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.
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 GW-14 (formerly GS-14), you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-13 (or GS-13) 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: Leading, planning and developing national direction standards and procedures for wildland fire management; AND Formulating fire management policies, plans, and programs for a large organization (Geographical scale of regional/state to national); AND Providing oversight in managing relationships with partners in wildland fire management, to effectively work with other agencies under existing agreements. Note: You must meet ALL Specialized Experience statements listed above. Firefighter Special Retirement: This is a SECONDARY/Administrative fire 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 (MEA) policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position 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. 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.
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Office of Wildland Fire in either Boise, Idaho or Washington, D.C. At the full performance level GW-14 (formerly GS-14) the major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: Serves as a senior professional wildland fire management advisor to the Department of the Interior, Department offices, and Bureaus. 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. Contributes to the development of policies, program guidance, briefing papers, congressional responses, media inquiries, and other external requests. Provides expert knowledge in all matters affecting wildland fire activities and has experience in incident management and fire management roles and able to negotiate with a wide variety of top-level managers with a high degree of independence, assurance, and initiative. Leads establishment, implementation, and oversight of internal controls for aspects of the Department's wildland fire program to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and direction. Provides leadership and facilitation for wildland fire strategic planning and priority efforts as identified by the Administration, Congress, and the Department. Coordinates development and implementation of strategic wildland fire management policy, planning and programs to reduce wildfire risk and improve wildfire resilience across the Nation. Represents the Director, Deputy Directors, and the Department through speaking engagements and participation in a variety of forums, panels, task forces, workshops, both Federal and non- federal. Telework: 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. Salary Range Information (Wildland Firefighter Pay Plan-GW): Boise, Idaho: $128,266-$166,746 per year. Washington, D.C.: $146,762 - $190,791 per year. Note: The salaries listed in this announcement reflect the permanent pay increases for federal wildland firefighters, effective March 23, 2025. The new pay schedule is accessible here: Wildland Firefighter. In addition to the listed special base rate salary, this position is also eligible for Incident Response Premium when incumbent is deployed to a qualifying incident, which may significantly increase overall compensation. First time hires to the federal government typically start at the beginning salary in the range for their respective grade level. This vacancy may be used to fill additional positions as vacancies become available.