Summary This position is located within a National Forest. The position is located on a fire crew as a crewmember within the fire management organization. This position is established on a Forest Unit to serve primarily as an operator of heavy equipment on Initial attack, fire, and fuels management activities. Duties The primary purpose of this position is the operation of a variety of heavy equipment for fire suppression activities. | Incumbent must have an understanding of fire behavior, fuels, weather and topography to safely and effectively perform initial attack on wildland fires. | Suppression activities may be under immediate supervision, however, incumbent may be required to conduct suppression activities independently. | Operates one or more types of heavy equipment to push, pull, pile, or load materials such as sand, gravel, and earth. | Clears brush, tree stumps, and rocks while constructing fire lines for suppression and prescribed fire activities. | Adjusts the attachments for proper level, angle, or depth, according to the work to be done and the type of equipment used. | Work is generally done on flat or rolling terrain with simple terrain problems. | May serve in positions as qualified on wildland and prescribed fire. | May perform a full range of duties for fire, roads, timber, silviculture, recreation, wilderness, or research activities. | Is required to have a good degree of mechanical ability and skill to perform preventive maintenance and minor repair of equipment. | Transports heavy equipment to job site. | Completes all agency required administrative duties. | May provide direction and instruction to personnel assigned to assist. | Performs wildfire suppression support as directed within training and physical capabilities.
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 Federal Wage System Qualifications Standards.
Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary.
Applicants will be evaluated on their ability to perform the duties of the position rather than length of experience. Eligibility will be determined by the relevance, scope and quality of all experience and training, regardless of where or how acquired.
Applicants will be ranked and rated based on their knowledge of the job elements identified in this announcement.
Job Elements:
- Ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision.
- Operation of Motor Vehicles
- Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
- Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (related to mobile equipment operation)
- Ability to Drive Safely (Motor Vehicles)
- Reliability and Dependability as an Engineering Equipment Operator
There is no substitution of education for this position.
Selective Placement Factors
- Position is required to drive vehicles that require a Class A or Class B Commercial Driver's License, based on type or kind of equipment being operated. Incumbent ensures appropriate permits are obtained for transporting and operating assigned equipment.
- This position is a Test Designated Position (TDP) under the Forest Service/Department of Transportation (DOT) Alcohol and Controlled Substances Testing Program.
- This is a testing designated position which requires a negative test result for illegal drug use prior to appointment and randomly thereafter.
- Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Qualification Standards for moderate level wildland firefighting.
To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
WORK CAPACITY TEST (WCT) for Wildland Firefighters: This position participates in wildland firefighting activities. Based on the type of work performed, TAKING and PASSING the WCT at the MODERATE level is a ''condition of employment.'' The Moderate fitness (Field) test requires completing a two (2) mile hike within thirty (30) minutes, while carrying a twenty-five (25) pound pack.
In accordance with USDA Department Regulation 4430-792-2, this position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the USDA Drug Free Workplace Program and subject to pre-employment drug testing. All applicants selected for this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Incumbents of this position will be required to submit to a urinalysis on an ongoing random basis, after appointment as directed.
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.
Requirements
- You must be a US Citizen or US National.
- Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
- Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
- Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of your choosing.
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify.gov.
- This is a Test 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.
- If selected, you must register with the DOT Clearinghouse as a driver at https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Register and complete a Query Consent. You must respond to the consent within 24 hours.
- Willing to live/work in remote locations (volatile/unpredictable).
- Occasional overnight travel may be required for fire suppression or fire related assignment.
- Must pass the appropriate level of the Work Capacity Test for Wildland Firefighters.
- Incumbent is subject to medical screening and must meet the Federal Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for appropriate duty level of wildland firefighting.
- Position is required to drive vehicles that require a Class A or Class B Commercial Driver's License, based on type or kind of equipment being operated.
- Incumbent ensures appropriate permits are obtained for transporting and operating assigned equipment.
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.
Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or 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. 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.Other information PLEASE NOTE: This vacancy is being used to fill positions for FY2027 Temporary Employment Hiring season. The expected start date for this position will be between April 18, 2027 to June 13, 2027.
By selecting the "Location Negotiable" option during the application process, implies your willingness to be considered for any official duty location listed on this announcement and/or those duty locations not listed for this Regional announcement. Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates.
This position is temporary, has a Not-to-Exceed date and will be filled for up to 6 months or as a not to exceed (NTE) 1 year, however an extension of the appointment may be possible without further competition. The appointment may also end early due to lack of work or lack of funds.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other groups within the Region who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in any of the geographic location(s) listed on the announcement. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty locations listed in this announcement. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates in your duty location State.
The USDA Forest Service has legislative authority to recruit and fill Permanent (Career/Career-Conditional), Temporary, and Term Appointments under the USDA Demonstration Project. Under this authority, any U.S. citizen may apply.
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP eligible must meet the agency's definition for a quality candidate as provided in the How You Will Be Evaluated section of this announcement to be considered.
If you are retired from the Federal Government and are selected for this vacancy, your retirement annuity may be offset from your pay.
This position is not eligible for telework.
Availability of government housing and federal day care facilities will vary by location.
Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE.