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Announcement close date extended to 9/20/2022
An initial cut-off date of October 15, 2021, 11:59 pm (EST) has been established to review and refer the first group of qualified applicants. If no selection is made from the first cut-off list, applications thereafter will be pulled with cut-off dates being the last day of the month for employment consideration.
The announcement is scheduled to close on September 20, 2022, but may close sooner if selections can be made from earlier cut-off dates.
09/27/2021 to 09/20/2022
$29.45 - $38.86 per hour
Salary includes a 2.86% - 4.40% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) which is subject to annual review and adjustment.
GS 9
No
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—- You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Permanent
Full-time - See the "duties" section for clarification.
Competitive
None
Yes
Yes
AK1537-AKRO-21-11234831-DHA
615502200
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen and local commuting area Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP), Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) or, Reemployment Priority List (RPL) eligibles. DIRECT HIRING AUTHORITY will be used to fill this position.
These positions are located in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve (Fairbanks, Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Denali Park, Alaska) in the Fire Management Divisions.
Denali Park Position: Here is a unique opportunity to work in a challenging and dynamic fire & aviation program that provides helicopter services to Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve and Western Arctic National Parklands (Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve) for approximately 20 million acres.
Fairbanks Position: Here is a unique opportunity to work in a challenging and dynamic fire & aviation program that provides helicopter services to Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve for approximately 24 million acres.
The Helicopter Program Manager of the Alaska Western Area Fire Management program is primarily responsible for daily operations of the Fire Exclusive-use helicopter. Duties include wildfire initial attack, extended attack, fuels management, fire ecology, other all-risk incidents including search and rescue, resource helicopter operations, contract administration, and record keeping.
The Helicopter Program Manager of the Alaska Eastern Area Fire Management program is primarily responsible for daily operations of the Fire Exclusive-use helicopter. Duties include wildfire initial attack, extended attack, fuels management, fire ecology, other all-risk incidents including search and rescue, resource helicopter operations, contract administration, and record keeping.
The exclusive use helicopter program manager may also provide the same services for other National Parks and interagency operations and support cooperative work with other Federal, state and local authorities. The wide variety of helicopter operations managed by the incumbent requires flexibility and the skill to balance competing priorities.
Ensures all Bureaus, Department, FAA, NTSB, and OSHA safety regulations and policy are strictly enforced for helicopter, suppression and project activities.
As necessary serves as the alternative or primary Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and Project Inspector (PI).Responsible for acquisition, aviation budget, inventory, monitoring and maintenance of helicopter support vehicles, manages permanent and temporary helibases, equipment and accessories, aerial ignition equipment, personal protective equipment, etc.
The incumbent provides technical expertise for helicopter operations, instructs fire and aviation related courses as qualified, and performs other duties as assigned.
Western Area Fire Management provides fire management and aviation services as a jurisdictional agency representing Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve and Western Arctic National Parklands (Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve). Western Area parks average approximately 40,000 acres burned annually.
Alaska Eastern Area Fire Management provides fire management and aviation services as a jurisdictional agency representing Yukon-Charley National Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. Eastern Area parks average approximately 27,000 acres burned annually.
This is a Career-Seasonal position and subject to release and recall procedures. Selectee will be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks and up to 6 months per year based on project requirements or weather conditions. This position is guaranteed to be in a paid status for at least13 pay periods. It is anticipated that you will be in a paid status for 20 pay periods and in a non-paid status for 6 pay periods. Non-pay/non-work for this position is expected to be November through March of every year. It is anticipated that you will be in a paid status for the remainder of the year. When your services are not required due to lack of work, lack of funds, weather conditions or for other reasons, you will be placed in a non-work/non-pay status. You will have the option to continue your health coverage while in non-pay status.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Additional information about the National Parks Service in Alaska can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/index.htm
For questions regarding the duties of this position, please contact Larry Weddle at larry_weddle@nps.gov or (907) 683-9548 or Jason Devcich at jason_devcich@nps.gov or (907) 455-0650.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience.
This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Helicopter Manager and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to moving into the position. For more information on IFPM, click here.
Initial consideration will be given to candidates whose applications have been received before the first cut-off date. The following qualification requirements must be met for those applications submitted, by the first cut-off date, otherwise, the following qualifications must be met by the subsequent cut-off dates (the last day of every month) until the announcement closes. The announcement is scheduled to close on March 25, 2022, but may close sooner if selections can be made from earlier cut-off dates.
Selective Factors: The applicant must have possessed all the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position:
1. Held or currently holdHelicopter Manager (HMGB, previously HCWN, HELB or HEMG) NWCG Incident Management Qualification;
- AND -
2. Held or currently holdHelibase Manager (HEBM) NWCG Incident Management Qualification;
- AND -
3. Held or currently hold Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4) NWCG Incident Management Qualification.
Selectees for IFPM positions requiring currency will be required to obtain and maintain currency for the NWCG qualifications listed above. Note: You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which reflects completion of the required NWCG qualifications for this position.
- AND -
To qualify for the GS-0462-09 position, applicants must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
NOTE: If your firefighting experience includes both structural and wildland, it is essential that your application materials clearly separate and document your wildland experience.
Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-08 level in the Federal service. Examples of qualifying specialized for this position is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: performing wildland fire operations, and at least one of the following wildland fire-fighting functions: Initial attack and Fire-line Suppression Operations; Prescribed Fire Operations; Helitack Operations; Wildland Fire Engine Operations; leading others in any two of the following functions: initial attack and suppression hand-crew operations; prescribed fire operations; wildland fire engine crew operations; helitack fire crew operations; providing on-the-job training and conducting daily crew briefings, safety sessions, and/or other basic wildland fire training. You must include hours worked per week.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher graduate level education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation in one of the following fields: fire science, fire management or discipline directly related to the position. You must include a copy of your transcripts.
-OR-
Combination: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above which meets the total experience requirement. Only graduate education in excess of 1 year (18 semester hours) may be combined with experience. Note: To calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education, divide your number of semester hours in excess of 18 semester hours by 18 or the number your school uses to represent one year of full time graduate academic study. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide your months of qualifying specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages. They must equal 100% to qualify using this option. You must include a copy of your transcripts.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: If you are using education to qualify you must submit a legible copy of your transcripts (A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected).
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: The Helicopter Manager is typically the initial attack responder for many incidents.Duties include demands for strenuous activities in emergencies under adverseenvironmental conditions and over extended periods of time. Operation of somespecialized fire equipment can place extended physical stress on the incumbent duringfire activities. The work frequently involves long shifts and complex decision making,and extended periods of time away from home.
Working Conditions: The work is performed at remote locations, airstrips, helibases, unimproved helispots,and park environments of extreme high and low temperatures, steep terrain, anduneven work surfaces. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personalprotective equipment be worn (boots, hardhat, gloves, flame resistant clothing, etc.).Work may require travel by light fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft, and operating firetrucks (engines) under adverse conditions.
When submitting college transcripts, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
**Superior Qualifications pay setting may be authorized for this position. The candidate's skills, competencies, experience, education, and/or accomplishments must be relevant to the requirements of the position to be filled. The candidate may be eligible for the Superior Qualifications if the candidate meets or exceeds the minimum IFPM qualification standards. Superior Qualifications pay setting allows the rate of basic pay of a newly-appointed employee to be set at a rate above the minimum rate of the starting salary (GS-09 Step 01).**
This notice is being issued to recruit personnel to occupations for which a critical hiring need has been identified. To assist in filling these positions, OPM has granted the Department of the Interior "Direct Hire Authority".
A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.
A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.
Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the person selected for the position is from outside the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses under the Federal Travel Regulations. Or a relocation/recruitment incentive may be offered.
Alaska currently does not have a state income tax.
Government housing may be available.
Working for the National Park Service offers a comprehensive benefits package that may include, in part, sick and personal leave, holidays, life and health insurance, retirement benefits, and participation in the Thrift Savings Plan which includes a percentage of government matching contributions.
In the event of an accident while traveling in a government aircraft, the payable benefits of a private life insurance policy may be affected.
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants will be evaluated based on how whether they meet the qualification requirements.
Upon receipt of the completed application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure basic qualification requirements are met.
This vacancy will be filled through a Direct Hire Authority. Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to positions filled under this Authority. All qualified applicants, as determined by the SHRO, will be referred for consideration. While managers and supervisors are not required to conduct interviews, it is highly recommended that they do so in order to assess the competencies of each applicant.
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.
If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, the applicant will receive no consideration for the position, as per OPM regulations.
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the first cut-off, one of the subsequent cut-off dates (last day of every month) or 09/20/2022:
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
FERS TRANSITION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved retirement covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary retirement covered position.
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.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the first cut-off, one of the subsequent cut-off dates (last day of every month) or 09/20/2022.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the qualified candidates, your name will be referred to the hiring official, and you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/615502200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
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