Clarification from the agency

This position is being advertised under an OPM government-wide Direct Hire authority. All U.S. Citizens - Open to the Public; No previous Federal Service is required. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles within the local commuting area.

• Parachutes into mountainous, remote, and/or rugged terrain and performs as a wildland firefighter, primarily as an Incident Commander or other leadership role.
• Determines drop zones, wind conditions, the pilot's flight altitude and pattern, exit points, and releases paracargo from the airplane.
• Provides logistical support to visiting and resident smokejumpers and pilots, coordinating transportation, lodging and other needs.
• Performs a wide variety of administrative functions from the field, including maintenance of unit logs, aircraft records, and safety tracking records. Similar to some of the duties of a unit aviation manager.
• Operates a remote spike base with up to 40 smokejumpers and 3 aircraft. Serves as the satellite Base Manager or Liaison Officer for the Great Basin or Alaska Smokejumpers in satellite operations.
• Acts as Project Inspector (Pl) for contract airplanes in jumper operations, monitoring aircraft and pilot condition and performance and ensuring Aircraft Use Reports (OAS-23) are complete and accurate.
• Determines roles and responsibilities for subordinates. Completes, and provides input into performance evaluations, takes disciplinary action when needed and provides input for promotions, awards, and other aspects of personnel management.
• Monitors and verifies accuracy of employee timekeeping, per diem records, and fire reports.
• Helps recruit and conduct interviews of potential employees.

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 Land.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Background Investigation Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination. Failure to possess or obtain a favorable determination will result in the cancellation of the offer or will be grounds for termination.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
• You must pass a pre-employment physical.
• You must meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wildland fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualification.
• 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.
• This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
• May require completion of a one year probationary period.
• Applicants appointed to this position must POSSESS and maintain a valid state driver's license.

Qualifications

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-08 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 is required. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: performing aerial delivery of firefighting personnel and equipment into rugged terrain; coordinating logistical needs, and interfacing with management, cooperators, and the public; operating as an Initial Attack Incident Commander.

To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS-08 is required. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: performing aerial delivery of firefighting personnel and equipment into rugged terrain; coordinating logistical needs, and interfacing with management, cooperators, and the public; operating as an Initial Attack Incident Commander; instructing or independently supervising work projects of crewmembers.

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.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
For GS-08: 36 semester hours (2 years) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

For GS-09: 36 semester hours (2 years) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

Selective Placement Factor(s): 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 in the online application or resume with specific to AND from dates (MM/YY), description of work performed, AND hours worked per week.

2.) Prior smokejumping experience required. This experience must be documented in the online application or resume with specific to AND from dates (MM/YY), description of work performed, AND hours worked per week.

3.) This is a primary firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) (FERS). The position is subject to maximum entry age (MEA) requirements. The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration.

You must meet all qualification and selective placement factor requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

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 your 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualification for this position specifically.

Because this vacancy will be filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this announcement. All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. The interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

The job specific questions relate to the following competencies required to do the work of this position. Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies. You do not have to respond to the competencies separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the following competencies:

• Fire Management
• Technical Competence
• Managing Human Resources