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 position is a Cook, WG- 7404-6 working in Galena, Alaska for the US Wildland Fire Service.
For contact information, housing availability, and additional information regarding temporary fire positions with DOI, visit the DOI FIRES website.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Clarification from the agency
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position. Veterans' Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position.
Duties
As a Cook (Fire) your duties will include but are not limited to the following:
- Performs as principal shift cook for firefighters, extended support groups and other programs.
- Prepares a variety of menu items including ethnic, vegetarian, home style meals, current food trends, and regular and special diet entrees and dessert items.
- Cuts, roasts, broils, bakes, fries, boils, steams and stews meats, poultry and seafood; prepares soups, stocks, broths, gravies, sauces, and puddings; bakes desserts, yeasts breads, pies, and quick breads.
- Adjusts standardized recipes for the number of servings required in large quantity cooking.
- Uses food preparation tools and maintains specialized equipment such as commercial meat slicers, commercial grill, oven and deep fat fryer, commercial steamers, tilting skillet and steam line.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
- Direct Deposit Required.
- 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 work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
- Subject to occasional travel particularly during fire season, and you may need to obtain a government charge card for travel.
- 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.
Only experience obtained by 04/28/2026 will be considered.
By the closing date of this announcement, you must meet the requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Handbook X118C, Job Qualification System for Trades and Labor Occupation: http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/x-118c/. Although no specific amount of experience is required, applicants must meet a minimum level of ability in relation to the position and the Assessment Questionnaire in order to be rated qualified for consideration. To be qualified candidates must meet any screen out element(s) listed at an "acceptable" level, and must achieve an average rating of at least "acceptable" on all of the elements. Only experience acquired before the closing date of this announcement will be considered.
SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements. The screen out element for this position is:
To qualify for a Cook WG-06, you must have the ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision as shown by having cooked from scratch in a restaurant or other professional establishment for more than 50 people.
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.
Physical Effort: Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds. Work requires continual standing, walking, stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Coordination and dexterity are required in the operation of food service equipment. Must be able to work long hours under stressful conditions for weeks at a time, depending on fire activity.
Working Conditions: The majority of the work is performed indoors in a dining hall environment. May be assigned to work at remote dining halls or primitive field camps with limited living facilities. Exposed to extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigeration or freezing units. The working conditions can range from extreme cold to extreme hot. There is no air conditioning on site. The incumbent is subject to exposure to steam, fumes, odors and noise in the dining hall work environment. The incumbent is frequently exposed to the possibility of injury from sharp tools, equipment, hot appliances, and chemicals, steam and wet floors. Subject to prolonged periods of standing. Must abide by personal hygiene standards and safe work procedures such as wearing a hairnet or hat and a clean uniform daily.
May be required to travel in small aircraft to remote dining halls or field camps during the field season.
Education
There is no substitution of education for experience for Wage Grade (WG) positions.
Additional information
Pay rates vary depending on location. For additional information on pay rates: Click here.
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. These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. 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. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
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.
Telework: This position is not suitable for telework.
Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area.
Reasonable Accommodation: The USWFS 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.
Temporary employees hired in wildland fire or wildland fire support positions are eligible for the following:
- Annual, sick leave, and paid federal holidays
- Depending on tour of duty - Sunday, holiday, shift differential and/or hazard pay
- Participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) program - Employees electing to participate in the FEHB will be responsible for the employee share of the premium while on the official agency roles, which is deducted from bi-weekly earnings. After separating from federal employment, employees will be offered to continue participation in FEHB under the Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) option. Employees electing to continue coverage under the TCC provision will be responsible for the full premium amount plus a 2% administration fee.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans' Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.
The elements below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:
Element 1 - Ability to do the work of the positions without more than normal supervision (Screen-Out)
Element 2 - Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
Element 3 - Technical practices (theoretical, precise, and artistic)
Element 4 - Ability to interpret instructions, specifications, etc. (other than blueprints)
Element 5 - Ability to use and maintain tools and equipment
Element 6 - Knowledge of materials
Element 7 - Dexterity and Safety
Required Documents
You must submit a complete application package. The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/28/2026.
Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume MUST list your education and work experience including:
- From and To dates (month/year to month/year) for each position held. (Ex: 08/2025 - 02/2026)
- Work schedule (number of hours worked per week) for each position held. One year of experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week (full-time). Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for a position listed that does not indicate hours per week.
- Current OPM title, series, and grade level for each position that was in the federal service.
- Complete Duties for each position held.
Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. No assumptions will be made about your experience and/or education. You are welcome to submit a cover letter.
Resumes must also include your full name and how to best contact you, including email address and phone number.
Do not include the following types of information in your resume:
-
Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.
In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume and/or OPM Resume Writing Tips.
In addition, to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following supplemental documentation as applicable:
CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: Documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
Review the appointment eligibility criteria in the application preview linked below. The eligibility section of the application allows you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to and submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section or the application text. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility criteria, you will not be considered for this position under this announcement. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents section.
Click 'Apply' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
- Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents. To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12925296.
- Please ensure you check the acknowledgement checkbox then click the Submit Application button to submit your application.
- Applications must be received by 04/28/2026, 11:59pm ET to receive consideration.
- Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, in Applications tab, click the position title you applied to for the status. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.
NOTE: INSUFFICIENT OR INCOMPLETE INFORMATION FROM AN APPLICANT COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING.
If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which may be available from the Human Resources Office. Please refer to the contact information listed at the bottom of the announcement.
Next steps
Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified via USAJOBS of a status change (i.e., referred, not referred, not eligible, not qualified, etc.). Note, you must login to your USAJOBS profile to view details of the status change. Information regarding how to see your application status can be found in the USAJOBS Help Center.
If referred and further evaluation or interviews are required, you may be contacted by the hiring officials for the location in which you are referred.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.
If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to contact listed on this announcement. Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.
You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.