Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Be sure to read the 'How to Apply' and 'Required Documents' Sections.
- You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
- Direct Deposit Required.
- Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
- Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
- May require a one year probationary period or two year trial period depending on appointment type.
Qualifications
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples:
To qualify for the GS-11 you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09. Examples of specialized experience may include: Communicating on behalf of an organization using a variety of multimedia products such as social media, electronic newsletter, news releases, feature stories, briefing papers, correspondence, brochures and other communication products. Applying writing and editing skills to develop a broad array of communication strategies and written material to facilitate public awareness and understanding of wildfire prevention or safety information. Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with internal and external groups including the public. Conducting oral presentations to various internal and external groups to inform them of programs, objectives, and activities specific to wildfire prevention or safety.
-OR-
Education: A Ph. D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in communications, media, marketing, journalism, business administration, public administration, or related field.
- OR-
Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify.
To qualify for the GS-12 you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Developing and managing internal and external strategic communications projects, including producing briefing papers, developing and implementing a variety of communications materials, and coordinating high level meetings. Represent an organization in official and public meetings to promote wildfire prevention or safety information. Advise staff on public affairs matters. Prepare correspondence for leadership and support an organization's digital and visual media platforms, including the website, social media and print products, such as brochures and fact sheets.
Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.
To qualify for the GS-13 you must have one year of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-12 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Analyze emerging and controversial public land issues related to wildfire management, prevention, and safety; and, in consultation with management and other teams, developing and implementing communication policies, plans, and strategies for a wide variety of diverse and often conflicting resource management programs. Create, write, and distribute a wide variety of materials (high-level correspondence; news releases; reports; early alerts; talking points; briefing papers; speeches; signs and maps; web and social media content; etc.) to communicate information about bureau issues, programs, and activities to key publics. Coordinate and conduct proactive outreach with other Federal, state, tribal and local government agencies; the Governor's office; industry; Non-Governmental Organizations; and/or other stakeholder groups. Maintain regular, proactive communication and outreach to wildfire management agencies, keeping them informed of current and future significant programs, issues, plans, policies, and activities affecting their districts. Experience must be in or related to public lands, natural resource management programs, and multiple use. Education may not be substituted for specialized experience at this grade level.
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.
You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level.
Physical Demands: Work is primarily sedentary, mostly performed in an office setting. Some duties may require being outdoors, commercial travel, or driving. Long work days may be occasionally required.
Work Environment: Most work is performed in an office setting. Travel to field sites or other offices may be required. Overnight travel may be required and extend over weekends.
Education
If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.
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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job
Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.
Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: Attention to Detail, Communications and Media, Customer Service, External Awareness, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Oral Communication, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork
In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
Resume and Application: At a minimum, your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary. USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume.
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. You are welcome to submit an optional cover letter.
Transcripts: If using education to qualify, submit a copy of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. Upon selection, official transcripts must be received prior to appointment. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your 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.
Current and former federal career and career-conditional employees: Submit a copy of your most recent (non award) SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, or equivalent document that verifies tenure (block 24, code 1 or 2) and Competitive Status (block 34, code 1).
Former Public Lands Corps (PLC) Member: Submit a copy of your "Certificate of Eligibility for Noncompetitive Hiring" along with a copy of your "PLC Participant Verification Work Hours Sheet."
Applicants eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act as a current or former employee of a land management agency, who is serving or previously served on a temporary or term appointments, you must submit the following documentation to receive consideration:
- SF-50(s), Notification of Personnel Action, that documents your service under competitive examining procedures in time limited appointments that totals 24 months at land management agencies without a break in service of two or more years (initial, extension, and termination of all appointments); and
- Documentation of satisfactory performance, if available, such as performance evaluations, references by supervisors, or other documents, e.g., memorandums of record, whereas the supervisor documented an acceptable performance level.
Applicants eligible under a Special Hiring Authority for Veterans, you must submit proof that supports your claim. This may include:
- A legible copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, member 4 copy or any official documentation or statement from the Armed Forces that confirms your dates of service and that your separation, discharge, or release from active duty was under honorable conditions.
- If you are currently on active military duty, you must provide documentation (e.g., campaign document, award citation, etc.), that verifies entitlement to veterans' preference or that shows length of service, AND that your character of military service is honorable.
- If you have a service-connected disability, a copy of your Veterans Affairs (VA) letter indicating the combined percentage rating of your disability.
- Required Documents as indicated on page 2 of the SF-15 to support your claim. NOTE: The SF-15 alone cannot be used to verify eligibility.
Special Hiring Authorities: If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under other noncompetitive special appointing authorities, you MUST submit proof of this eligibility.
Career Transition Assistance Program (
CTAP) or lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (
ICTAP) eligibles: Submit 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.
If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found
here.
Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added to your application. You need to transfer your document(s) in the "Documents" step during the application process.
Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.
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
THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by 12/23/2024. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact Jessica Baker, jbaker@blm.gov.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process:
YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING.
The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account.
- Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered.
- You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
- 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.
- The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes".
- Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section.
- To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12644334 Note: If invited to take additional competency assessment(s), you will be able to preview a sample exercise at the time of the assessment.
If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments.
Click here for Computer System Requirements
Note: set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found on the
Additional Application Information page that can be located in the application record in your USAJOBS account.
To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (
https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to
Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed
To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (
Welcome | Login.gov), 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.
FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, on-line questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 12/23/2024. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.
Next steps
Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments.
You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgement email from USAJobs that your submission was successful once we have received your online questionnaire, resume, and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application and/or referral to the hiring official via your USAJobs account after the evaluation process is complete. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required.
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.