Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens - No previous federal service is required. This position is being advertised under an OPM government-wide Direct Hire authority. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.

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• Parachutes into mountainous, remote, and/or rugged terrain and performs as a wildland firefighter, primarily as an Incident Commander or other leadership role.
• Plans and directs the aerial attack of single or numerous fires. Directs smokejumper aircraft and other aerial resources assigned to the incident.
• Determines drop zones, wind conditions, the pilot's flight altitude and pattern, exit points, and releases paracargo from the airplane.
• Provides logistical support to visiting and resident smokejumpers and pilots, coordinating transportation, lodging and other needs.
• Performs a wide variety of administrative functions from the field, including maintenance of unit logs, aircraft records, and safety tracking records.
• Packs, inspects, repairs, and maintains parachutes and related smokejumper equipment. Oversees these operations as a rigging supervisor. Packs emergency reserve parachutes.
• Operates a remote spike base with up to 40 smokejumpers and 3 aircraft.
• Serves as the satellite Base Manager or Liaison Officer for the Great Basin or Alaska Smokejumpers in satellite operations, interacting with the appropriate interagency dispatch centers, coordination centers, and fire management personnel.
• Completes safety management reporting documents.
• Conducts a wide variety of training related to fire suppression, aviation, parachute training, prescribed fire and fire monitoring.
• Determines roles and responsibilities for subordinates and monitors performance.
• Completes and provides input into performance evaluations and takes disciplinary action when needed.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Be sure to read the HOW TO APPLY and REQUIRED DOCUMENTS Sections.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license; nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Land.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Background Investigation Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background investigation. Failure to possess or obtain a favorable determination will result in the cancellation of the offer or will be grounds for termination.
• You must meet specified levels on annual physical fitness tests, and pass periodic medical exams for wildland fire personnel, commensurate with current incident management qualification.
• You must pass a pre-employment physical. You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
• May require completion of a one year probationary period.
• Applicants appointed to this position must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license.
• Driver’s License required – GSA Form 3607 will be required to be completed during onboarding process.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience Requirements:
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the specialized experience requirement(s); please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in difficulty and complexity to the next lower grade of the position to be filled.

To qualify for the GS/GW-08 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS/GW-07 is required. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: performing smokejumper missions into rugged terrain ; coordinating logistical needs, and interfacing with management, cooperators, and the public; operating as an Initial Attack Incident Commander.

To qualify for the GS/GW-09 grade level, 1 year (12 months) of specialized experience equivalent to GS/GW-08 is required. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of work experience include but are not limited to: performing smokejumper missions into rugged terrain; coordinating logistical needs, and interfacing with management, cooperators, and the public; operating as an Initial Attack Incident Commander; instructing or independently supervising work projects of crewmembers.

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.

Substitution of Education for Experience:
For GS/GW-08: 36 semester hours (2 years) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

For GS/GW-09: 36 semester hours (2 years) of graduate education which is DIRECTLY related to work of the position OR an equivalent combination of specialized experience and education.

Selective Placement Factor(s): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified.

1.) This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration. Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.

2.) Prior smokejumping experience required. This experience must be documented in the online application or resume with specific to AND from dates (MM/YY), description of work performed, AND hours worked per week.

**You must meet all qualification and selective placement factor requirements by the closing date of the announcement.**

Medical Requirements: Please see the Department of Interior Medical Standards Program website for the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for your position: http://www.nifc.gov/medical_standards/index.html

Physical Requirements: Employment in this position is conditional upon your successful completion of the following BLM smokejumper physical fitness performance tests: When you report for duty, you will be given a physical condition test. The test is given in one time period with a 5-minute break between exercises. The test consists of performing the following exercises:

• 30 push-ups
• 6 pull-ups
• Run 1.5 miles in 10.47 minutes or less OR backpacking a 110 pound load three miles in less than 65 minutes.
• Work Capacity Test at the Arduous Level: All arduous wildland firefighters must backpack a 45 pound load for three miles in 45 minutes or less.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the qualification requirements of this position.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine your eligibility for Federal employment and your qualifications for this position specifically. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and/or job elements) in the following areas:

• Fire Management
• Technical Competence
• Leadership