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Forestry Technician (SMJ)(Assistant Air Operations Manager)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located with the BLM Fire & Aviation Directorate, 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 a few position(s) at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

For information on Boise Smokejumpers, visit their website.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/25/2020 to 12/08/2020
Salary
$52,905 to - $75,740 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 10
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Boise, ID
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
76% or greater - Extensive travel will be required during peak fire activity.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Multiple - This is a permanent seasonal position.
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
10
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FAMP-20-10964399-KD
Control number
585569400

Duties

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  • Parachutes into mountainous terrain for wildfire suppression, often serving as the Incident Commander.
  • Packs, repairs, inspects, and maintains parachutes and related smokejumper equipment as a certified FAA Senior or Master Parachute Rigger.
  • Serves as a Smokejumper Spotter operating a remote spike base. Assists in training new Spotters.
  • Coordinates with National, State and Unit Aviation Managers regarding aircraft contracts, maintenance, scheduling, and aviation policy.
  • Assists in the management of the Great Basin Smokejumper paracargo program.
  • Serves as Contracting Officer?s Representative (COR) or alternate COR on BLM aircraft contracts.
  • Plans, schedules, prioritizes and oversees work assignments to be accomplished by subordinates.
  • Addresses expectations, evaluates performance, provides feedback and resolves minor complaints, conflicts or conduct issues for subordinates.

Requirements

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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.
  • An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
  • Passage of a pre-employment physical is required. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.

Qualifications

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 factor(s) will be rated not qualified:

  1. Prior on-the-line firefighting: The Department of the Interior defines wildland firefighting experience as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Wildland firefighting experience is gained through work on the fire line in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. This experience can be met by serving in a temporary, seasonal, or equivalent private sector fire position for no less than 90 days. Wildland fires are categorized into two distinct types: (1) Wildfires - Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; and (2) Prescribed Fires - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience. This experience must be documented with specific dates in the online application or resume.
  2. Prior smokejumping experience required - This experience must be documented with specific dates in the resume.
  3. FAA Certified Senior or Master Rigger.

Specialized Experience:
In order to be rated as minimally 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. Failure to provide required information on resume could result in ineligibility for consideration.

To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: Experience utilizing technical skills as related to the aerial delivery of personnel and equipment into rugged terrain; Experience in aerial firefighting tactics and aerial delivery of firefighting personnel and equipment; Experience in logistics and interface with management, cooperators, and the public;Experience as a FAA Senior or Master Parachute Rigger serving as a field rigging supervisor. OR Two full years (36 semester hours) of graduate level education or a master's degree directly related to the work of a forestry technician OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

To qualify for the GS-10 grade level, 1 year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: Experience utilizing technical skills as related to the aerial delivery of personnel and equipment into rugged terrain; Experience in aerial firefighting tactics and aerial delivery of firefighting personnel and equipment; Experience in logistics, administrative functions, and interface with management, cooperators, and the public; Experience in program management, coordination and/or planning fire operations. Experience as a FAA Senior or Master Parachute Rigger serving as a field rigging supervisor.

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.

Medical Requirements Please see the Department of Interior Medical Standards Program website for the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for your position: http://www.nifc.gov/medical_standards/index.html

Physical Requirements Employment in this position is conditional upon annual successful completion of the following BLM smokejumper physical fitness performance tests: When you report for duty, you will be given a physical condition test. The test is given in one time period with a 5-minute break between exercises. The test consists of performing the following exercises:

  • 30 push-ups
  • 6 pull-ups
  • Run 1.5 miles in 10.47 minutes or less OR backpacking a 110 pound load three miles in less than 65 minutes.

Work Capacity Test at the Arduous Level: All arduous wildland firefighters must backpack a 45 pound load for three miles in 45 minutes or less.

For questions regarding this position, please contact the Boise Smokejumpers at 208-387-5426.

Physical Demands:
The incumbent must be able tow work under extreme physical exertion regularly working 16 hour shifts or longer on the fireline. Work on the fireline requires considerable strenuous physical exertion.

Work Environment:
The majority of work is performed outdoors in a wide variety of weather and terrain conditions or in a crowded airplane.

FIREFIGHTER SPECIAL RETIREMENT:
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.

This is a career seasonal position. You will be in pay status for at least 6 months, but less than 12 months per calendar year. When work and/or funds are unavailable, you will be placed into non-pay status. Pay status may be less than 6 months during initial appointment.

Education

Proof of Education:
All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name.
If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

Foreign Education:
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Additional information

Verify Employment Eligibility (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.

This position is not eligible for Telework.

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

BLM may use certain incentives, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract high quality applicants.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your resume must show relevant experience and education (if applicable) including the dates (MM/YYYY) of each employment along with the number of hours worked per week and optional salary information. 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?

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.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are best 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 responses to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) in the following area(s):

  • Fire Management
  • Manages Human Resources
  • Technical Competence


If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document, you do not have in electronic form; view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application

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