Branch Chief - Fire Planning - Direct Hire Authority

About the role

This position will be filled at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), duty location Boise, ID, servicing USWFS. Incumbent serves as Branch Chief for Fire Planning providing senior leadership, technical direction and program oversight for analytics, technology solutions, and strategic planning. For additional questions about this position, or duty location, please contact Division Chief Jason Fallon at jason_fallon@fire.doi.gov. 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. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page 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 total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time or part-time, hours must be included). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. 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. Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement. Basic Qualification Requirements: Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered. Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either: At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization. -OR- At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive). Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement.; AND In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required: For the GW-14 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-13 level, or higher in the Federal service, or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience include: Supervised multidisciplinary staff performing complex wildfire planning and operational support work by planning and assigning work, setting priorities, evaluating performance, providing guidance, identifying training needs, and developing performance standards. Led a national wildfire strategic planning program supporting strategic fire management planning, risk analysis, preparedness prioritization, and interagency coordination across federal, state, tribal, and local partners. Developed national standards for strategic fire management planning frameworks, risk-informed decision support, and operational planning products while ensuring consistency and alignment across geographic areas and field operations. Advised senior leadership on emerging operational risks and capability gaps, coordinating interagency planning governance and resources, and improving program effectiveness through evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and continuous refinement of planning tools and processes. 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. FERS TRANSITION REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under F

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