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.
Responsibilities are listed at the GS-13 Full Performance Level.
Perform special use skills such as retardant delivery, external load/longline vertical reference, rappel operations.
Periodically reevaluates pilot qualifications for performance of various mission applications through the administration of flight checks.
Maintains a program of recurring visits involving personal contacts with USDA Forest Service and Interagency personnel supervising operations and aviation operators providing contractual services.
Evaluates safety of operations, training practices, suitability of aircraft, efficiency with which equipment is used, mechanical condition of equipment used, aircrew proficiency, adequacy of communications, development of equipment and standards.
Participates in or conducts surveillance and inspection of USDA Forest Service and contractor facilities to ensure compliance with department regulations, contract specifications, and quality control plans.
Serves as a team member for the aircraft contract compliance and renewal process for all contractor and cooperating federal, state and local agency aviation operations for the assigned geographical area.
Provides expert technical advice to the regional and national helicopter programs as a principle advisor in the development and implementation of policies, programs and standard practices for helicopter operations and specialized projects.
Performs wildfire suppression support as directed within training and physical and other duties as assigned.
Serves as pilot-in-command (PIC) of rotorcraft for the purpose of conducting missions to include rappel operations, aerial ignition, search and rescue, air tactical missions and precision high and low level reconnaissance activities.
Serves as pilot-in-command (PIC) of rotorcraft for the purpose of conducting missions to include point-to-point transportation of personnel and cargo, utilization of special use skills such as fire suppression, retardant delivery, external load.
Participates in the development and implementation of regional helicopter programs. Continuously evaluates their effectiveness. Establishes and revises standards and procedures as needed.
Serves on the regional and national helicopter contract evaluation panel as a technical expert regarding aircraft performance and capability.
Provides oversight in the planning, development and performance of specialized missions for the Forest Service and cooperator units in the use of helicopters to perform high risk activities such as longline vertical reference operations.
Evaluates and determines the suitability and capability of contractor employed pilots for approval to perform special use skills to perform special use skills such as fire suppression.
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 or older.
Initial appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of training.
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.
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.
Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
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.
You must possess the Basic Requirements identified below to be considered eligible for this position. Your application or resume must clearly show that you possess the appropriate experience requirements.
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.
Minimum eligibility requirements for this position are based on possession of the appropriate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot certificates and/or appropriate military ratings, meeting the applicable flight hour requirements, and possession of the knowledge and skills required for the position, see How You Will Be Evaluated section.
Qualifying experience for the GS-12 and GS-13 grade levels include: Must meet all the following flight requirements and all minimum hours must be in Category (Helicopter): Possess minimum flight time of 1500 hours as Pilot-In-Command (PIC), helicopter; Possess a minimum flight time of 75 hours of Night Flight; possess minimum flight time of 24 hours in Helicopter in the preceding 12 months Pilot-In-Command (PIC); possess minimum of 100 hours in Wight class (helicopter); possess minimum flight time of 50 hours* Make and model (Helicopter) and 10 hours* in Make, Model, and Series in the last 12 months; possess minimum of 10 hours** in the last 60 days (Helicopter); possess minimum flight time of 200 hours of low level Mountain terrain flying (FSM 5710.5); possess minimum flight time of 100 hours (PIC) in Turbine helicopter operations OR minimum flight time of 200 hours (PIC) in Piston helicopter operations.
Additional GS-13 Only Qualifications: Must possess a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certification.*Flight hour requirements may be reduced by 50% if the pilot submits evidence of satisfactory completion of the manufacture's approved pilot ground and flight procedures training in the applicable make and model.**Refresher currency flight may be accomplished with agency Helicopter Inspector Pilot in lieu of this requirement.
Certificates and Ratings:
- Must possess a FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with Rotocraft-Helicopter Ratings, or a FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, with Rotocraft-Helicopter rating.
-To be considered for the GS13 grade level: Must possess a FAA Certified Flight Instructor Certificate, as appropriate to the position held (Rotocraft-Helicopter)
Medical Requirements:- Must possess a current FAA first or second-class medical certificate.
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS:
A minimum 90 days 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.
OR
A minimum 90 days of aerial wildland fire suppression experience. Pilot with aerial wildland fire experience, such as: delivery of fire retardants or suppressants via fixed or rotor wing aircraft; aerial ignition, helitack or aerial supervision operations (Air Tactical, Aerial Supervision Module - ASM, Helicopter Coordinator - HLCO). This experience, to include, specific duties and specific dates must be documented a separate document including reference names and current phone numbers for verification.
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.
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.
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.
This position is a bargaining unit position.
Government housing is not available.
Telework may be available as situational.
Federal day care facilities are not available.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
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.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
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 (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. Mountain Time Zone, 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 returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing date.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) 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.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
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 to check your application status.
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
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.
Resume that includes: 1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the responsibilities section including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) supervisor's phone number and whether or not the supervisor may be contacted for a reference check; 5) other qualifications.
If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts. An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330.
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.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
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 (8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. Mountain Time Zone, 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 returned to Human Resources no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order for it to be entered into the system prior to the closing date.
This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Agency Contact to request this.
To begin, in USAJOBS click "Apply" and follow the instructions to attach your resume and supporting documents, complete the assessment questionnaire, and submit your application.
NOTE: If a document is resubmitted, it replaces the previous submission, which means the previous document is no longer available to the Human Resources Office. If you are adding to, rather than replacing a previous submission, you must upload both the old document and the new document. You must verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Applicants may combine all like required documents (e.g. SF-50s or veteran docs) 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.
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US
Next steps
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 to check your application status.
We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
