Federal

Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning Specialist)

Forest Service ยท Department of Agriculture
๐Ÿ“ Salt Lake City, Utah GW-11/12 $83,639 - $126,835/yr
Posted: May 19, 2026 Deadline: May 28, 2026 (Closes in 9 days)

About This Position

This position is located on a USDA Forest Service Unit within the Intermountain Region, Region

  1. 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. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact BJ Bugger at [email protected].

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: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GW-09) in the Federal service. 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.

For the GW-12: You must have one year specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GW-11) in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience are: Provided program management direction and/or expertise for interagency and/or national forest and grasslands fire planning efforts; Provided program leadership and/or consultation for short-term or long-term strategic fire management planning, assessments, interagency and/or unit fire management plans; utilized specialized software and modeling to evaluate the effectiveness of fire and/or aviation management strategies to meet land and resource management goals and objectives; Developed annual program of work, including budget allocations, discretionary spending accounts, and severity requests. 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 GW-12 level.

Coordinates review of plans developed in the region to ensure that they reflect national, regional, and local management goals, requirements, and strategic objectives related to fire and aviation management.

Evaluates the technical aspects and effectiveness of existing wildland fire and aviation management programs and provides recommended changes or initiatives to improve the overall efficiency and success of the programs.

Provides advice and guidance in adaptation of policies, standards, methods, and guidelines received from national and regional levels to local conditions.

Maintains open communication with interagency and intra-agency partners involved in the fire planning process.

Provides regional input utilizing analytical tools for regional, national forest and grassland fire management planning and budgeting.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience.

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/12956666

Additional Information

Location Negotiable-This position will be located at a Forest Service office across the Intermountain Region, Region

  1. Final determination of the duty station(s) for this position will be made by the selecting official at the time of job offer. To see where Region 4 Forest Service offices are located, click here. 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.

Government housing and federal day care facilities may be available. 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. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97.

Questions should be directed to the Travel Help Desk, 877-372-7248, Option 1, or email [email protected] 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. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Wildland Firefighter (Fire Management Planning Specialist) 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 Specialist) job located?
This position is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
There is no substitution of education for specialized experience.
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 May 28, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
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.