Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning)-Direct Hire Authority

Summary This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans' preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority This Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-9/11 working in the following location(s): Salt Lake City, UT or Fillmore, UT Learn more about this agency Duties As a Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning)-Direct Hire Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Duties listed are at the GW-11 full performance level. Applies comprehensive knowledge and judgement on wildland fire planning processes and procedures of a considerable difficult level. Develops specifically assigned fire plan content with environmental and/or natural resource specialist in ensuring plan content is consistent with land and resource management plans, laws, policies, regulations, and environmental mandates. Provides recommendations for local planning/data, for inclusion in state, regional and/or national plans, projects, and analytical studies in fire and aviation management. Provides technical expertise in strategic and local fire planning analysis systems, models, and decision support systems. Provides input in local fire planning analysis systems, models, and decision support systems. Responds to routine data requests from internal and external sources. Utilizes specialized software and modeling programs to evaluate the effectiveness of fire management strategies to meet goals and objectives. Assigns work to lower graded staff based on priorities. Ensures timeliness, accuracy, quality, and production standards are met. Evaluates work performance of subordinates. Requirements Conditions of employment Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation. Direct Deposit Required. This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position. A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 50% or less per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below. Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified. Prior on-the-line firefighting: This experience must be clearly documented in your resume with specific to and from dates, description of work performed, and hours worked per week in order to be considered. This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission and is in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE. Candidates must possess substantial wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. The Department of the Interior defines wildland firefighting experience as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Wildland firefighting experience is gained through work on the fire line in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal, or equivalent private sector fire position. Wildland fires are categorized into two distinct types: (1) Wildfires - Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; and (2) Prescribed Fires - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience. Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - This is a secondary/administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) (FERS). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) and meet the transfer requirement for movement from a primary to secondary position to be eligible for special retirement coverage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your SF-50). YOU MUST LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PRIMARY POSITION. Minimum Qualification For the GW-09 level: To qualify for the GW-09, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GW/GS-08 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: participating in wildland fire activities (such as planning and/or implementing prescribed fire, managing wildfires, or post-fire monitoring);collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to develop and update fire management plans; conducting periodic reviews of fire planning data to analyze fire hazards and fuels risks, historical fire occurrence statistics, and fire causes; and/or assisting other specialists to ensure local plans are consistent with fire management and land management policies (e.g. Federal Fire Policy, NEPA, FLMPA, etc.). For the GW-11 level: If you are a current or former federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW/GS-09 grade level. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: developing and reviewing fire management plans with fire management staff; coordinating with environmental or natural resource specialists to ensure integration of wildland fire management goals/objectives and policy into land use plans and implementation plans; conducting periodic reviews of fire planning data to analyze fire hazards and fuels risks, historical fire occurrence statistics, and fire causes; utilizing analytical tools used for fire planning; and/or coordinating with other specialists to ensure local plans are consistent with fire management and land management policies (e.g. Federal Fire Policy, NEPA, FLMPA, etc.). If you have never been or are NOT a current federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW/GS-10 grade level. Examples of experience include, but are not limited to: leading the development and reviewing of fire management plans; coordinating with environmental or natural resource specialists to ensure integration of wildland fire management goals/objectives and policy into land use plans and implementation plans; conducting periodic reviews of fire planning data to analyze fire hazards and fuels risks, historical fire occurrence statistics, and fire causes; utilizing analytical tools used for fire planning; providing guidance to ensure local plans are consistent with fire management and land management policies (e.g. Federal Fire Policy, NEPA, FLMPA, etc.). 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. *Applicants must meet the selective placement factor along with all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement. Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - Applicants for this secondary administrative fire fighter position under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d), must possess knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of wildland firefighting as demonstrated by direct wildland firefighting experience. In order to receive credit, you must provide a written description of your experience in wildland firefighting. Education without hands-on wildland firefighting experience does not meet this requirement. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited. Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: Planned ignitions. This description includes only fire line experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience. Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although a level of physical fitness is required which will allow for work during periods of extended stress and in the field when wildland fire situations arise. During the fire season, extended fire assignments away from the unit may be required under very stressful conditions. Working Conditions: Although work is generally performed in an office setting. Field work involves exposure to temperature extremes, both from weather and fire conditions where falling trees and the presence of smoke and/or dust conditions create hazardous conditions. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the GW-09 and above grade levels. Additional information Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they exceed minimum qualifications for this position. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-11. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration. PCS INFORMATION: -No PCS entitlements authorized. Probation/Trial Period Con't: 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. See Next Steps for Additional Information Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.