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Program Manager (Deputy Director)

Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Office of Wildland Fire
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Department of the Interior is devoted to protecting and preserving the natural resources of this great nation, including National Parks, Landmarks, and the well-being of communities, including those of Native American, Alaska Natives and affiliated Islanders.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/24/2025 to 07/08/2025
Salary
$167,603 to - $195,200 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Washington, DC
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
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
High Risk (HR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
OS-6053-25-AI-094
Control number
839408200

Duties

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This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Office of Wildland Fire, in Washington, D.C.

At the full performance level (GS-15) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Leads the development of consistent Departmental wildland fire policies and coordinates policy development within the Department and with external partners. Provides policy advice, expertise, and guidance to the OWF Director, Deputy Assistant Secretary, and other Department and bureau officials.
  2. Collaborates with the Office Wildland Fire (OWF) Director and Deputy Director of Operations on development of consistent Departmental wildland fire management and operational programs and policies.
  3. Provides coordination and liaison on wildland fire policy and program issues with Department of the Interior leadership, Department of the Interior bureaus, US Forest Service, states, tribes, and other partners.
  4. Develops and delivers concise and effective oral and written presentations, including Issue papers, analyses, and briefings, to the OWF Director, senior Departmental officials, and external audiences.
  5. Supervises and assigns work to OWF staff in the Washington DC and Boise offices. Responsibilities include planning work to be accomplished, determining priorities and goals, evaluating performance, and performing administrative and personnel duties.
The Office of Wildland Fire has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Washington, D.C. Salary Range Information:
GS-15: $167,603 - $195,200 per year

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the lower salary range of the grade level.

This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  1. You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  2. You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation/determination.
  3. You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit.
  4. You must submit ALL required documents and a completed questionnaire.
  5. Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service system, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See http://www.sss.gov/.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:
To qualify for this position, you must meet the Specialized Experience for the series/grade to which you are applying.

Specialized Experience:
To qualify for the GS-15, you must possess at least one full year of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized Experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

  1. Experience overseeing or directing the work of a multidisciplinary team.
  2. Experience formulating, executing, or managing a program budget.
  3. Experience serving as a senior advisor to management or executive leadership in developing and implementing strategic plans.
  4. Experience to coordinate across Departments, bureaus, or offices to develop detailed plans to improve efficient operations.
  5. Experience with recommending program policies, plans, guidelines, proposals, and processes.
Note: You must meet ALL Specialized Experience statements to qualify for the GS-15 grade level.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions and is available at OPM's website: https://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/num-ndx.asp

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Additional information

Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Supervisory Probationary Period: This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.

Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450)within 30 days of your appointment.

Important Note: All Department of the Interior (DOI) employees are subject to the conflict-of-interest restrictions imposed upon all employees of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report. In addition, DOI employees, GS-15 and above, who work in the Office of the Secretary; along with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) employees (at ALL grade levels), are further restricted concerning their interests in Federal lands and resources administered or controlled by the Department of the Interior. This includes holding stock in energy corporations which lease Federal lands (e.g.: oil, gas, coal, alternative energy resources, etc.). If you have any such investments, you should contact the DOI, BOEM or BSEE Ethics Office before accepting employment. DOI employees are held to the highest level of integrity. Employees must be objective and impartial in the performance of their work. All potential issues (e.g.: work-related interactions with friends, family members, or previous employers) must be disclosed at the time of application or during the interview process.

NOTICE: This employer participates in E-Verify and will utilize your Form I-9 information to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The preliminary background check consists of a search of Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense background investigation files and an FBI National Criminal History Fingerprint Check; it may take up to 3 weeks to complete. If selected for this position, you will be extended a tentative offer of employment pending a satisfactory background check. Current Federal employees or individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check; these will be handled on a case-by-case basis in coordination with the Bureau security office.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online assessment will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. The best qualified candidates will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

Your answers to the on-line assessment will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  1. Leadership - Inspires, motivates, and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.
  2. Strategic Planning/Performance Management - Knowledge of the principles and methods for evaluating program or organizational performance against strategic goals using financial and non-financial measures, including identification of evaluation factors (for example, workload, personnel requirements), metrics, and outcomes.
  3. Decision Making - Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
  4. Technical Competence - Understands and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise; maintains credibility with others on technical matters.
DUE WEIGHT: Due Weight Consideration is a review process used to provide consideration to performance appraisals and awards submitted with each application on a used merit promotion certificate and factoring the results into the merit promotion selection process.

Please submit: (1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and (2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

Note: If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level. It is your responsibility to obtain and upload your performance appraisal/evaluation and/or list of awards prior to the closing of the vacancy announcement.

To preview the assessment questionnaire click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12754081

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