Federal

Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning)

Forest Service ยท Department of Agriculture
๐Ÿ“ Vallejo, California GW-11/12 $83,639 - $126,835/yr
Posted: Mar 10, 2026 Deadline: Mar 19, 2026 (Closed days left)

About This Position

This position is located on a USDA Forest Service Unit. The incumbent provides program leadership and consultation for short- and long-term strategic fire management planning, assessments, and interagency and/or unit fire management plans. See ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Section for Regional Contacts.

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-11: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the (GW-09) in Federal Service or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience are: Provides input for short and/or long term strategic fire management planning, assessments, and/or unit fire management plans; Evaluated the technical aspects and effectiveness of existing wildland fire and/or aviation management programs by providing recommended changes or initiatives to improve the overall efficiency and success of the programs; Assists in the data collection and/or evaluation of fire hazard risk, fuels, historic fire occurrence, fire effects, climatology and weather; Provided wildland fire planning technical support and coordination with fire management officers, land or resource management staffs, and/or planners throughout the local area.

GW-12: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the (GW-11) in Federal Service or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience are: Provided expertise for short and long term strategic fire management planning, assessments, and interagency and/or unit fire management plans; Evaluated the technical aspects and effectiveness of existing wildland fire and/or aviation management programs by providing recommended changes or initiatives to improve the overall efficiency and success of the programs; Performed data collection and evaluation of fire hazard risk, fuels, historic fire occurrence, fire effects, climatology and weather; Provided wildland fire planning technical support and coordination with fire management officers, land or resource management staffs, and planners throughout the local area. 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.

Major Duties

Duties listed are at full performance grade GS-12 level.

Evaluate effectiveness of existing wildland fire and/or aviation management programs to provide recommendations for improvement and success of the program.

Provide input for budget development to ensure unit staffing levels are met. Review expenditures, including budget allocations, discretionary spending accounts to report accomplishments to leadership.

Use trend analysis to provide input for direct and indirect spending to adjust budget allocations as needed. Ensure fire management plans are in compliance with laws, policies, regulations and/or environmental mandates.

Coordinate the review of fire plans that reflect national, regional, and local management goals, requirements and strategic objectives related to fire and aviation management.

Consult program leadership for the development of long-term strategic fire management planning, assessments, interagency and/or fire management plans.

How You Will Be Evaluated

This is a Direct-Hire Authority position, all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, to include any selective placement factor(s), if applicable, will be referred to the selecting official. Before a certificate is issued to the selecting official, the resume is reviewed to ensure that you meet all the qualification requirements. A rating will not be used; veteran's preference does not apply due to the existence of the Direct Hire authority for this position.

Selections made under this authority will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would be given a new appointment.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12896187

Additional Information

For additional information about the duties and location(s) of these positions, please contact regional representative: To see the different locations within the Regional Offices | US Forest Service (usda.gov) Region 5: Pacific Southwest Region - Brian Grabowski - [email protected] LOCATION NEGOTIABLE AFTER SELECTION: Selecting the "Location Negotiable After Selection" option as well as selecting your preferred duty location(s), during the application process implies your willingness to accept a position in any duty location listed on this particular announcement. Selecting the Location Negotiable After Selection option, along with any specific duty locations, is encouraged as an opportunity to increase your chances of being considered and receiving an offer. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL), or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors.

These are permanent positions with varying tours of duty and may include weekend work. Some positions may have irregular and protracted hours of work. Tours of duty include full-time or less than full time (guaranteed minimum 13 pay periods full-time employment).

Availability of government housing, federal day care facilities, and telework may be available. Some positions filled via this announcement are bargaining unit positions represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAMAW. This is dependent upon unit location.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates.

Additional Information is available on the OPM Website. PROMOTION POTENTIAL: If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is neither implied or guaranteed.

Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.

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.

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

Resume that includes: Personal Information: name, address, contact information; Education; Work Experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment; title, series, grade (if applicable); other qualifications. Resume cannot exceed 2 pages. If education is required or you are using education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.

An unofficial copy is sufficient with the application if it includes your name and the necessary course information; however, if you are selected, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to entering on duty. Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education, visit the NACES website.

All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation. Surplus or displaced employees eligible for CTAP, RPL, or ICTAP priority must provide: proof of eligibility (RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for declining a transfer of function or directed reassignment to another commuting area, notice of disability annuity termination), SF-50 documenting separation (as applicable), current performance appraisal with rating of at least "Fully Successful" or equivalent, and your most recent SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with your application per 5 CFR 330. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning) position at Forest Service?
The salary range for this position is $83,639 - $126,835/yr. This is a GW-11/12 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning) job located?
This position is located in Vallejo, California. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
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 poss...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Mar 19, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GW-11/12 mean?
GW-11/12 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.