This position will be filled under the Office of Personnel Management's Direct Hire Authority and is open to all United States citizens and U.S. nationals. 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. To learn more about Direct-Hire authority, go to: OPM.GOV Hiring Information: Direct Hire Fact Sheet
This key fire management position is a categorized under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard as a Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist, Moderate Complexity. Minimum IFPM qualification standards must be met prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at https://www.ifpm.nifc.gov/. Prior experience in wild land firefighting is required in order to carry out the duties of this position. You will not be considered for this position if you do not have prior wild land firefighting experience. 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). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. Only experience and education obtained by 11/26/2025 will be considered. ***Your resume MUST include BEGINNING and END DATES specified in MONTH/YEAR to MONTH/YEAR format. In addition, your resume MUST reflect FULL-TIME/PART-TIME or total number of HOURS worked per week*** You may qualify at the GW-11 level, if you fulfill one of the following qualification requirements: If you are a current or former federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-09 grade level which includes assisting in leading a prescribed fire/fuels management program. Examples of specialized experience may include: assist in developing and reviewing complex fire management and prescribed fire plans to ensure they meet safety standards and support ecological goals; collect and analyze data related to fire program activities to evaluate effectiveness and recommend improvements to increase program efficiency; assist with the management of a zone-level fire program through budget monitoring, operational planning, and evaluation of fire and fuels management activities. OR If you have never been or are NOT a current federal employee who served in a competitive or excepted appointment, your resume must show that you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-10 grade level which includes leading a prescribed fire/fuels management program. Examples of specialized experience may include: develop complex fire management and prescribed fire plans to ensure they meet safety standards and support ecological goals; collect and analyze data related to fire program activities to evaluate effectiveness and recommend improvements to increase program efficiency; support a zone-level fire management program by overseeing budgetary allocations, contributing to strategic operational planning, and conducting comprehensive assessments of fire suppression and fuels management activities. In addition to the specialized experience above, you must have the qualifications described below: IFPM Qualifications for Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist (PFFS) (Moderate Complexity) (Selective Factor): Primary Core Requirement: Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Type 2 (RXB2) AND Secondary Core Requirement: Single Resource Boss, Engine (ENGB) OR Single Resource Boss, Crew (CRWB) OR Single Resource Boss, Helicopter (HMGB) NOTE: You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required minimum qualifications for this IFPM position. Failure to provide this documentation by the closing date of the announcement will result in you being rated as not qualified. 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.
Program Management-Directs all aspects of the fuels management program including planning, implementation, coordination, and evaluation. Develops mid- and long-term programs of work which support the unit's/tribe's land and resource management plan alternatives. Planning-Serves as a key member of an interdisciplinary team (forestry, wildlife biology, range management, geology, archeology, etc.) and exercises seasonal knowledge in developing and implementing land management plans, fire management plans, compliance documents, and agreements. Operations and Safety-Plans and administers the technical and administrative aspects of the prescribed fire/fuels plan, ensuring that preparation, ignition, holding, mop-up, and rehabilitation comply with applicable standards, regulations, policies, and guidelines. Analyzes and evaluates treatment effectiveness, identifies potential problems for further analysis and resolves existing problems to ensure objectives are met. Leadership-Assigns work to lower graded staff based on priorities. Ensures that timeliness, accuracy, quality, and production standards are met. Evaluates work performance and adjusts assignments as required to accomplish workload in accordance with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned tasks