Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position. 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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As a Wildland Firefighter (Aviation) Unit Aviation Manager - Direct Hire Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for the unit's Aviation Program to include oversight, budget planning, development, execution, and monitoring of all aviation operations.
• Serves as liaison for the interagency coordination and use of tactical and logistical aircraft on multi-agency emergency incidents, mutual aid responses, military operations/coordination.
• Develops Unit Aviation Plans, manuals, handbooks, and instructional materials and conducts workshops that provide direction and guidance to field/zone/interagency offices.
• Responsible for the unit's Aviation Safety and Training Program. Conducts training needs analysis and sponsors, conducts, or coordinates aviation training. Is an Office of Aircraft Services (OAS) certified Interagency Aviation Trainer.
• Ensures that the unit's dispatch center(s) operates within current accident/incident response measures.
• Follow-ups with recommended corrective actions issued in bureau safety reporting system record.
• Participates in investigations for aircraft incidents and accidents.
• Exercised delegated supervisory authorities and responsibilities 15% of the time (authorities exceed those typical of a work leader and include assigning and reviewing work on a continual basis to ensure production requirements are met).
• The position plans work to be accomplished by subordinates; sets and adjust short-term priorities; and prepares schedules for completion of work assignments.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• 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.
• Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.
• You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• 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.
• 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.
• Supervisory Probationary Period: Selectees who have not previously completed a supervisory probationary period, will be required to serve a one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period for this position.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• Subject to frequent extended travel 50% of the time particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

Only experience obtained by 03/11/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

Minimum Qualification

For the GW-11 level:

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 GS/GW-09 grade level. Examples may include, but are not limited to: assisting as an aviation specialist or related position with experience in using aviation program resources in support of natural resources in support of natural resource management and fire management operations; experience and/or assisting with oversight, budget planning, development, execution, and monitoring of aviation operations; assisting fire managers or managers on implementing firefighting or resource flight aircraft requirements; reviewing or approving project aviation safety plans, working general aviation polices for federal and state agencies; identifying and assisting with training for personnel using aviation resources; assisting in aircraft incident investigations; assisting with the coordination of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or other agency officials for aviation activities; working/training as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) on aviation-related contracts.

-OR-

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 GS/GW-10 grade level. Examples of experience include, but are not limited to: performing as an aviation specialist or related position with experience in using aviation program resources in support of natural resources in support of natural resource management and/or fire management operations; experience with oversight, budget planning, development, execution, and monitoring of aviation operations; advising fire managers or managers on firefighting aircraft requirements; working general aviation polices for federal and state agencies; identifying and providing training for personnel using aviation resources; participating in aircraft incident investigations; coordinating with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or other agency officials for aviation activities; working as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) on aviation contracts.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at this grade level.

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.

*Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement.

Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - Applicants for this secondary administrative fire fighter position under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d), must possess knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of wildland firefighting as demonstrated by direct wildland firefighting experience. In order to receive credit, you must provide a written description of your experience in wildland firefighting. Education without hands-on wildland firefighting experience does not meet this requirement. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited. Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: Planned ignitions. This description includes only fire line 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.

Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although a level of physical fitness is required which will allow for work during periods of extended stress and in the field when wildland fire situations arise. During the fire season, extended fire assignments away from the unit may be required under very stressful conditions.

Working Conditions: Although work is generally performed in an office setting. Field work involves exposure to temperature extremes, both from weather and fire conditions where falling trees and the presence of smoke and/or dust conditions create hazardous conditions. The nature of fire investigation work requires that protective clothing (boots, hard hats, etc.) be worn. The incumbent must exercise a variety of safety practices and precautions for the well-being of self and of others.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. If an applicant's resume is incomplete or does not support the requirements for minimum qualifications or specialized experience a rating of "ineligible" or "not qualified" will be applied and no consideration for employment will be granted. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does 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 minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

The competencies below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:

• Fire Management -Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.
• Risk Management -Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.
• Leadership -Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.