Wildland Firefighter (Airtanker Base Ramp Manager)

Summary

These positions will be located at a USDA Forest Service Unit. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as an Airtanker Base Ramp Manager. Responsibilities may include retardant mixing, loading into aircraft, and all activities on the ramp, including aircraft movement, and safety. Maintains airtanker base facilities, vehicles and equipment. See ADDITIONAL INFORMATION for Regional contacts.

Duties

• Duties listed are at full performance grade GW-07 level.
• Performs various technical airtanker-related duties such as operating or overseeing the use of specialized equipment used by an airtanker base, retardant mixing and delivery systems.
• Coordinates all movement of aircraft, vehicles and personnel on the ramp. Maintains the safety of ramp operations. Monitors and directs personnel (parking tenders, retardant loaders, fuel vendors and mechanics) in ramp operations.
• Provides flight information such as incident locations, heading and radio frequencies to aircrew. Briefs on hazards and conditions that may affect air operations.
• Serves as Project Inspector for the base's aviation and retardant contracts. Performs day-to-day contract inspections and enforces contractual provisions.
• Maintains Daily Flight Invoices, Contract Daily Diaries, retardant deliveries, total gallons used and all costs associated with the operation.
• Directs and participates in the maintenance of the base buildings, grounds, equipment and water systems.

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Specialized Experience Requirement: For the GW-06: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GW-05 grade level in Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience may include: Assisted in providing facility maintenance, oversight and/or procedures for repairs and improvements; Assisted higher level personnel with contract preparation and/or administration; and Used specialized airtanker equipment and ensured equipment is in proper working order. For the GW-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GW-06 grade level in Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience may include: Assisted in the safe loading of fire retardant materials into airtankers; Provided facility maintenance, oversight and/or procurement for repairs and improvements; Assisted in administering aircraft and retardant contracts. 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. FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary firefighter position under 5 USC 8336 (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent depends upon his or her individual work history. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify. Must be 18 years of age. This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice. Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable). Some Fire positions may have Conditions of Employment such as: a valid state driver's license; a commercial driver's license (CDL); pre-appointment and random drug testing; or a physical or medical examination. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience.

How to apply

Please view Tips for Applicants - a guide to the Forest Service application process. Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Mountain Time Zone, Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement to be entered into the system prior to its closing. Resumes must not exceed two pages. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this. To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents. Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration. Please ensure your resume does not exceed two pages. Applicants who submit a resume that exceeds two pages will be removed from consideration. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc.