Clarification from the agency

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.

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Duties will be developmental if selected below the full performance level.

As a Aviation Manager (Program Manager) -Direct Hire Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides senior-level aviation management guidance and coordinates aviation safety, operations, investigations, training, and compliance across U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) units and assigned Department of Interioragencies.
• Ensures aviation programs operate safely, efficiently, and in compliance with applicable Department of Interior, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and U.S. Forest Service policies and regulations.
• Develops and oversees aviation safety training programs and evaluates performance to identify deficiencies, recommend corrective actions, and improve safety practices.
• Supports accident prevention, safety reviews, investigations, and high-risk aviation operations by identifying hazards and recommending risk mitigation measures.
• Develops, reviews, and updates aviation policies, procedures, safety bulletins, manuals, and training materials.
• Evaluates new aviation technologies and coordinates their procurement, implementation, training, and use.
• Conducts aviation needs assessments, develops cost estimates, supports budget planning, and monitors aviation funding and resource allocation.
• Reviews Project Aviation Safety Plans and assesses aviation mission risks to ensure appropriate mitigation measures and compliance with established standards.

• Applies knowledge of UAS operations, aircraft systems, regulatory requirements, and risk management to support the safe integration and use of UAS in wildland fire and all-hazard missions .Ensures operations comply with applicable policies, FAA requirements, and interagency standards

• Applies knowledge of helicopter operations, aircraft capabilities, and mission requirements to support rotor-wing activities such as helitack, aerial ignition, short-haul, hoist, cargo transport, and other special-use missions. Evaluates operational effectiveness and provides technical guidance on safe and compliant operations

• Supports aviation safety programs through safety reviews, hazard identification, risk assessments, and development of mitigation strategies.
• Develop, manage, and evaluate aviation training, qualification, and standardization programs for pilots, aircrews, managers, and aviation personnel.

• Evaluates aircraft utilization, supports mission planning, and ensures operations are conducted in accordance with
  established aviation policies, standards, and safety requirements.
• Applies knowledge of fixed-wing aircraft operations and mission applications to support aerial supervision,
  reconnaissance, transport, and other aviation missions

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• 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.
• 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.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) fire uniform standards.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 14 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

Only experience and education obtained by 11/16/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered.
Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either:

• At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization;
  - OR -
• At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive).

Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume.
Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement.

Minimum Qualifications Requirement for the GW-12 level:

For the GW-12 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level, or higher in the Federal service, or equivalent; Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Providing technical guidance for aviation operations; developing and implementing training and qualification programs for aviation resources; working with interagency partners addressing aviation concerns and objectives; experience reviewing aviation incident reports; experience developing and implementing aspects of aviation safety and risk management.

Minimum Qualifications Requirement for the GW-13 level:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-12 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent; Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Performance on actual fire suppression support missions, demonstrated experience in the management of aerial firefighting activities. Experience working in aviation operations including various fixed wing, rotor wing and/or UAS aircraft capabilities, having experience in program policy development, evaluating safe and cost-effective use of aviation resources for a wide variety of program operations. Experience with Bureau and Department financial, contracting and budgeting policies, planning and managing aviation cost studies, analytical evaluations, providing input on aviation contracts.

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.

*Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the job announcement.

Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - 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). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) and meet the transfer requirement for movement from a primary to secondary position to be eligible for special retirement coverage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your SF-50). YOU MUST LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PRIMARY POSITION.

This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission and is in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE.

Physical Demands: Most of the work is sedentary in nature and requires sitting for long periods. The position requires intermittent physical exertion while inspecting field operations or participating in accident/incident investigations. On occasion, it may be required to perform field work requiring long walks over rough, rocky terrain for long hours during high temperatures. Substantial travel to meeting locations in other cities and to remote field locations for assignments up to two weeks in duration is common. Mode of travel may be by aircraft, ground vehicle, and horseback and on foot.

Working Conditions: Most of the work is performed in an office or meeting room setting. The incumbent will be assessing direct applications of aviation needs and activities in the field program. These activities often require the person to be at the location engaged in actual aviation activities in the air and on the ground. The work can be expected to include periodic assignments of long duration in remote airports, heliports and field camps. At times the incumbent may be required to inspect aviation operations on wildland fires, prescribed fires, or other resource management activities.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

These positions can fill different functional roles which include:

• UAS Program Manager
• Helicopter Program Manager
• Aviation Safety and Training Program Manager
• Fixed Wing Program Manager

These functional roles will be discussed and filled upon selection by the hiring manager.

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 minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. 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. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.