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Forestry Technician (Type 2 Wildland Fire Module Leader)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Saguaro National Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Saguaro Wildland Fire Module is a National Park Service Inter-Mountain Region (resource hosted by the Catalina Rincon Interagency Fire program and Saguaro National Park. Typical fire seasons are comprised of fuels reduction assignments, prescribed fire support, initial attack, extended attack, and a wide array of managed fire beginning in March and typically ending in September. Off-season work includes crew preparation and closeout, fuels program support, and single resource work.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/11/2020 to 01/01/2021
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$48,411 - $62,935 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Location
Tucson, AZ
1 vacancy
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. Employer paid and reimbursed relocation expenses are considered taxable income. The NPS does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. Employees should consult professional tax, legal and accounting advisers regarding concerns about the financial implications.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
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
IM-1541-SAGU-21-10982819-ST
Control number
586796200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This job announcement is only open to applicants who meet the following eligibilities: current and former federal employees with competitive status or reinstatement; veterans under VEOA, VRA, or who are 30% or more disabled; special appointing authorities such as individuals with disabilities, military spouses, Peace Corps/Vista Volunteers, and Former Public Land Corps; CTAP/ICTAP eligible within the local commuting area; Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibles.

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Duties

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Duties of the WFM leader position begin and end with the expectation of high performing accountable leadership. This position will supervise a group of 7-9 firefighters, contribute to strategic and tactical decisions in support of the management of wildfire, work in small groups to accomplish tasks, creatively problem solve in a fast paced environment, contribute to strategic fuels management planning, and provide for administrative and managerial support of a NPS wildland fire module.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • You will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • 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.
  • TIME-IN-GRADE: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • The Work Capacity Test (WCT-Pack Test) as a method for assessing an employee's fitness levels for fire qualifications in the positions covered by this recruitment notice. Employees are required to pass a WCT-Pack Test as a "condition of employment." NOTE: Arduous fitness (WCT-Pack Test) will consist of completing a three-mile hike, within 45 minutes, while carrying a 45 pound pack. Applicants shall be disqualified for appointment if they fail to meet any physical requirement.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and pass a medical examination, (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities), given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record.
  • Selectees may be expected to travel in (not pilot) a small single-engine or rotor-wing aircraft.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • Subject to frequent extended travel 15 particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/01/2021-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position:
1. Firing Boss (FIRB)
2. Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4)
3. Single Resource Boss/Crew Boss (CRWB) OR Engine Boss (ENGB)

This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position unless there is sufficient prior Federal service in a covered position to permit retirement on or before the mandatory retirement age for this type of position. An exception is allowed if you are a qualified veteran preference eligible.

- AND -

Applicants must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience are: performing wildland and prescribed fire operations and providing expertise in the areas of fire monitoring, ignition, holding and suppression, prescribed fire preparation and implementation support, hazardous fuels reduction and fire effects monitoring. This experience must demonstrate proven ability to work in a team environment, leading a diverse group of team members to accomplish assigned tasks, working to establish group cohesion. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, in a field directly related to the position such as forestry or fire science. You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a COMBINATION of graduate level education and experience as described above.

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Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

Physical Demands: Duties involve arduous field work requiring above average physical performance, endurance, and superior conditioning. Work requires 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 strenuous activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity.

Duties include demands for strenuous activities in emergencies under adverse environmental conditions and over extended periods of time. Operations of some specialized fire equipment can place extended physical stress on the employee during fire activities.

Working Conditions: Work is primarily performed outdoors in forest and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered by thick vegetation, in smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalations, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Personnel must adjust and copy with exposure to weather elements, dusty and smoke, poor bivouac and eating situations under and unpredictable set of circumstances. The employee may be required to live in remote backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the job requires that protective clothing be worn (hard hats, gloves, boots, flame resistant clothing, and other personal protective equipment). Work may require travel by light fixed-wing or rot-wing aircraft.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

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

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Fire Management
  • Leadership
  • Risk Management
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence


You MUST submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

National Park Service

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

Sarah Holder
Phone
(303) 987-6746
Fax
(303) 969-2830
Email
sarah_holder@nps.gov
Address
Saguaro National Park
3693 S Old Spanish Trail
Tucson, AZ 85715
US

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