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Forestry Technician (Dispatch - Assistance Intelligence Officer)

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

Summary

You will serve as a Forestry Technician (Dispatch - Assistance Intelligence Officer) GW-0462-08/09 working in Albuquerque, NM with Office of the Secretary of Interior.

You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.

You may be required to occasional travel, particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—This position is suitable for telework only in an emergency or natural disaster.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—See "Additional Information" section for more info.
Salary
$68,351 - $95,715 per year

See "Additional Information" section for further details.

Pay scale & grade
GW 8 - 9
Promotion potential
9 - This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GW-09. Please see "Additional Information" for more details.
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Frequent travel will be required during times of peak fire activity.
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a permanent appointment.
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate 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
WFSDHA-27-13102957-ARO-B
Control number
892182200

This job is open to

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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

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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

  • Assists with the overall execution of activities within the Fire Intelligence Section of the GACC. This involves interpreting fire indices, weather and occurrence patterns for the Area.
  • Identify shortages of critical resources and provides information for determining allocation and priority setting for these critical resources relating to personnel, aircraft, crews, equipment and supplies.
  • Provides assistance and support to the intelligence aspects of wildland fire suppression, preparedness and prescribed fire activities to representative to the field offices within the Area.
  • Assists in the development of Intelligence Section planning documents, including operating plans, public affairs plans, communication plans and related sections in the Area Mobilization Guide.
  • Assists with the collection of daily situation reports, consolidation of reports and preparations of the GACC incident situation report.
  • Provides user training and oversight for the ICS-209, WFDSS, and other reporting programs.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • Pre-employment and random drug testing is required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
  • You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

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 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 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

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/23/2026, unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission, and is clearly 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

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.

-AND-

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.
Only experience and education obtained by 11/23/2026 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.

Minimum Qualification

To qualify for the GW-08 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GW-07 is required. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in the following; Dispatching and tracking of resources in an Initial Attack fire center, tracking and reporting of large fires and support of Fire Intelligence at the local or GACC level. This involves reporting fire indices, weather and spot weather occurrence. Identify shortages of critical resources and providing information for determining allocation and priority setting for these critical resources relating to personnel, aircraft, crews, equipment and supplies. Utilizes and maintains various computer programs and files: fire danger rating system, fire and aviation web applications, weather management system, automated dispatch system, and provides appropriate information and assistance to users. You must include hours per week worked.

To qualify for the GW-09 grade level, 1 year or 12 months of specialized experience equivalent to GW-08 is required. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in the following; Monitoring and analyzing fire behavior; ordering, tracking and evaluating needs for suppression resources and preparedness readiness to respond to wildland fires; assisting in the development of incident priorities and strategies. Utilizes and maintains various computer programs and files: fire danger rating system, fire and aviation web applications, weather management system, automated dispatch system, and provides appropriate information and assistance to users. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

Substitution of Education for Experience: For GW-08/09: Two full years (36 semester hours) of GRADUATE level college education or received a master's degree in a field related to range work such as a major study in forestry, range management, agriculture or a field directly related to this position.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience as listed above: To combine education and experience, first take the number of creditable credits. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

For more information on grade progression (for candidates outside the federal government) please refer to the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) General Schedule Qualification Policies, section #5, Application of Qualifications Standards, section "o".


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.

Physical Demands: Work is primarily performed in an office setting. Long hours of sitting, intense concentration, and working at peak proficiency level with irregular breaks/mealtimes are frequent, prolonged demands of the job Employee is subject to work shifts of 12-14 hours per day for extensive periods. Vehicle and aircraft travel associated with field visits and other administrative travel may be required.

Working Conditions: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, and residences or commercial/government vehicles, (e.g, use of sage work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of Fire regulations and traffic signals. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

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: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional information

**PLEASE NOTE - these positions are covered under the new GW pay table specific to Wildland Firefighters. The salary listed in the announcement is for the Locality Pay Area of Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM pay table. GW-08/09 Step 1 salary - Step 10 annual salary. Pay will vary based on grade level for which you're selected.

PCS INFORMATION: 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.

If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed.

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.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

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.

Telework: The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.

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.

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 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.

The competencies below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:

  • Technical Competence - Knowledge of how to perform one's job. Refers to specialized knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience.
  • Operations Support (Fire Operations) - Knowledge of procedures to ensure production or delivery of products and services, including tools and mechanisms for distributing new or enhanced software.
  • Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

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

Alyssa O'Nan

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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