Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous federal service is required. This position is being advertised under an OPM government-wide Direct Hire authority. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

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• Serves as Assistant Superintendent of an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC), which primarily responds to wildland fire emergencies and provides day-to-day fireline supervision.
• Responsible for making on-site evaluations of incident conditions, making tactical decisions, and determining appropriate responses.
• Recognizes, reacts to and communicates changes in weather and fire behavior, topography and fuel types, and adapts planned strategies and tactics to identify and relocate firelines, escape routes and safety zones.
• Executes prescribed burn plans for complex burn projects in a wide variety of fuel types and executes complex firing operations on wildfire incidents.
• Determines preparedness and suppression needs, facilitates procurement, formulates and prepares project plans for the IHC.
• Assists with organizational training needs assessments. Develops, coordinates, and presents training courses. Assists in the development of fuels management projects and work plans.
• Applies appropriate agency incident business and resource management objectives, practices, and policies to meet objectives.
• Plans and assigns work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work.
• Evaluates work performance of subordinates, setting standards, monitoring, and final evaluating of subordinate performance. Effects minor disciplinary measures.
• Creates a work environment that respects, appreciates, and accepts the contributions and perspectives of all employees. Actively supports and implements the Equal Opportunity Program as specified in bureau guidance and affirmative action plans.

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.
• 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.
• You must meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wild land fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualifications.
• You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.

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; please be sure to include this information in your resume. 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 of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: Training others on (federal, state, and/or local cooperators) wildland fire suppression strategies and tactics pertinent to initial attack, large fire suppression actions, and wildland urban interface/intermix situations; performing many wildland firefighting technical specializations such as tree felling, helicopter operations, fireline leadership, or initial attack incident command, which are used in fire suppression and prescribed burning; Serving as a Strike Team or Task Force Leader to specialty resources (hotshot, heavy equipment, engines, etc.) or assigned to supervise fire suppression by multiple resources under the most adverse conditions of climate, fuels, and terrain.

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: Graduate education (36 semester hours) meets the specialized experience required only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Two full years of graduate education in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position, OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

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.This position has been categorized as a Interagency Hotshot Crew position and requires the selectee to meet minimum National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualification standards prior to being placed into the position.

You must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management (qualifications to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):

A.) Strike Team Crew (STCR), OR Task Force Leader (TFLD), AND
B.) Single Resource Crew Boss (CRWB) AND Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) or higher.

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

This is a secondary/administrative firefighter 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.

Physical Demands: Duties involve rigorous fieldwork requiring above average physical performance, endurance, and superior conditioning.

Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in forest and range environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with vegetation, and in smoky conditions.

FACT SHEET for Fire & Law Enforcement Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

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 (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). Your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the following competencies:

• Fire Management
• Technical Competence
• Project Management
• Managing Human Resources