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Meteorologist (Fire)

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
U.S. Wildland Fire Service

Summary

This position is a Meteorologist, GS-1340-13 working in Washington, District of Columbia for the US Wildland Fire Service.

This position is also open to the public under announcement R1-26-12942362-WA-DE. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/06/2026 to 05/19/2026
Salary
$114,684 - $149,091 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Portland, OR
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
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
R1-26-12942363-WA-MP
Control number
867905500

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Duties

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As a Meteorologist (Fire), your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

  • Provides guidance and policy direction to the agencies in evaluation and certification of fire weather products and services and ensures state-of-the-art meteorological and climatological science is being utilized in the geographic area.
  • Monitors and evaluates the quality of all fire weather services; to include monitoring compliance with the National Weather Service (NWS) Fire Weather Transition Framework and other Regional and Local Plans.
  • Serves as a Fire Weather Meteorologist and lead for the Predictive Services Section for the Geographic Area for the express purpose of ensuring the continued availability and adequacy of the operational aspects of the fire weather infrastructure within the Geographic Area.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.

Direct Deposit Required.

A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a [1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period] during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration, visit SSS.gov.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position, you must possess both the Basic Requirement and the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below:

To qualify for this position. you must meet the (1) Basic Educational Requirements AND (2) Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package. You MUST meet the following requirements:

1.) Basic Requirements:
In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, applicants must meet the Education Requirements described below:
A. Degree: :Meteorology, Atmospheric science, or other natural science major that included:1. At least 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of credit in meteorology/atmospheric science including a minimum of: a. Six semester hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics;*b. Six semester hours of analysis and prediction of weather systems (synoptic/mesoscale);c. Three semester hours of physical meteorology; and d. Two semester hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere and/or instrumentation.2. Six semester hours of physics, with at least one course that includes laboratory sessions. *3. Three semester hours of ordinary differential equations. *4. At least nine semester hours of course work appropriate for a physical science major in any combination of three or more of the following: physical hydrology, statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, radiative transfer, aeronomy, advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.
*There is a prerequisite or corequisite of calculus for course work in atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, physics, and differential equations. Calculus courses must be appropriate for a physical science major.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience: course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

2.) Specialized Experience:
Minimum Qualifications GS-13: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements above, applicants must also possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 in the Federal service. Example specialized experience may include: a) managing interagency fire weather networks, ensuring data quality, operational reliability, and compliance with fire weather standards. b) providing expert consultation and geographic level guidance on fire weather systems, policies, and Predictive Services operations. c) conducting operational forecasting and producing complex, data-integrated fire weather and climatological products for decision support. d) leading technology transfer, developing applied research partnerships, and providing advanced meteorology and fire weather training to interagency personnel.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by 05/19/2026.

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.

Eligibility and Qualification Requirements: Applicants must meet both eligibility and qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement. Specifically, i. Area of Consideration. ii. Time-in-grade (TIG) requirements as specified in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. iii. Time after competitive appointment as specified in 5 CFR 330.502.iv. Qualification requirements outlined in OPM's Qualifications Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Current SF-50 (non-award), or equivalent Notification of Personnel Action if you are a current or former Federal employee: Your SF-50 (non-award) must show tenure code 1 or 2 in block 24, and position occupied code 1 (competitive service) in block 34. If you have previously held a higher grade than the grade/position you currently occupy, you must submit a copy of the last non-award SF-50 you received for that position.
Note: Federal employees who have reinstatement eligibility please review the How to Apply for Reinstatement page for all required documents.
If you have any questions regarding which SF-50's to submit, it is highly recommended that you contact the person listed on this vacancy announcement before the closing date.

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 programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

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 an RPL, you may be given priority consideration.


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.


Telework:

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

Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area. Reasonable Accommodation: The USWFS 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.

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 or trial] 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 -OR- trial 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.

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 qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire. 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.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications requirement(s), this position requires successful completion of the following additional assessment: . This assessment will measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform in the position.

  • Skill in writing technical and management reports and directives sufficient to communicate program direction, evaluation criteria, and policies.
  • Skill in interpersonal relationships.
  • Skill in conducting briefings and presentations with a wide range of audiences to include wildland fire directors, agency administrators, private interest groups, state air regulators and the media to convey scientific concepts and technical information.
  • Skill in application of mesoscale and complex terrain meteorology to provide on-site meteorological support.
  • Knowledge in operational Meteorology.

In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement. Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume and/or OPM Resume Writing Tips.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12942363

Office of the Secretary of the Interior

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS), an organization within the Department of the Interior (DOI), responds to wildfires and promotes fire-resilient landscapes across more than 500 million acres of public and tribal lands nationwide. The USWFS has full program authority and coordinates the DOI wildland fire management program in its entirety. It ensures coordination within DOI, the Bureaus it serves, other federal agencies -- particularly the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service -- as well as non-federal agencies, state foresters, tribes, and a variety of stakeholder groups representing volunteer firefighters.

Agency contact information

Waneda Adenwala
Phone
000-000-0000
Email
waneda_adenwala@ios.doi.gov
Address
Office of the Secretary
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Office of the Secretary of the Interior, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfireservice

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