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Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning)

Department of Agriculture
Forest Service

Summary

This position is located within a Forest Service unit in the Eastern Geographic Area (formally Region 9).

The Incumbent is a technical expert developing fire planning policies and procedures for the Geographic Area Fire Director or Deputy, and provides oversight and coordination to national forests and grasslands within the Geographic Area.

For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Joe Alyea at Joseph.Alyea@usda.gov or Brian Hicks at brian.a.hicks@usda.gov.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/19/2026 to 05/28/2026
Salary
$97,564 - $146,671 per year
Pay scale & grade
GW 12 - 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Eastern Geographic Area
Location Negotiable After Selection
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 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
13
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
26-FIRE-P4R9-RFP-1213DH
Control number
869802900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. citizen. Direct Hire Authority will be used to fill this position. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to this vacancy.

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Duties

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  • Duties listed are at full performance grade GW-13 level.
  • Provides program leadership and consultation for strategic fire management planning, assessments (e.g., wildland fire risk, prevention, etc.), and interagency and/or unit Fire Management Plan (FMP) development.
  • Develops, plans, and provides fire management alternatives in coordination with Washington Office and Geographic Area staff.
  • Provide program management direction and expertise for interagency and/or national forest and grasslands fire planning efforts.
  • Provides guidance to the field units on collection and evaluation of fire hazard risk, fuels, historic fire occurrence, fire effects, climatology and weather.
  • Coordinates the Geographic Area annual fire management program budget, integrates the budget with other program budgets to meet unit operation goals, and ensures that the fire management program budget is distributed.
  • Performs supervisory duties less than 20% of the time.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service 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.
  • Must be 18 years of age.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
  • Subject to one year supervisory/managerial probationary period unless prior service is creditable. New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required training program before the end of their probationary period.

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 Schedule Qualification Standards.

Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

For the GW-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GW-11 in the Federal service.Specialized experience is defined as providing expertise for short and long term strategic fire management planning, assessments, and interagency and/or unit fire management plans; evaluating the technical aspects and effectiveness of existing wildland fire and aviation management programs and providing recommended changes or initiatives to improve the overall efficiency and success of the programs; performing data collection and evaluation of fire hazard risk, fuels, historic fire occurrence, fire effects, climatology and weather and providing wildland fire planning technical support and coordination with fire management officers, land or resource management staffs, and planners throughout the local area.

For the GW-13: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the GW-12 in the Federal service.Specialized experience is defined as providing program management direction and expertise for interagency and/or national forest and grasslands fire planning efforts; providing program leadership and consultation for short and long term strategic fire management planning, assessments, and interagency and/or unit fire management plans; utilizing specialized software and modeling to evaluate the effectiveness of fire and aviation management strategies to meet land and resource management goals and objectives; and developing annual program of work, including budget allocations, discretionary spending accounts, and severity requests.

Selective Placement Factors

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.

Education

There is no education substitution for this position.

Additional information

Location Negotiable-This position will be located at a Forest Service duty station within the Eastern Geographic Area, (formally Region 9), within 49 miles from a Forest Service Office. Final determination of the duty station(s) for this position will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

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

Pay rates vary depending on location and may be higher or lower than the amount shown. Please visit the Appropriated Fund Wage Schedules webpage 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

Subject to one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period (unless prior service is creditable). New USDA supervisors must successfully complete all components of the required new supervisory training program before the end of their probationary period.

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.

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.

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. 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 up to including removal from the Federal service.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12958185

Forest Service

A career with the Forest Service will challenge you to manage and care for more than 193 million acres of our nation's most magnificent lands, conduct research through a network of forest and range experiment stations and the Forest Products Laboratory, and provide assistance to State and private forestry agencies.

It's an awesome responsibility - but the rewards are as limitless as the views.

Agency contact information

HRM Contact Center
Phone
1-877-372-7248 X2
Email
HRM_Contact_Center@usda.gov
Address
USDA Forest Service HRM Contact Center
DO NOT MAIL IN APPLICATIONS, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Albuquerque, NM 87109
US

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