Natural Resources Specialist
What you'd do
Protect natural resources while shaping the future of public lands and infrastructure. As a Natural Resources Specialist with the Bureau of Reclamation you'll lead environmental compliance efforts by supporting NEPA reviews, conducting field studies, evaluating environmental impacts, ensuring compliance with Federal environmental laws, providing technical guidance, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on the planning, design, operation, and stewardship of Reclamation projects.
Major duties
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Environmental Group. The major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following: Coordinates, advises on, and implements the directives of Public Law 91-190, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Assists Group Chief in identifying appropriate NEPA compliance within environmental policies and directives established by the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Reclamation to Western Colorado Area Office (WCAO) projects. Schedules and tracks environmental activities. Conducts compliance activities related to the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and other environmental laws, regulations and policies. Plans and conducts field studies, conducts needed inventories and surveys, compiles, analyzes and verifies environmental data. Provides professional input on environmental issues associated with planning, design, construction and operation of Reclamation facilities, projects and programs. Conducts field inspections and reviews a wide variety of reports, field data, plans, designs and specifications to ensure that they meet environmental laws and policies.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): This position has an individual occupational requirement. To be considered you must meet one of the below requirements: Degree: Successfully completed a bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or another closely related field appropriate to this position. You must submit transcripts with your application. -OR- Combination of education and experience: Possess a combination of education and experience that includes courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resources management, chemistry, or another closely related field appropriate to this position, along with appropriate experience. You must submit transcripts with your application and your resume must reflect your related experience. In addition to the above individual occupational requirement (IOR), to qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level you must meet one of the following qualification requirements: Specialized Experience Requirement: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience applying environmental laws, regulations, and policies to support natural resource management and environmental compliance, examples include: preparing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation, such as categorical exclusion checklists, environmental assessments, or environmental impact statements; conducting environmental compliance activities related to Federal environmental laws; planning and conducting field studies, inventories, surveys, or site inspections; collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental or biological data; reviewing environmental documents, plans, or project activities for compliance with applicable laws and regulations; and providing technical recommendations or guidance to support project planning, design, construction, or operations -OR- Education: Successfully completed at least three full years (54 semester hours) of graduate level education leading to a Ph. D or equivalent that is directly related to the work of this position. You must submit copies of your transcripts with your application. -OR- Combination of education and experience. To qualify based on a combination of education and experience, you must have successfully completed graduate education beyond the second full year (36 semester hours or equivalent) that is directly related to the work of this position, and possess qualifying specialized experience. To calculate your qualifications, divide your total qualifying graduate semester hours in excess of 36 semester hours by 18 semester hours. Then divide your total months of qualifying specialized experience by 12 months. Add the two percentages together. The combined total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must submit copies of your transcripts with your application. To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/31/2026
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.