This position supports the US Wildland Fire Service as a Wildland Firefighter (Senior Advisor), GW-0456-14. Position is located in Boise, Idaho at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
Summary
This position supports the US Wildland Fire Service as a Wildland Firefighter (Senior Advisor), GW-0456-14. Position is located in Boise, Idaho at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
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.
Provides strategic policy advice and guidance within the assigned national fire management portfolio, which may include fire operations ensuring alignment with fire readiness and training systems, fuels and prescribed fire programs, fire ecology and monitoring, safety, aviation, intelligence and analytics, facilities, partnerships, or related program areas.
Advises and assists senior leadership on matters that cut across the assigned portfolio, including advancing strategic initiatives aligned with organizational needs and mission priorities. Advises senior leaders in developing budget guidance and business rules for the assigned national fire management portfolio. Coordinates with other USWFS divisions to ensure policy and budget alignment across fire management programs.
Exercises delegated discretionary authority, as assigned, to approve the allocation and distribution of organizational funds within the portfolio.
Collaborates with Agency and USWFS leadership and key management officials to resolve complex issues affecting the assigned national fire management portfolio and to build consensus on policy direction.
Develops, maintains, and implements policies, procedures, and standards within the assigned portfolio in coordination with deputy directors, assistant directors, and other senior staff.
Provides oversight of updates to policies and processes and leads USWFS, DOI, and interagency policy development efforts, issue analyses, and special projects as assigned. Maintains broad institutional knowledge of USWFS policies and programs and their relationship to the assigned fire management portfolio to ensure alignment with federal natural resource and public land management missions.
Provides confidential advice and counsel to senior leadership on special projects and enterprise level initiatives, ensuring feasibility and alignment with agency goals and policy direction.
Leads and participates in cross-functional initiatives to develop and implement policies, systems, performance frameworks, and evaluation processes applicable within the assigned portfolio.
Engages regularly in multiagency and multidisciplinary coordination involving multiple levels of government and stakeholders.
Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
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.
You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotorwing aircraft.
You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the US Wildland Fire Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 or more nights per month 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.
Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: This position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement, and you will be required to complete either OGE Form 278e or OGE Form 450 as applicable within 30 days of your appointment.
Qualifications
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.Your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year - month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be listed to pro-rate the specialized experience. 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.
**NOTE -Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.
Dates listed as active-duty military work on application that coincides with time listed on a DD-214 will be considered as FT work.
Basic Qualification:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW/GW-14 level in the federal government. Examples of specialized experience include: Developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and strategic initiatives that advance fire management objectives. Ensured effective coordination, resource integration, and policy alignment across organizational units and interagency partners; represented senior leadership in internal and external forums; and provided expert guidance on policy, program effectiveness, and strategic initiatives to support federal natural resource and public land management missions.
-AND-
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 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.
Volunteer Experience: 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.
Conditions of Employment, continued:
As 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.
This 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.
Education
There is no education substitute for specialized experience at the GW-0456-14 grade level.
Additional information
This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior "Direct Hire Authority".
A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.
A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.
Physical Demands: Work is carried out primarily in an office or meeting room setting; however, occasional physical activity such as hiking and climbing in wildlands is required during on-site
inspections. The work is mainly sedentary, usually performed at a desk. There is, as needed, physical exertion while inspecting and evaluating the conditions of the fire sites and overall ground
program which will include walking over rough, uneven terrain in any type of weather.
Working Conditions: Most work is performed in an office setting. Travel (less than 25%) is for the purpose of meetings, training, onsite inspections, and fire policy implementation.
The US Wildland Fire Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
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.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be evaluated based on how whether they meet the qualification requirements.
Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.
This vacancy will be filled through a Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.
Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.
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.
If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, the applicant will receive no consideration for the position, as per OPM regulations.
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.
FERS TRANSFER REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved retirement covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary retirement covered position.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/10/2026:
Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. 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.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) - If you are applying under CTAP and ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
Documentation that you meet the Selective Factors.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/10/2026.
You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
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.
Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
Select documents you want included in this application.
Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
Select if you want to include your demographic information.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. It is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For Information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: Career Transition (opm.gov)
Office of the Secretary
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
US
Next steps
Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified via USAJOBS of a status change (i.e., referred, not referred, not eligible, not qualified, etc.). Note, you must login to your USAJOBS profile to view details of the status change. Information regarding how to see your application status can be found in the USAJOBS Help Center.
If referred and further evaluation or interviews are required, you may be contacted by the hiring officials for the location in which you are referred.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.
If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to contact listed on this announcement. Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/10/2026:
Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. 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.
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) - If you are applying under CTAP and ICTAP, you MUST submit proof of eligibility under 5 CFR 330.602(a) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of your most recent performance rating, and a copy of your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
Documentation that you meet the Selective Factors.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/10/2026.
You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
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.
Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
Select documents you want included in this application.
Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
Select if you want to include your demographic information.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. It is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): CTAP/ICTAP provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For Information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: Career Transition (opm.gov)
Office of the Secretary
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
US
Next steps
Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified via USAJOBS of a status change (i.e., referred, not referred, not eligible, not qualified, etc.). Note, you must login to your USAJOBS profile to view details of the status change. Information regarding how to see your application status can be found in the USAJOBS Help Center.
If referred and further evaluation or interviews are required, you may be contacted by the hiring officials for the location in which you are referred.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.
If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to contact listed on this announcement. Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
