This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/506646100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
This announcement will be used to collect applications for two hiring events.
The first application deadline will be 11:59PM EST August 30, 2018. This deadline is for the following locations:
Region (R5) - (California) Region (R9) - (Maine, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware, and New Jersey) Region (R8) - (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and Virginia).
The second application deadline is for all locations and will be 11:59PM EST October 15, 2018.
This position serves as a Lead Forestry Technician on a Helitack Squad located on a forest unit for a nationally shared resource helitack program and is responsible to lead helitack crew personnel performing work directly related to incident activities or project work such as; preparedness, prevention, fire suppression, monitoring, hazardous fuels reduction, and prescribed burning.
This position is being concurrently announced under USDA Demonstration Project procedures (open to US Citizens) under announcement number 19-FIREHIRE-HTKSQLR-67DP. Current or former Federal employees and candidates eligible for special hiring authorities may apply to both announcements, but should be sure to apply to this Merit Promotion Announcement in order to avoid losing consideration since different referral criteria apply to each type of announcement.
The duty station for this position will be one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Final determination of duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer. Pay rates vary depending on location and may be higher or lower than the amount shown. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website for additional information on pay rates.
Information on specific locations where jobs are being filled and the dates applications are due for these locations can be found on the Forest Service website.
08/01/2018 to 10/15/2018
$37,223 - $53,773 per year
GS 06 - 07
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Occasional travel - Occasional overnight travel may be required for fire suppression or fire related assignments.
Yes—• Entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. Relocation benefits in addition to the basic expenses may be negotiated with selectee.
Permanent
Full-Time
07
No
19-FIREHIRE-HTKSQLR-67G
506646100
Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.
Current or former competitive service federal employees.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Serves as a manager and/or manager/spotter of a helicopter on a regular and recurring basis and has aviation responsibilities including helitack and/or helitack/rappel operations, reconnaissance, aerial ignition, and search and rescue.
Provides leadership and direction to firefighters while on the incident by implementing tactics such as; direct and indirect fire line construction, hot spotting, backfiring, burnout, aerial ignition, water delivery systems, tree felling, brush removal, and mop-up operations.
Responsible for completing fire line safety and tactical briefings, fire size-up, fire reports and fire personnel performance evaluations. Provides aerial and ground support in the suppression of wildland fires. Operates radios, telephones, and other equipment to exchange information for fire weather and other forest suppression activities.
Compiles payment sheets for mileage, task time, and pilot flight time. Performs daily helicopter inspection. Inventories and inspects helicopter accessories, specialized fire equipment, and tools. Performs wildfire suppression support as directed within training and physical capabilities. Performs other duties as assigned.
Duties listed are at the full performance level.
Current permanent Federal employees with competitive status, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP, VEOA/VRA and reinstatement eligibles; Farm Service Agency permanent county employees; 30% or more disabled veterans; Individuals with Disabilities; former Peace Corps or VISTA volunteers; Public Land Corp eligibles; Resource Assistants; and eligibles for other Hiring Authorities.
Primary firefighter positions include the following age requirements: Under age 37 -OR- less than age 37 after subtracting the months of Federal Service worked in a primary or secondary firefighter/law enforcement position -OR- a veteran preference eligible, older than age 37 and is requesting a waiver to the maximum age requirement -OR- eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, older than 37, and requesting a waiver to the maximum age requirement.
DRUG TESTING: This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). Selectee must submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment and random testing thereafter. Final appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results for illegal drug use.
WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities. Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the ARDUOUS level is a "condition of employment." The Arduous fitness (Pack) test requires completing a three (3) mile hike within forty-five (45) minutes, while carrying a forty-five (45) pound pack. You are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician and begin training immediately if applying for this position. This announcement constitutes the required 30 days advanced notice for testing requirements.
Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver’s license; a commercial driver’s license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination. There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here, however applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel Help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email asc_tos@fs.fed.us.
In order to be considered for this position, copies of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record (or equivalent training documents) which contain documented proof of the certification or attainment of the IFPM Selective Placement Factor for this position MUST be attached to your application. Red cards are not acceptable documentation. Currency Requirement: Required to maintain currency once hired into the position. Currency of NWCG qualifications is not required for selection. If not currently qualified, the applicant must provide documented evidence that they have been fully qualified in the past, and are able to regain currency within one year of being hired. Failure to provide this documentation will result in disqualification.
To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
See Qualification section.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION AND FINGERPRINT CHECK: Selection and retention in this position is contingent on a successfully adjudicated FBI National Criminal History Check (fingerprint check) and a background investigation.
Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
E-Verify: Federal law requires agencies to use the E-Verify system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. If you are selected as a newly hired employee, the documentation you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 on your entry-on-duty date will be verified through the DHS 'E-VERIFY' system. Under the system, the new hire is required to resolve any identified discrepancies as a condition of continued employment.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career- conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.
Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better.
Positions may be filled as career ladders or could be filled at the full performance level dependent upon the individual units needs. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is not guaranteed.
These are permanent positions with varying tours of duty and may include weekend work. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full-time (guaranteed minimum 13 pay periods full-time employment).
Availability of government housing, federal day care facilities, and telework may be available. Some positions filled via this announcement are bargaining unit positions represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW. This is dependent upon unit location.
Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:
Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need to meet minimum qualifications to be referred.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.
Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply Online" button to the right.
The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, illegible fax transmissions, delays in the mail service, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
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.
Please view Tips for Applicants – a guide to the Forest Service application process.
Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, click "Apply Online" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
NOTE: You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the Agency's staffing system. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g., all SF-50s) into one or more files and scan for uploading into the application. Each file must not exceed 3MB. Grouping like documents into files will simplify the application process. Documents must be in one of the following formats: GIF, JPEG, JPG, PDF, PNG, RTF, or Word (DOC or DOCX). Uploaded documents may not require a password, digital signature, or other encryption to open.
Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status. We expect to make a final job offer approximately 40 days after the deadline for applications.
Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/506646100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.
It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.
USDA is a great place to start or continue your career. USDA is ranked as one of the top 10 "Best Places to Work in the Federal Government" by the Partnership for Public Service. Rankings are based on employee feedback regarding satisfaction with their work experience.