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Wildland Firefighter (Aviation Management Specialist)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service

Summary

This position is located in the Northwest Region, Region 6, Deputy Regional Forester, Fire and Aviation Management, Redmond Air Group, Redmond, OR.

The position is responsible for developing and recommending aviation objectives, plans, policies, standards, and procedures for the full range of aviation programs in support of National Forest System activities.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Regional Representative Jason Heinz at jason.heinz@usda.gov

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/10/2026 to 03/19/2026
Salary
$83,639 to - $126,835 per year
Pay scale & grade
GW 11 - 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Pacific Northwest Region, Region 6
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel overnights on fire suppression or fire related assignments for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Temporary promotion - NTE 1 Year
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
26-FIRE-P3R6-AVMGTSP-1112FS
Control number
860447900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted only from current permanent Forest Service employees with competitive status; and CTAP/RPL eligible candidates.

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at full performance grade GW-12.
  • Provides national program oversight and responsibility in the development/implementation of standards and procedures, to guide and control a range of unique and hazardous aviation activities.
  • Leads or participates with committees and work groups of aviation managers developing and recommending aviation related programs, plans, studies, and specific actions.
  • Responsible for the automation of the Working Capital Fund Template using Visual Basic to automatically access and retrieve data.
  • Assists National Aviation Program Managers and Regional Staff with program database and information management. This includes responsibility for data collection and entry, and aviation computer database approval and packaging.
  • Applies technical knowledge, review and recommendations of financial management for Aviation Requirement Analysis (ARA), Business Cases Analysis (BCA), and Aviation Business Case Summaries (ABCS) for the procurement of multimillion dollar aircraft.
  • Monitors, under direction of the Regional Aviation Officer, administrative financial aspects of the in-house aviation program. This includes that administration and oversight of several contracts including fuel and pilot housing.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
  • Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
  • 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.gov
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New Forest Service supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.
  • This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.
  • Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
  • Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
  • Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination.
  • 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.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Wildland Fire Schedule Qualification Standards.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GW-11: Applicants must display one year specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-09 grade level; OR a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M.,(coursework must be directly related to the position being filled such as forestry, range management, agriculture); OR an appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester/54 quarter hours leading to a Ph.D.). The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.

Examples of Specialized Experience are: Assisting in preparing proposed aviation policies, procedures, and guidelines; assisting aviation managers in drafting and editing aviation-related programs, plans, studies, and specific actions; and/or participating in providing advice to aviation technology, safety, and operational staff specialists to integrate aviation programs.

For the GW-12: Applicants must display one year specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-11 grade level. Examples of Specialized Experience are: Assisting in developing new or proposed aviation policies, procedures, and guidelines; participating with committees and work groups of aviation managers developing and recommending aviation-related programs, plans, studies, and specific actions; and/or providing advice and assistance to aviation technology, safety, and operational staff specialists to integrate aviation programs.

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.

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary firefighter position under 5 USC 8336 (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent depends upon his or her individual work history.

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement or substitution.

Additional information

This is a temporary promotion not-to-exceed 1 year, and may be extended up to 5 years without further competition or may end earlier due to lack of work or funds, or at the discretion of the Hiring Manager.

This temporary promotion may be made permanent without further competition. If the temporary promotion is not made permanent, you will be returned to your permanent position of record with any increases that would have been received if not temporarily assigned. If it is not possible to be returned to the prior position, you should be placed in another position in your agency for which qualified, at the same grade and geographic location as before. Should this not occur, reduction-in-force procedures may be necessary. If you are selected, we will work with you and your supervisor on an agreement covering return rights so every effort will be made to return you to a properly classified position for which qualified and at the same grade level.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Availability of government housing, federal day care facilities, and telework may be available.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

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.

The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.

Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. Questions should be directed to the Travel Help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email SM.FS.asc_tos@usda.gov

New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required new supervisory training program within a year of the effective date of the position.

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 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 neither implied or guaranteed.


The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

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.

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package.

Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. 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.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12899781

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