Legal Instruments Examiner

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great Plains Region in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Belcourt, North Dakota; Eagle Butte, South Dakota; Fort Thompson, South Dakota; Fort Totten, North Dakota; Fort Yates, North Dakota; Lower Brule, South Dakota; Mission, South Dakota; New Town, North Dakota; Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Sisseton, South Dakota; Wagner, South Dakota; Winnebago, Nebraska.

Duties

As Legal Instruments Examiner, GS-0963, your typical work assignments may include, but not limited to:

• Analyze and examine title cases involving trust, restricted, fee, probate, rights-of-way, land sales, exchanges, mortgages, and other legal instruments.
• Research, interpret, and apply statutes, regulations, legal principles, and case-specific documentation to resolve complex title issues.
• Review extensive chains of title, validate ownership, and certify land/parcel title documents with a high degree of legal and technical accuracy.
• Identify, evaluate, and correct title defects, including issues with legal descriptions, conflicting ownership, probate determinations, easements, and conveyance documents.
• Prepare abstracts of title and ensure absolute accuracy in legal descriptions, ownership interests, reservations, exceptions, life estates, and status of ownership.
• Draft and prepare administrative and probate modifications, legal notices, and other binding legal documents.
• Advise realty specialists and provide technical expertise on complex conveyances, divestments, easements, agreements, and other real property actions, ensuring legal sufficiency.

Salary

• $40,736 - $72,644/year

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• Selectee is required to operate a government motor vehicle, must possess a valid driver's license, and have a safe driving record within the 4 year period immediately preceding submittal of GSA Form 3607.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Clerical and Administrative Support Positions, GS-0963).

GS-8: I have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-7 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include examining and correcting complex title documents; researching and analyzing legal documents pertaining to statutes, regulations and judicial decisions; examining complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands; advising realty specialists in the preparation of various forms of title conveyance and divestment documents, equitable title documents, deeds, leases, grants, property management agreements, stipulations, memoranda of understanding, easements, affidavits, reservation statements, etc.; and preparing probate modifications to add property to the inventory of an estate, add interest to inventoried lands, and/or correct typographical errors; preparing or assist in preparing various forms of title conveyances and divestment documents.

GS-7: I have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include gathering and assembling relevant title documents, identifying potential problems on land/parcel title documents; prepare abstracts of title by carefully examining each legal instrument, determining the correct legal description of the property, identifying current owners of the property and their fractioned title and monetary interests, identifying and curing title defects; imaging title documents; and scanning and coding title documents into an electronic records system.

GS-6: I have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include researching for various title documents; pulling the historical file to extract document information needed; encoding encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership; examining complex title documents for the acquisition and disposal of real property rights pertaining to trust, restricted, fee and reserved lands.

GS-5: I have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include maintaining files pertaining to land title information by entering all pertinent data on the document requests; researching for various title documents; encoding encumbrance data from recorded title documents into land title automated systems for land title ownership.
OR
I have completed 4 years of progressively higher-level education leading to a bachelor's degree in an accredited business or technical school, college or university above high school in any field for which high school graduation or equivalent is a prerequisite. (Note: Applicants who select this response must provide transcripts as verification of their education).


All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement. 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. 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. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html Other Information All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2026 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Aberdeen, South Dakota; Belcourt, North Dakota; Eagle Butte, South Dakota; Fort Thompson, South Dakota; Fort Totten, North Dakota; Fort Yates, North Dakota; Lower Brule, South Dakota; Mission, South Dakota; New Town, North Dakota; Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Sisseton, South Dakota; Wagner, South Dakota; Winnebago, Nebraska. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. The full performance level of this position is GS-8. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. The 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 period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Required Documents

The following documents are required for this position:

1. Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy), position title, Grade (if federal service), and hours worked per week.
2. On-line Assessment Questionnaire
3. Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
4. BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference)
5. Veteran's documentation -

• For 5-point veterans' preference, please provide your DD-214, Copy 4 that MUST show an Honorable Discharge (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty, or other official documentation (e.g., copy of military orders, campaign documents as or expeditionary award citation, etc.) proving your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
• For 10-point veterans' preference, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference and the supporting documentation required by that form.
• If you are a disabled veteran you must submit a Veterans Affairs (VA) letter on VA letterhead that states your overall combined rating and a DD214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge.

ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM Eastern Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted. Please double check your application package before you submit it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
• In writing your resume, please be clear and specific. We will NOT make assumptions regarding your experience and/or employment status.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Notification to Applicants: Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

PLEASE NOTE - NO APPLICATION MATERIAL WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA E-MAIL.