Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Specialist) Job in Boise, ID

Vacancy No. FAMP-25-12637073-TR Department Bureau of Land Management
Salary $86,962.00 to $134,435.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/7/2025 Close Date 1/21/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Boise, ID


Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

This position is located with the BLM Fire & Aviation Directorate, Division of Fire Operations, located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. Information about the surrounding area can be found at https://www.boisechamber.org/.

We expect to fill 1 position at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

All current career/career-conditional or former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and former Public Land Corps (PLC) eligibles. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area; Special Hiring authorities (i.e. Peace Corps Eligibles, Schedule A, Military Spouse, etc.) Veterans: Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA); 30 Percent or More Disabled Veterans (30% DV); Veterans' Recruitment Authority (VRA).

Duties

  • Determines workforce development program emphasis areas, identifies needs, and plans for future programs.
  • Evaluates existing training and workforce development policies to ensure agency objectives meet regulatory requirements; initiates alternative adjustments as required.
  • Conducts short and long-term strategic planning studies of wildland fire programs and defines the workforce development program vision and direction.
  • Develops new policy and makes significant modifications to existing policy which support wildland fire management practices to resolve workforce development concerns.
  • Serves as the BLM Fire program manager for the Wildland Fire Apprenticeship, and Student Intern programs.
  • Serves as a team lead for National Preparedness Reviews.
  • Works directly with human resources and states as the co-lead for the 0456 Wildland Fire Management series, Continuous Group Recruitment (CGRS), and DOI FIRES programs.
  • Serve as the BLM Fire and Aviation co-chair on National BLM Fire groups and committees.
  • May serve as BLM representative on National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group and other interagency committees.
  • Advise leadership and senior staff at the national, state, and field levels on fire management policy and implementation strategies to achieve long term workforce development objectives, and to ensure agency’s intent is clearly articulated and met.
  • Serves as national program manager and leads all levels of BLM Fire coordination requirements for annual policy and regulatory guidance reviews and revisions.
  • Leads the development of changes and revisions to national policy and collaborative discussions with national wildland fire program officials for implementation of annual policy and regulatory guidance.
  • Exercises mastery knowledge of wildland fire behavior, wildland fire control, wildland fire planning, fuels management, and aviation management activities to develop substantial agency level policies and program regulatory guidelines.

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 completion of a one year probationary period.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

To qualify for the GS-12 grade level, 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 in the Federal service is required. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: assisting in advising on procedures and operations related to wildland fire preparedness and suppression; organizing and providing guidance for a wildland fire protection program or program component; assisting in implementing and reviewing the effectiveness of safety standards in wildland fire and aviation programs; and leading or supervising and/or managing a district or state wildland fire management program or program component.

To qualify for the GS-13 grade level, 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service is required. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: advising on complex procedures and operations related to wildland fire preparedness and suppression; organizing and providing guidance for a wildland fire protection program; implementing and reviewing the effectiveness of safety standards in wildland fire and aviation programs; and supervising and managing a district or state wildland fire management program.

There is no substution of education for specialized experience at the GS-12 or GS-13 levels.

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.

If selected at the lower grade, subsequent promotion to the next grade level will be processed without further competition dependent upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.

Physical Demands:
The work is primarily sedentary, however, some physical exertion related to site visitations and fire line assignments is required. Walking on rough, uneven terrain, long periods of standing, and exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and temperatures is required.

Work Environment:
Work is normally performed in an office setting. During the wildland fire season, field work may involve high risk exposure to potentially dangerous situating or stress. The above work environment involves occasional exposure to moderate risks and discomforts which usually require protective equipment to be worn. A range of safety and other precautions are required. Exposure to risks such as wildfire, heat, smoke, falling rocks and trees, etc., are a part of the job during wildland fire season. Work may require flying in small fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulating as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer.

THIS IS A DRUG TESTING DESIGNATED POSITION in accordance with Executive Order 12564, and under the Department's Drug Free Workplace Program. Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.

Firefighter Special Retirement (Secondary Coverage):
This is a secondary/administrative fire 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 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.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

E-Verify:
DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency 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 receive a minimum score of 90 based on the rating criteria used for this position.

Permanent Change in Station (PCS):
Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. See "Other" section for additional information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to Permanent Change in Station (PCS).

  • Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities, please visit:

https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr/i1182168#i1180710

Telework:
The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Incentives:
Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment.

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.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this job, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire (self-rated). 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, or your score may be lowered.

Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) in the following areas:

  • Fire Management - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including ithe characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.
  • Leadership - Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.
  • Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifiies information as needed.
  • Technical Competence - Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to the specialized expertise (for example, engineering, physical science, law, or accounting); maintains credibility with others on technical matters.

The critical competencies listed above are required to successfully perform the job. Therefore, an additional assessment will be conducted to ensure they are met; a resume review panel of subject matter experts will review your application package and determine if you are best qualified or not. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.

Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tools.

You are welcome to submit an optional cover letter.

Required Documents

In addition to the online application (i.e. resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following forms:

Resume:
At a minimum, your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if Federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year MM/YYYY), hours worked per week, and salary for each position held (optional). USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume. Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. For more information, visit OPM Resume Writing Tips and/or visit the USAJOBs Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume?

SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action form:
If you are a current or former Federal employee. You must submit your most recent non-award SF-50 that shows tenure code 1 or 2 in block 24, and position occupied code 1 (competitive service) in block 34. The SF-50 must show the position title, series, grade, and step of your position. If you are claiming reinstatement eligibility, you must submit an SF-50 showing your separation. If you have previously held a higher grade than the grade/position you currently occupy, you must submit a copy of the more recent non-award SF-50 you received for that position.

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA):
You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance documentation for each period of temporary/term employment if you are requesting to be considered Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act eligibility. Applicants eligible under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act must submit documentation verifying (a) initial selection under competitive examining procedures to a land management agency under a time-limited appointment in the competitive service, and (b) service under this initial appointment, or in conjunction with subsequent competitive service time-limited appointments, to a land management agency was for a period of 24 months without a break in service of two or more years.

Your performance must have been evaluated as being at an acceptable level for the entire applicable period(s). "Required documentation" includes:

  1. SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action: first, any extension of appointment, and the last SF-50 for each appointment verifying the Position Occupied code (Block 34) is-Competitive Service.
  2. Documentation supporting satisfactory performance (i.e. Employee Performance and Appraisal Plan (EPAP)) for each appointment.
Applicants are encouraged to combine all required documents into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping documents into files will simplify the application process. Failure to submit required documentation will result in loss of consideration.

Public Land Corps (PLC):
A copy of the Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Competitive Hiring Based for Public Land Corps Service.

Special Hiring Authorities:
If you are applying for this position based on eligibility under other noncompetitive special appointing authorities (i.e. Peace Corps, Schedule A, Military Spouse, etc.), you MUST submit proof of this eligibility.

Military Spouse Authority: If you are applying under the noncompetitive Military Spouse eligibility, you MUST provide proof of this eligibility. Required documentation include but not limited to:

  1. A document verifying active-duty status of the service member's orders reflecting a permanent change of station (PCS) dated August 13, 2023, or later.
  2. A document verifying marriage to the member of the armed forces.
  3. A documentation showing the member of the armed forces retired, or was released or discharged from active duty, with a disability rating of 100 percent.

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.

USAJOBs documents:
Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added do 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 01/21/2025.

How to Apply

THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 01/21/2025.

If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the NIFC-FA Branch of Human Resource office at blm_fa_nifc_vacancies@blm.gov or (208) 387-5523. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e., you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. 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 in order to complete the application process successfully:
1) YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBs; your profile must contain a current resume for submission. In order to receive proper consideration, your resume should include the following information:

  • Current personal contact information.
  • Work experience (paid or unpaid) including - starting and ending dates (month and year, MM/YYYY - MM/YYYY), employer's name and address, job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties and accomplishments, supervisor's name and telephone number, indicate if supervisor may be contacted, hours per week, and salary.
  • Education and job-related training including - school name, type and year of degrees/diploma received, credits earned and majors; title of training course and year of completion.
  • References - personal and professional- Additional information - skills (languages, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.), certificates or licenses (current only), and/or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (recognition, professional memberships, publications, leadership activities, etc.).
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.

2) 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/12637073.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, 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://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

FA-HR-Internal NIFC
Address
NIFC, Fire and Aviation
Human Resources (MS-1700)
3833 South Development Avenue
Boise, ID 83705
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

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 01/21/2025.
**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.

Once you submit all the required documents and the online application (i.e. online questionnaire, resume, and any supporting documentation, etc.) in USAJOBs, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is completed by the Branch of Human Resources, you will be notified via USAJOBs of a status change (i.e. referred, not eligible, not qualified, referred to the hiring official, etc.). Note, you must login to your USAJOBs profile to view details of the status change.

If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted by the hiring official.

You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.

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.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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