alaska State Office; Colorado State Office; Montana/Dakota's State Office; Oregon/Washington State Office or Utah State Office. Salary listed reflects the rest of U.S. scale and, if applicable, will be adjusted to meet the locality pay or cost of living expenses of the duty location upon selection. Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate of 1.49% is authorized for Anchorage, AK.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/30/2026-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 at the GS-15 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Enhancing land management program administration and oversight through effective leadership and supervision of subordinate managers Leading public land planning and implementation while managing natural resource programs in a complex, multi-resource environment Developing and executing operational policies and strategies to achieve program objectives and strategic performance goals Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating performance, and taking action to improve performance Overseeing budget planning, formulation, execution, and fiscal management to ensure effective allocation and utilization of resources You must include hours per week worked.
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.
Major Duties
- Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Managing directly, or indirectly through subordinate managers and supervisors, a large workforce of full-time permanent employees and a fluctuating workforce of seasonal and temporary employees in the accomplishment of the State's priorities.
- Interviewing candidates for positions; recommending appointment, promotion or assignment for positions; making or approving selections for subordinate non-supervisory positions; hearing or resolving groups or individual grievances or serious complaints from employees; and effect disciplinary measures.
- Leading the planning, direction, and integrated management of statewide BLM-administered public lands in collaboration with the State Director to ensure long-term, sustainable public benefit.
- Overseeing full lifecycle program management across assigned programs, including the formulation, justification, and execution of multi-year program budgets.
- Developing, updating, and implementing program policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and technical or operational guidance to improve program consistency and performance.
- Exercising delegated authority to make final statewide land-use planning and programmatic decisions; resolving long-range and operational issues affecting program execution; and ensuring program activities maintain quality, consistency, and alignment with approved plans and performance standards.
- Anticipating shifts in priorities, workloads, and resource conditions; adapting plans and reallocating assets as necessary to maintain mission readiness and program continuity.
Requirements
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/. Pre-employment and random drug testing is required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment. You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period or two-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 periord 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.