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Secretary (Wildland Fire)

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS); National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)

Summary

Several positions are being filled at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC); US Wildland Fire Service; duty location Boise, ID.

The incumbent of this position provides executive administrative support to senior leadership, coordinates office operations, serves as the primary timekeeper and travel preparer, manages communications and administrative processes, and may serve as backup to the Director/Deputy Director's Secretary.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted today · Apply by 07/20/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 20, 2026
Location
Many vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$56,488 - $73,432 per year

First federal appointments are paid at the lowest pay rate (step 01); posted salary range is informational only and does not confer higher pay.

Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
WFSDEU-26-12998698-LRS-A
Control number
875280000

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Duties

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  • Serve as principal administrative support to the Division Chief, managing daily office operations and ensuring efficient administrative support functions.
  • Develop, implement, and maintain administrative, information management, and clerical procedures; provide guidance and training to administrative support personnel on office policies and standards.
  • Respond to inquiries from federal agencies, congressional offices, state and local government officials, media representatives, and stakeholders; coordinate timely responses and resolve administrative issues.
  • Exercise full authority over executive calendars, appointments, and scheduling priorities, ensuring effective management of time and commitments.
  • Support time and attendance records through the DOI U.S. Wildland Fire Services system of timekeeping.
  • Manage correspondence control processes by reviewing, routing, tracking, and editing documents for clarity, completeness, grammatical accuracy, and procedural compliance.
  • Plan and coordinate meetings, conferences, and executive events, including agenda development, participant notifications, logistics, accommodations, and follow-up on action items.
  • Arrange and manage complex travel itineraries, prepare travel authorizations, vouchers, and related documentation.
  • Responsible for office supply purchases for the Division staff and supports tracking of accountable property. Requires purchase card authorities.
  • Maintain official physical and electronic filing systems, correspondence records, tracking logs, mailing lists, meeting minutes, and office documentation while utilizing automated systems for reporting, records management, communications, and timekeeping.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
  • 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 at time of close date of announcement.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • You will be required to operate a government motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
  • Incumbent will be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
If new to the federal government, and this is your first appointment, as a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary periodduring 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.

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.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time or part-time, hours must be included). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

For the GS-08 level:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-07 grade level in the Federal service or equivalent; Examples of specialized experience include: Provided administrative and clerical support by managing correspondence, maintaining records, and supporting daily office operations. Coordinated schedules, arranged meetings, prepared agendas, and tracked action items to ensure effective office management. Screened telephone calls, visitors, and incoming correspondence, responded to routine inquiries, and routed matters to appropriate staff members. Prepared travel authorizations, vouchers, and itineraries while ensuring required travel documentation was completed accurately and on time. Maintained electronic and physical filing systems, databases, mailing lists, and tracking logs in accordance with established procedures. Used office automation software to prepare correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, and other administrative documents while safeguarding sensitive information.

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.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

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 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 Department of Interior from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR ยง575.102 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 Department of Interior 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 agency. 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.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The work is mostly sedentary. There is occasional carrying of light objects such as files, books, and paperwork. There are no special physical requirements required.

Working Conditions: The work is performed in an office setting. The work environment involves everyday risks which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, or commercial vehicles. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and air conditioned. Occasional travel is required. The incumbent will adhere to all safety rules and regulations as prescribed in manuals/supplements or by the designated Safety Officer.

DOI has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

To preview the application click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12998698

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

Lisa Salazar
Email
lisa_salazar@ios.doi.gov
Address
Office of the Secretary
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
US

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