Telecommunications Specialist (Wildland Fire)

Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position. Veteran's 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.

As a Telecommunications Specialist (Wildland Fire) your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Analyzes electronic systems for the State and Field Offices to determine the most effective and economical equipment and services to meet established standards.
• Provides support for hooking up remote radio control terminals, dispatch consoles, (PC's) local area networks (LANs), and peripheral-sharing devices.
• Troubleshoots hardware and software problems for users.
• Resolves complex telecommunications and data collections problems.
• Manages the programming and installation of radio communications software.
• Monitors and makes configuration changes to statewide voice and data communications systems.

Probationary Period
As 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. The probationary 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 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 period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.

Direct Deposit Required.

You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.

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.

As 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.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.

You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Tower Climbing (when required): When tower climbing is required by the specific assignment, the incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain required tower-climbing training and certification and comply with applicable DOI/USWFS safety policies and procedures, including fall-protection, radio frequency (RF) exposure controls, and electrical safety requirements.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Only experience and education obtained by 11/09/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

Specialized Experience Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement(s); please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: Evaluating, analyzing, developing, managing, or improving communications systems, procedures, and requirements that demonstrated experience in programming, repairing and installing digital hand held radios, mobile radios, VHF repeaters, dispatch consoles; experience in grounding telecommunications systems; experience with repairing, installing, testing LANs, WANs, and routing networks and phone cabling; and experience with standardized equipment, services, and processes that will be used to obtain services from contractors.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
Must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree with a major field of study in the following -- electrical or electronic engineering, mathematics, physics, public utilities, statistics, computer science, telecommunications management, information systems management, business administration, industrial management, or other fields related to this position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

Physical Demands: Work is primarily sedentary and performed in an office setting. The position includes periodic field work at dispatch facilities, telecommunications sites, and remote radio/repeater installations. Field activities may require extended walking or hiking over rough or uneven terrain; climbing slopes, stairs, or fixed ladders; bending, kneeling, and working in confined or awkward positions; and lifting, carrying, or moving moderately heavy equipment, tools, test sets, and materials associated with telecommunications work.

Work Environment: Work is normally performed in an office environment. Periodic travel to field locations may involve extended driving over unimproved or rough roads and, as conditions require, other modes of transportation (e.g., rotary-wing or fixed-wing aircraft). Field work may occur in adverse weather (e.g., rain, sleet, snow, heat, wind) and at facilities with installed or operating telecommunications equipment. The incumbent may be exposed to hazards such as radio frequency energy, electrical hazards, slips/trips/falls on uneven surfaces, and work in proximity to antenna/tower infrastructure. The incumbent complies with applicable safety requirements and uses required personal protective equipment and precautions (e.g., RF exposure controls, electrical safety, fall protection, and site access procedures).

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. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted. 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 competencies below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:
Electronics - Knowledge of electronic theory, circuits, components, and material properties (excluding computers).
Network Management - Knowledge of the operation, management, and maintenance of network and telecommunication systems and linked systems and peripherals.
Operating Systems - Knowledge of computer network, desktop, and mainframe operating systems and their applications.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of transmissions, broadcasting, switching, control, construction, or operation of telecommunications systems.

You must submit a complete application package. The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/09/2026.

Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume MUST list your education and/or work experience including (1) the dates that include month/year (mm/yy) of each employment, along with (2) the number of hours worked per week, and (3) work experience duties listed under each job entry. If experience is for a career ladder position, please ensure to clearly show how long you were working in each grade level. 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 name and how to best contact you, including email address and phone number.

• Do not include the following types of information in your resume:

• Classified or government sensitive information

• Social Security Number (SSN)

• Photos of yourself

• Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

• Encrypted and digitally signed documents.

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:

College Transcripts: If you are qualifying with education, you must provide copies of all your official or unofficial transcripts for verification from an accredited U.S. college/university by the closing date. Transcripts must include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average, or class ranking, institution name, and student name. from an accredited U.S. college/university by the closing date. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution, See Foreign Education. All selections and tentative offers of selection are contingent upon submission and verification of 'official' transcripts.

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.

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