Summary
This position supports the US Wildland Fire Service as a Wildland Firefighter (Senior Advisor), GW-0456-14. Position is located in Boise, Idaho at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and supports the Fire Readiness and Training Directorate.Major Duties
Provides strategic policy advice and guidance within the assigned national fire management portfolio, which may include fire operations ensuring alignment with fire readiness and training systems, fuels and prescribed fire programs, fire ecology and monitoring, safety, aviation, intelligence and analytics, facilities, partnerships, or related program areas. Advises and assists senior leadership on matters that cut across the assigned portfolio, including advancing strategic initiatives aligned with organizational needs and mission priorities. Advises senior leaders in developing budget guidance and business rules for the assigned national fire management portfolio. Coordinates with other USWFS divisions to ensure policy and budget alignment across fire management programs. Exercises delegated discretionary authority, as assigned, to approve the allocation and distribution of organizational funds within the portfolio. Collaborates with Agency and USWFS leadership and key management officials to resolve complex issues affecting the assigned national fire management portfolio and to build consensus on policy direction. Develops, maintains, and implements policies, procedures, and standards within the assigned portfolio in coordination with deputy directors, assistant directors, and other senior staff. Provides oversight of updates to policies and processes and leads USWFS, DOI, and interagency policy development efforts, issue analyses, and special projects as assigned. Maintains broad institutional knowledge of USWFS policies and programs and their relationship to the assigned fire management portfolio to ensure alignment with federal natural resource and public land management missions. Provides confidential advice and counsel to senior leadership on special projects and enterprise level initiatives, ensuring feasibility and alignment with agency goals and policy direction. Leads and participates in cross-functional initiatives to develop and implement policies, systems, performance frameworks, and evaluation processes applicable within the assigned portfolio. Engages regularly in multiagency and multidisciplinary coordination involving multiple levels of government and stakeholders.Education
There is no education substitute for specialized experience at the GW-0456-14 grade level.Requirements
U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotorwing aircraft. You may be required to wear a uniform and comply with the US Wildland Fire Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 or more nights per month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Notice of Financial Disclosure Report Requirement: This position is subject to a financial disclosure requirement, and you will be required to complete either OGE Form 278e or OGE Form 450 as applicable within 30 days of your appointment.Evaluations
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. 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. 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.How to Apply
Review the appointment eligibility criteria in the application preview linked below. The eligibility section of the application allows you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the eligibilities that you select "yes" to and submit the required supporting documentation, as listed in the Required Documents section or the application text. You may qualify for more than one eligibility, so please choose carefully. If you respond that you do not meet any of the eligibility criteria, you will not be considered for this position under this announcement. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents section. Click 'Apply' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents. To preview the assessment questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12961079. Please ensure you check the acknowledgement checkbox then click the Submit Application button to submit your application. Applications must be received by 07/02/2026, 11:59pm ET to receive consideration. Check application status by logging into your USAJOBS account, in Applications tab, click the position title you applied to for the status. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please refer to the contact information listed at the bottom of the announcement.What to Expect Next
Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified of your status and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted by the hiring official. You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated. 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 contact listed on this announcement. Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.Required Documents
You must submit a complete application package. The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 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, and (3) 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 and/or education. 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. Do not include the following types of information in your resume: Classified or government sensitive information Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents. 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: CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: 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. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.Other Information
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 US Wildland Fire 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 US Wildland Fire Service 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 US Wildland Fire Service. 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. Physical Demands: Work is carried out primarily in an office or meeting room setting; however, occasional physical activity such as hiking and climbing in wildlands is required during on-site inspections. The work is mainly sedentary, usually performed at a desk. There is, as needed, physical exertion while inspecting and evaluating the conditions of the fire sites and overall ground program which will include walking over rough, uneven terrain in any type of weather. Working Conditions: Most work is performed in an office setting. Travel (less than 25%) is for the purpose of meetings, training, onsite inspections, and fire policy implementation. The US Wildland Fire Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. 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.
