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Wildland Firefighter (Fuels)

Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Summary

This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position. To learn more about Direct-Hire authority, go to: OPM.GOV Hiring Information: Direct Hire Fact Sheet

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/10/2025 to 12/23/2025
Salary
$81,536 to - $121,720 per year
Pay scale & grade
GW 9 - 11
Locations
2 vacancies in the following locations:
Fairbanks, AK
Soldotna, AK
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
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
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
R7-26-12800543-SJ-FDHA
Control number
852016800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. Veteran's preference and traditional rating and ranking of applications do not apply. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration for this position.

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Duties

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  • Program Management-Directs all aspects of the fuels management program including planning, implementation, coordination, and evaluation. Develops mid and long term programs of work which support the unit's/tribe's land and resource management plan alternatives.
  • Planning-Serves as a key member of an interdisciplinary team (forestry, wildlife biology, range management, geology, archeology, etc.) and exercises seasonal knowledge in developing and implementing land management plans, fire management plans, compliance documents, and agreements.
  • Operations and Safety-Plans and administers the technical and administrative aspects of the prescribed fire/fuels plan, ensuring that preparation, ignition, holding, mop-up, and rehabilitation comply with applicable standards, regulations, policies, and guidelines. Analyzes and evaluates treatment effectiveness, identifies potential problems for further analysis and resolves existing problems to ensure objectives are met.
  • Leadership-Assigns work to lower graded staff based on priorities. Ensures that timeliness, accuracy, quality, and production standards are met. Evaluates work performance and adjusts assignments as required to accomplish workload in accordance with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned tasks.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
  • Suitability for employment, as determined by background investigation
  • Drug testing position
  • Medical Requirements
  • Official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uniform may be required
  • A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
  • Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Driver's License: This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver’s license throughout their employment in this position.
  • Firearm: Selectees will be required to carry a firearm in the performance of your duties. (Fairbanks, AK location only)

Qualifications

This key fire management position is a categorized under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard as a Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist, Moderate Complexity. Minimum IFPM qualification standards must be met prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at https://www.ifpm.nifc.gov/.

Prior experience in wild land firefighting is required in order to carry out the duties of this position. You will not be considered for this position if you do not have prior wild land firefighting experience.

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). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system.

Only experience and education obtained by 12/23/2025 will be considered.

***Your resume MUST include BEGINNING and END DATES specified in MONTH/YEAR to MONTH/YEAR format. In addition, your resume MUST reflect FULL-TIME/PART-TIME or total number of HOURS worked per week***

You may qualify at the GW-09 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

  1. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-08 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include: work closely with other resource specialists to integrate vegetation management project designs in fuels program direction; provide input and recommend strategies for fuels and fire management; develop resource objectives and guidance for implementation of projects and programs; and evaluate post burn fire effects, identify potential problems and make appropriate recommendations.
You may qualify at the GW-11 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements:
  1. If you are a current or former federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-09 grade level which includes assisting in leading a prescribed fire/ fuels management program. Examples of specialized experience may include: assist in the review and evaluation of fire management plans for ecological soundness and technical adequacy; participate in field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and assist with providing analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management. OR
  2. If you have never been or are NOT a current federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-10 grade level which includes leading a prescribed fire/fuels management program. Examples of specialized experience may include: review and evaluate fire management plans for ecological soundness and technical adequacy; conduct field inspections before and after prescribed or wildland fires to determine if resource objectives were achieved and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of actions taken; and develop analyses on the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management.
In addition to the specialized experience above, you must have the qualifications described below:

IFPM Qualifications for Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist (PFFS) (Moderate Complexity) (Selective Factor):
Primary Core Requirement:

Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Type 2 (RXB2)
AND
Secondary Core Requirement:
Single Resource Boss, Engine (ENGB)
OR
Single Resource Boss, Crew (CRWB)
OR
Single Resource Boss, Helicopter (HMGB)

NOTE: You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required minimum qualifications for this IFPM position. Failure to provide this documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in you being rated as not qualified.

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.

Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed represent the full performance level of GW-11. At lower grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GW-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. The selectee may be promoted without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
TESTING DESIGNATED POSITION: All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS: You must pass a pre-employment medical examination. Also, you may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if you are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.
DRIVER'S LICENSE: This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.

Education

PROOF OF EDUCATION: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov)

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation: The USFWS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.

To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx

2 vacancies to be filled; one at each of the following locations:
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Soldotna, Alaska.
Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Telework:
This position is suitable for telework only in an emergency or natural disaster.

PCS INFORMATION:
- Yes, entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable.
-In addition, relocation discretionary entitlements May be authorized for this position excluding contractor-provided home sale.

Cost of Living Allowance: In addition to the yearly salary, this position is entitled to a 3% cost-of-living allowance (COLA) for the Soldtna, Alaska location and a 1.49% cost-of living allowance (COLA) for the Fairbanks, Alaska location. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-systems/nonforeign-areas/#url=COLA-Rates .This allowance is subject to annual review, adjustment, and rate decrease.

Positions that require the use of a Firearm - Applicants are ineligible for this position if ANY time they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside or the applicant receives a pardon.

Probation/Trial Period Con't:

The probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

All applicants who submit a complete and legible application by the closing date of this vacancy announcement will have their qualifications reviewed to determine if they possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the work of this position.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

  • Knowledge of natural resource management, fire ecology, fire behavior, and fire management theories, concepts, principles, and standards in a wildland fire environment.
  • Skill in oral communication to present training, and coordinate work efforts.
  • Skill in written communication sufficient to prepare reports.
  • Knowledge of budgeting policy, procedures and techniques sufficient to develop program budgets and annual work plans.
  • Knowledge of the effects of prescribed fire and fire use on natural and cultural resources to prepare complex fuels management plans.

All applications that are verified to meet the basic qualifications will be referred to the selecting official.

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