Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. This position is located with the BLM Fire & Aviation Directorate, Division of Support Services, Site and Facilities Branch, Remote Sensing Section located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. We expect to fill 1 position at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.
Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08. Examples may include the following: Experience assembling, repairing or maintaining Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) systems or similar electronic systems utilizing schematic diagrams, a variety of test equipment or knowledge of electronic formulas; Experience applying applications knowledge of electronics to troubleshoot and evaluate system issues. OR Education - Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, electronics technology or a related field that is directly related to the work of the position. OR Combination of Education and Specialized Experience as described above. To qualify for the GS-10 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09. Examples may include the following: Experience assembling, repairing, and maintaining Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) systems utilizing schematic diagrams, a variety of test equipment or knowledge of electronic formulas; Experience applying advanced applications knowledge of electronics to troubleshoot and evaluate system issues or equipment design deficiencies. To qualify for the GS-11 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-10. Examples may include the following: Experience includes expert-level repair, maintenance, calibration, redesign, and modification of Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) or other complex, multi-discipline electronic systems. Advanced experience using schematic diagrams, precision test equipment, and electronic formulas to diagnose, isolate, and correct system malfunctions. Experience serving as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in electronics, applying in-depth theoretical and applied knowledge to troubleshoot and resolve complex systems issues and design deficiencies. There is no substitution for education GS-10 and above. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level. This position is considered a career ladder opportunity, with a full performance level of GS-11. If selected at a lower grade level, you may be non-competitively promoted to the next grade level at the discretion of your supervisor and is contingent upon meeting regulatory and legal requirements for promotion, satisfactory performance, and the availability of higher-level work. Promotion is not guaranteed, and no promise of promotion is implied. Physical Demands: Field work is accomplished under rudimentary and sometimes hazardous working conditions with a minimum amount of test equipment. Duties involve routine and recurring lifting of light to moderately heavy items weighing up to 50 lbs., (occasionally, requires heavy lifting of 85 lbs.), moving of equipment, and installation of RAWS system towers and equipment. This position requires the safe operation of four-wheel drive vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV/UTV) in remote areas that is often physically demanding. This position often requires driving for extended period (up to 10 hours per day). The incumbent will also be required to remove and replace intricate electronic and electro-mechanical components while looking through a magnifying glass.
Serve as resident technical RAWS expert, assist engineers, designers, and vendors in conceptualizing and developing Depot support capabilities for newly identified applications.
Perform RAWS field maintenance, which includes annual maintenance, installations, moves, and diagnostic testing for proper operation to the National Fire Danger Rating System standards.
Perform all facets of field maintenance, test, evaluation, calibration, installation, design modification, and operational quality assurance certification on each assigned RAWS within the overall network.
Evaluate RAWS electronic systems, computer and electro-mechanical components and subsystems to ensure they meet desired field application design and operational parameters.
Perform troubleshooting of complicated sub-system interaction and the resulting difficulty of fault isolation because of the multiple hardware and firmware electronic and computerized technology disciplines involved.
Perform as a lead technician in a crew and is directly responsible for coordination with wildland fire officials and assignment scheduling and planning.
Set up, install, maintain, and certify proper operation of portable Incident Remote Automated Weather Stations (IRAWS) in support of active wildland fire, prescribe burning operations, or other special assignments.
Perform analysis of weather data from operational RAWS stations for anomalies or malfunctions to track trends and to initiate a repair requirement for the affected station.
Perform data entry of various maintenance databases to maintain historical records of all maintenance actions.