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Forestry Technician (Prescribed Fire & Fuels) - Direct Hire Authority

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource.

This position is located in Lewistown, MT. Information about the surrounding area may be found HERE

We expect to fill 1 vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority.



Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/10/2023 to 04/27/2023
Salary
$42,022 to - $60,703 per year

A supplemental pay increase of $20,000 or 50% of base pay per year, is authorized under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through 09/30/23.

Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 7
Location
Lewistown, MT
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—The BLM has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel is required to attend training, conferences, workshops, and/or field visits. Frequent travel will be required during peak fire activity.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent seasonal appointment. You will be in pay status for at least 6 months; but less than 12 months in a calendar year. When work/funds are unavailable, you will be placed in non-pay status.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7 - If filled at a lower grade level, subsequent promotion to the next grade level will be processed without further competition dependent upon administrative approval and the continuing need and performance of higher-level duties.
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FADHA-23-11915188-LG
Control number
718175600

This job is open to

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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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Duties

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  • Assists in planning and implementing of project assessments which determine the presence or absence of hazardous wildland fuels.
  • Reviews project plans and makes recommendations on appropriate levels of monitoring.
  • Participates in drafting prescribed fire/fuels management plans.
  • Enters fire behavior and fire effects observation data into a database.
  • Conducts field reconnaissance of prescribed fire/fuels treatment units and summarizes field findings.
  • Assists the Module Leader or other senior staff in the technical and administrative supervision of fuels module.

Requirements

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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 meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wildland fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualification.
  • 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 procurement duties. If selected for this position, you will be required to complete a Procurement Integrity Certification, OF-333, prior to appointment.
  • This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work.
  • 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; 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-06 grade level, 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 is required. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: having participated in routine aspects of inventory and monitoring for wildland fire, prescribed fire, and/or natural resource activities; participated in field resource data collection for hazardous fuels management program; and assisted in implementing specific plans for fuels treatment projects.

To qualify for the GS-07 grade level, 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-06 is required. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: having performed specialized aspects of inventory and monitoring for wildland fire, prescribed fire, and/or natural resource activities; planned and directed field resource data collection for hazardous fuels management program; and assisted in developing and implementing specific plans for fuels treatment projects.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
To qualify for the GS-06 and/or GS-07 grade level - Must have completed 1 full year (18 semester hours) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

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.

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.) This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Senior Firefighter (SFF), and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position.

To meet IFPM requirements, you 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 (currency not required at time of referral, but may be required to obtain and maintain currency if selected):

Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) AND
S-290 - Intermediate Fire Behavior


You must meet all qualifications and selective placement factors 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.

FACT SHEET for Fire Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

Education

See qualifications section.

Additional information

This vacancy announcement has been EXTENDED; previous applicants need not REapply ** Applicants who previously applied do not need to apply again to be considered but may take this opportunity to update information/resume/responses or submit required documentation outlined in the vacancy announcement.

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify.

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.

CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position.

Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on a RPL, you may be given priority consideration.

Certain incentives, such as, Recruitment, Relocation, or Student Loan Repayment, may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis, and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentives (OPM.gov), or Relocation Incentives (OPM.gov), or Student Loan Repayment (OPM.gov).

Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualifications 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. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You do not have to respond to the competencies separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of the following competencies:

  • Planning & Evaluation
  • Fire Management
  • Leadership

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