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Fire Management Specialist (Technology Transfer)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located with USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Fire, Fuels and Smoke. The incumbent has primary responsibility for technology transfer, providing decision support and coordinating research needs between scientists and field practitioners.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Mark Hale at mark.hale@usda.gov or Tami Parkinson at tamara.parkinson@usda.gov.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
03/20/2023 to 03/29/2023
Salary
$57,118 to - $89,835 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 11
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Remote job
Yes
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
23-FIRE-P3SVA-FMSTECH-11DH
Control number
713683600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at full performance grade GS-11 level.
  • Assists in providing fire management expertise and data analysis for strategic decision making for unusual and unprecedented problems facing the wildland fire community.
  • Assists with the development, communication, and implementation of new fire management technology and research results.
  • Participates with research scientists and land managers in the development of new management systems.
  • Provides national/regional/local wildland fire decision support through analysis and advice using the latest fire behavior modeling programs and decision support tools.
  • Conducts technology transfer activities to inform and train fire and resource management user groups in the implementation and use of knowledge, techniques, and systems developed by fire management research.
  • Assists in the design, development, and presentation of regional/national fire and fuels management courses, workshops, distance learning, and continuing education activities.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
  • Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
  • Must be 18 years of age.
  • This is a Test Designated Position. You will be tested for illegal drugs prior to appointment and randomly thereafter. Appointment and continued employment is conditional on negative results.
  • Minimum of 90 days of wildland firefighting experience is required.
  • This position is remote eligible. You will be required to sign a remote work agreement and be responsible for ensuring the approved remote worksite has adequate internet service, connectivity, and other general utility costs at your own expense.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.

Basic Requirement:
Degree: Biological Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major course of study in biological sciences, agriculture or natural resources management, chemistry or at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of study, plus appropriate experience or additional education that is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in the biological sciences, agriculture, or natural resources.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement, the following additional specialized experience is required.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level). Experience in at least two of the following three categories: Experience at demonstrated understanding of fire effects on cultural and natural resources as: Developing fire management plans or planning documents to ensure resource objectives can be met from a fire management standpoint and/or conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires or fuel treatments to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken.

In addition to GS-09 fire program management, appropriate experience must have included either prescribed fire/fuels management -or- fire management operations as described below:

Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Monitoring; Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity; LANDFIRE (local adjustments based on analyses); Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming; Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management planning to ensure fire containment is possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.
-OR-
Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience in at least four of the following activities: Mobilization and dispatch coordination; Long term fire modeling assessments; Determination of potential benefits from wildfire; Analysis of ecological role of fire on a unit.

For the GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level). Specialized experience must have included all of the fire program management elements as described below: Reviewing and evaluating fire management and planning documents for technical adequacy AND Conducting field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires or fuel treatments to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken AND Developing analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion.

In addition to GS-11 fire program management, appropriate experience must have included either prescribed fire/fuels management -or- fire management operations as described below:

Prescribed fire/fuels management - experience in a broad range of activities such as: Professional forest or range inventory methods and procedures (e.g., Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Monitoring; Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity; LANDFIRE (local adjustments based on analyses); Analysis of fuel loadings and determination of appropriate fuel treatment methods and programming; Land use planning and environmental coordination; Evaluation of prescribed burn plans or fire management planning to ensure fire containment is possible and identification of appropriate suppression contingencies if containment is not obtained.
-OR-
Fire management operations - analyzing and applying fire management strategies, plus experience in at least five of the following activities: Mobilization and dispatch coordination; Long term fire modeling assessments; Determination of potential benefits from wildfire; Analysis of ecological role of fire on a unit; Determination of ecological departure from historic condition due to fire exclusion and/or land management practices.

Selective Placement Factors:
A minimum 90-day experience performing on-the-line (Primary/Rigorous) wildland fire suppression duties as a member of an organized fire suppression crew or comparable unit that utilized knowledge of wildland fire suppression, containment or control techniques and practices under various conditions. This experience must be documented with specific dates in the online application or resume.

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.

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary position covered under the special retirement provisions of 5 USC 8336(c) for the Civil Service Retirement System and of 5 USC 8412(d) for the Federal Employees Retirement System.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

See QUALIFICATIONS section for education requirements.

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

This position is remote eligible. Remote work employees are expected to work at an approved remote worksite, typically the employee's residence, on a regular and continuing basis.

Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer. Pay rates vary depending on location, the salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 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 neither implied or guaranteed.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

Forest Service daycare facilities may be available.

Government Housing may be available.

How you will be evaluated

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

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11882955

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