Realty Specialist

Summary This position is a Realty Specialist, GS- 1170-11 working in Anchorage, Alaska for the R7-Division of Refuge Realty. This position is also open to the public under announcement R7-25-12602932-AF-DE. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. Responsibilities As a Realty Specialist your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Acquires real property interests in order to protect fish, wildlife, and their habitats through donations, easements, exchanges, deed restrictions, leases, cooperative efforts, and fee acquisitions. Land acquired includes residential, commercial, industrial, special purpose, and rural properties, as well as developed and undeveloped interests. Some properties include separate mineral, timber, grazing, and/or water rights. Prepares realty documents and acquisition agreements to include, but not limited to, exchange agreements, donations, leases, and easements. Administers contracts with title companies and abstractors to meet title curative requirements. Works with the Office of the Solicitor (SOL), U.S. Department of the Interior (Department or DOI), and title companies in effecting closings, assembling complete files for review by the SOL and obtaining final title opinions. Negotiates with private landowners; representative of Federal, state, and local government agencies; corporations; civic organizations; and non-profit associations for the acquisition of property by purchase, lease, easement, exchange, and/or donation. Work that is done with other bureau/Federal agencies (i.e. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Coast Guard) would involve transfers of property from one agency to another. Prepares disposition packages for General Services Administration (GSA) on excess properties. Obtains abstracts of title, title insurance, survey documents, and related records to accompany acquisition packages. Prepares contracts for execution. Works with other realty specialists, attorneys, title companies, taxing authorities and the Office of the Solicitor on title curative actions. When relevant instruments are gathered and curative problems have been solved, obtains final title opinions. Ensures that withheld funds have been paid to vendors and accounts are closed. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Only experience and education obtained by 11/22/2024 will be considered. In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification. Minimum Qualification [GS-1170-11] Experience: One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility equivalent to grade GS-9 in the Federal service. Specialized Experience is defined as: Experience that demonstrates the ability to 1) develop and carry out land acquisition and land exchange transactions, rights-of-way and/or special use permits, conducting research, and completing associated records examinations and documentation; 2) determining ownership and disposition of real estate; 3) analyzing courthouse records and/or title reports to determine if there are any encumbrances on real property; and 4) communicating effectively in order to negotiate real property acquisitions, land exchanges, rights-of-way and/or special use permits. OR Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorial degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree., or possession of a LLM degree, Degree must be in Real Estate or other field related to the position being filled. Unofficial transcripts are accepted. Official transcripts will be required if selected. OR Combination: A combination of education and experience as described in 1 and 2 above which together equals 100% of the requirement 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. Time In Grade Requirement: Applicants must meet both eligibility and qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the JOA. Specifically, i. Area of Consideration. ii. Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements as specified in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. iii. Time after competitive appointment as specified in 5 CFR 330.502. iv. Qualification requirements outlined in OPM's Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions or for Federal Wage System (FWS), wage grade positions, applicants are evaluated using the OPM Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupations and the job element examining method Your SF-50 will be used to confirm you meet all requirements Education PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov) Additional Information PCS INFORMATION: -Yes, entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable.-In addition, relocation discretionary entitlements May be authorized for this position excluding contractor-provided home sale. Telework: This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service offices in the local commuting area. Reasonable Accommodation: The USFWS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/" Public Land Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority: Served as a qualified youth on an appropriate conservation project completing a minimum of 640 hours of satisfactory service that included at least 120 hours through the PLC and received a certificate of non-competitive eligibility. Completed most recent Corps service, for which a certificate of non-competitive eligibility was issued, within the last 2 years. Appointment must be effected within the 2 year period. Cost of Living Allowance: In addition to the yearly salary, this position is entitled to a 1.69% cost-of-living allowance (COLA) as determined by https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/#url=COLA-Rates .This allowance is subject to annual review, adjustment, and rate decrease.