Job Description

Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: DHA



Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource.


This position is located in Fairbanks, AK. Information about the surrounding area may be found by clicking on the location name listed.


We expect to fill 1 vacancy at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

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.

Duties

• Advises leadership and staff on fire management policy and implementation strategies to ensure that intent is clearly articulated and subsequently met.
• Provides strategic long-range planning, leadership, guidance, coordination, and evaluation for regional/state wildland fire and aviation programs in the bureau and interagency community.
• Assists in the formulation of annual program budgets.
• Analyzes and assesses existing Departmental and Bureau policy and procedures to evaluate overall effectiveness in meeting Bureau objectives at the regional and/or state level.
• Serves as a wildland fire management program expert and technical advisor.
• Reviews, analyzes, interprets, and disseminates existing and new departmental and bureau policy.
• Interprets laws, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) and departmental directives for aviation and air operations and activities within the Bureau.
• Offers technical strategy recommendations for procuring, managing, operating, and maintaining fire assets which supports Bureau initiatives.
• Advises agency and interagency partners of emerging capabilities of aviation assets and associated applications/techniques.
• Supervises a state or regional wildland fire management program functional area(s).
• Coordinates strategic implementation of complex fire management activities in a rapidly changing environment for allocation of resources, equipment and/or aircraft.

Requirements

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/suitability investigation/determination. Failure to possess or obtain a favorable determination will result in the cancellation of the offer or will be grounds for termination.
• Supervisory Probationary Period: If you are selected for this position, you will be required to serve a one year supervisory/managerial probationary period if one has not previously been completed.
• 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.
• May require completion of a one-year probationary period. See Additional Information section for more details.
• Applicants appointed to this position must POSSESS and maintain a valid state driver's license.

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 GW-13 grade level, 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS/GW-12 is required. Examples of work experience include, but are not limited to: advising high level management officials on fire management planning at the district or state level or equivalent; reviewing wildland fire preparedness actions and operating plans; evaluating, coordinating, directing and implementing policy to support wildland fire management programs and operations; familiarity with budget formulation and expenditure of funds; supervising or leading a staff of fire and aviation professionals responsible for fire and aviation programs.



Substitution of Education for Experience:
There is no substitution of education for experience at the GW-13 and above grade levels.


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.



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.


You must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management (qualifications to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):


A.) Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS); AND
B.) Incident Commander, Type 3 (ICT3),



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



Physical Demands : The work is normally sedentary; however, some physical exertion is required as it relates to site visits and fire line assignments which involve walking on rough, uneven terrain, long periods of standing, and exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and temperatures.



Work Environment : The work is normally performed in an office setting. During the wildland fire season, field work may involve high risk exposure to potentially dangerous situations or stress such as wildfire, heat, smoke, and falling rocks and trees and may require flying in small fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Field work usually requires protective equipment to be worn and a range of safety and other precautions to be observed.


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). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) 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.



FACT SHEET for Fire Positions: Information on Special Retirement.

Education

See Qualifications Section.

Additional information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit


Consistent with the recent passage of legislation for permanent pay reform, salaries contained within this vacancy announcement are reflective of the new Special Base Rate (SBR) Salary Table for Federal wildland firefighters, on the General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay plan effective March 23, 2025.


Probationary period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Under completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.


Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service.


Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.



Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well-qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form.


CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they meet minimum qualifications for this position.


Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on a RPL, you may be given priority consideration.


Certain incentives, such as, Recruitment, Relocation, or Student Loan Repayment, may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis, and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentives (OPM.gov), or Relocation Incentives (OPM.gov), or Student Loan Repayment (OPM.gov)


Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. Smoking will be permitted only in designated areas.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

Review our benefits

How you will be evaluated

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

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. 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 minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

The competencies or job elements below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered:

• Administration & Management: Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.
• Technical Competence: Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.
• Fire Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.
• Leadership: Knowledge of mathematical modeling and simulation tools and techniques to plan and conduct test and evaluation programs, characterize systems support decisions involving requirements, evaluate design alternatives, or support operational preparation.

Required Documents

Resumes must show relevant experience and other information. Your resume MUST list your education and work experience including (1) the dates (mm/yy) of each employment, along with (2) the number of hours worked per week, (3) salary information, and (4) work experience duties listed under each job entry. In addition , Civil Service employees must provide their current OPM title, series, and grade. If experience is for a career ladder position, please ensure to clearly show how long you were working in each grade level. Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. No assumptions will be made about your experience. You are welcome to submit a cover letter.



Resumes must also include name and how to best contact you, including email address and phone number.


In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. Visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume and/or OPM Resume Writing Tips.



In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following supplemental documentation as applicable:

• IQCS: 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 NWCG minimum qualifications for this position. Failure to provide this documentation will result in you being rated as not qualified.
• Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles : documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.

Submitting Required Documents: Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added to your application. You need to transfer your document(s) in the "Documents" step during the application process.


Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application.


Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time , on the closing date of this announcement.


If you are determined to be eligible and best qualified, you will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Applicants should monitor their status for positions by regularly checking their public status notifications in the USAJOBS profile.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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.

How to Apply

To receive consideration for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package, which includes ALL of the following items: 1) Your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire; 2) Your resume; and 3) Applicable supporting documents specified in the Required Documents section of this job announcement.



THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS . Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of the announcement . If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office at blm_fa_nifc_hr_external@blm.gov . If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying.



PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online.



YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume.



INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING.


The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you log in to your USAJOBS account.



1. Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered.



2. Y o u must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.

• To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
• Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
• After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process .
• You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
• The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes".
• Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section.
• To view the assessment questionnaire, click here:

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (Welcome | Login.gov), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit:



FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, on-line questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.


Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

Agency contact information

FA-HR-External-2 NIFC

Phone

208-387-5517

Email

blm_fa_nifc_hr_external@blm.gov

Address

BLM Alaska
222 W 7th Ave #13
Anchorage, AK 99513
US

Next steps

You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJOBS account. You will receive an acknowledgement email from USAJOBS that your submission was successful once we have received your online questionnaire, resume, and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application and/or referral to the hiring official via your USAJOBS account after the evaluation process is complete. You will be contacted if further evaluation is required or if interviews are conducted.

If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to BLM_FA_NIFC_HR_EXTERNAL@BLM.GOV. Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

01/09/2026 to 01/26/2026

Salary

$127,570 to - $165,842 per year

The salary includes base pay and locality pay, you will also receive a 1.49% cost of living allowance. This allowance is subject to annual review."

Pay scale & grade

GW 13

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Fairbanks, AK

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

Yes—he BLM has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - Travel is required to attend training, conferences, workshops, and/or field visits.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent - This is a permanent appointment.

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

Promotion potential

None

Job family (Series)

• 0456 Wildland Fire Management

Supervisory status

Yes

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test

Yes

Position sensitivity and risk

Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk

Trust determination process

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure

No

Bargaining unit status

No

Announcement number

FADHA-26-12862433-AE

Control number

854012700

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Full time, Work experience placement, Work at office, Local area, Remote work, Relocation, Relocation package,

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