Requirements
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.
- Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.
- You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
- This position may require the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee may need to hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.
- Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit sss.gov.
- You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
- You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
- Subject to frequent extended 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.
Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factors will be rated not qualified.
Requirement for the GW-06 level: This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Senior Firefighter and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at . To meet IFPM requirements for this position, you must have possessed the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):
A.) Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1); AND
B.) Intermediate Fire Behavior (S-290)
In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.
Only experience and education obtained by 11/10/2026 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.
Minimum Qualifications:
To qualify for a GW-06, you must meet the following:
1). One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to the GW/GS-05 level duties.
Examples of specialized work experience include: serving as an experienced wildland firefighter on a wildland firefighting module or crew with on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire control, prevention, suppression, or prescribed fire work; operating and maintaining specialized wildland fire tools/equipment/vehicles; assessing escape routes and safety zones; serving as a lookout; may include leading crewmembers.
You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
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 Demands: This position requires arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity.
Work Environment: This position works in forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Employee must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor bivouac and eating situations under an unpredictable set of circumstances. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (e.g., boots, hard hat, gloves, flame resistant clothing). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft.
Education
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at the GW-06 grade level.
Additional information
These appointments are temporary and do not confer permanent status. They are limited to no more than 1,039 hours during a service year. Pending future approval, an appointment may be extended to a maximum of 1,386 hours without further competition, subject to the Agency's authority. No extension is currently authorized, and any future extension is contingent on additional authority and therefore not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement will be used to fill one or more additional selections at any time without notification.
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) and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of the agency notice, 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
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.
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.
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:
- Fire Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the 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.
- Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
- 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.
Required Documents
You must submit a complete application package. The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/10/2026.
- Resume which includes a list of all positions held, detailed descriptions of duties performed, dates of employment in month/year to month/year format, and a work schedule (number of hours worked per week) for each position. 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.
- Complete Assessments Questionnaire.
- Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP): If you are applying under I/CTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements).
- Incident Qualification Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or equivalent official documentation - You must submit your IQCS Master Record or equivalent official documentation which verifies you meet the required NWCG qualification and training for this IFPM position. Failure to provide this documentation will result in you being rated as not qualified.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
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.