Summary
This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.
About the Position: Serve as the Fire Chief at Fort Knox, KY.
This position is included under the provisions of Special Retirement Coverage (SRC) and may have both a maximum entry age and a mandatory retirement date.
Click here for more information on SRC for Firefighters (Secondary)
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Clarification from the agency
Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. The Category Rating, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.
Duties
- Manage the Fire and Emergency Services programs.
- Assume control of firefighting and emergency activities while on duty.
- Responsible for the execution of administrative and personnel management functions.
- Manage the installation emergency communications center.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- This position requires the completion of pre-employment and periodic subsequent medical examination in accordance with DoDM 6055.06 to ensure continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
- The duties of this position meet the criteria for compliance with Federal and Department of the Army Drug Free Workplace Programs. Detection of the presence of drugs is warranted.
- Position may be designated Emergency Essential (E-E) in support of mobilization and wartime mission.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain SECRET security clearance.
- Must maintain a valid State and Government Driver's License.
- Must participate in the Division Wellness Program.
- Position subject to occasional travel.
- Position subject to immediate recall and extended shifts during emergencies.
- Position required to work (1) 24-hour shift weekly.
Qualifications
Who May Apply: US Citizens
In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. 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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 level in the Federal Service which includes: managing a fire protection and prevention program, developing and implementing emergency response and contingency plans, and managing subordinate personnel.
In addition to meeting the specialized experience requirement above, applicants must also possess: Fire Officer IV, Instructor II, Inspector II, Hazardous Material Operations and Incident Commandercertified through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board) in accordance with DoD 6055.06-M.
Education
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone -- no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
Additional information
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
- You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
- This position is supervisory as defined by the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) General Schedule Supervisory Guide (GSSG). A one year probation to assess your ability to perform supervisory duties is required unless previously completed.
- Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
- Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
- If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
- This is a(n) Installation Career Field position.
- Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
- Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances may be authorized, subject to the provisions of the Joint Travel Regulations and an agency determination that a PCS move is in the Government Interest.
- Recruitment and relocations incentives MAY be authorized.
- Student loan repayment MAY be authorized.
- Salary negotiations for those candidates who are new to Federal service MAY be authorized.
- Credit for prior non-federal work experience and certain military service for determining annual leave accrual rate MAY be authorized.
- This position has been identified as a secondary position and has been approved for special retirement coverage (SRC) under the provisions of title 5 United States Code, Sections 833(c) and 8412(c) by DoD Memorandum dated November 22, 2013. Employee must meet all transfer requirements for their respective retirement system on the date of the move to this secondary position to be entitled to remain covered under SRC.
- For more information on provisions of Special Retirement Coverage (SRC), please follow this link:
- https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol336.pdf?ver=2017-12-01-105458-707
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.
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.
Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
Required Documents
The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist for Public Announcements.
As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
1. Your resume:
- Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
- For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
- Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
- If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
- For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.
2. DoD Certificates:
- You MUST submit a copy of the following: Fire Officer IV, Instructor II, Inspector II, Hazardous Material Operations and Incident Commander certified through DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification System, International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC), or the Fire Service Professional Qualifications System (PRO-Board). If your application package does not contain proof of having these certificates, your application will be marked as incomplete and you WILL NOT receive consideration for this position.
- Rather than submitting individual DoD certificates, if you have received a Student ID# for the DoD Fire and Emergency Services Certification Program website (https://go.usa.gov/xdsTR) you may provide a copy of your most recent certification transcript. If you do not know your Student ID, you may contact the AFCEC Reach-back Center at afcec.rbc@us.af.mil for assistance.
- If you are a current federal employee and do not have one of the required certificates due to the DoD F&ES Certification Program delay - You may submit a provisional certificate, memorandum from the Fire Chief requesting the certificates, and/or another document showing completion of the course. PLEASE NOTE: If selected, you will not be placed into the position until the official certificate has been received from the DoD F&ES Certificate Program.
3. Other supporting documents:
- Cover Letter, optional
- Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.
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
To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 05/13/2026 to receive consideration
- 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 (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12954181).
- Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section.
- 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. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete.
- It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
- Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center.
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (
https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.
Next steps
If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration.