Department: Department of the Interior
Agency: Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Announcement: WFSDHA-26-13058359-FK-A
Pay grade: GW 13
Closes: Sep 24, 2026
Open to: Open to the public, Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter Smokejumper- Direct Hire Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Leads large-scale smokejumping operations: Oversees a base with 80+ positions, multiple aircraft, and an annual $2M+ program budget.
• Provides senior-level supervision: Directs supervisors and staff; manages hiring, performance, training, discipline, awards, and promotions.
• Ensures readiness and safety: Maintains operational readiness and enforces safety, conduct, and occupational health requirements.
• Coordinates complex programs and resources: Leads interagency projects, manages workloads and resources, oversees contractors, and resolves complex operational and personnel issues.
• Drives program improvement: Advises senior leaders and partners, removes barriers, improves business practices and teamwork, and advances organizational goals.
• Provides national smokejumper leadership: Develops doctrine, policies, standards, and long-range strategies; represents the agency in interagency forums and aligns capabilities with evolving incident needs.
• Leads advanced smokejumper and aerial operations: Directs fire response and aerial deployments, evaluates conditions and resource needs, oversees personnel and cargo delivery, and advances aircraft, equipment, and delivery systems.
• Provides senior incident management leadership: Serves as an Incident Management Team member and Incident Commander for complex fires, directing suppression operations, coordinating resources, and leading after-action improvements.
• Field Operations: Serves as an operational smokejumper and smokejumper spotter.

Conditions of employment

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.

Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.

Direct Deposit Required.

You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) fire uniform standards.

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.

Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.

This position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.

A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a [1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period] during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.

You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.

You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.

You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Qualification requirements listed below.

Specialty Placement Factor #1: Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either:

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.

• 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.

Specialty Placement Factor #2: Prior Smokejumper Experience required - This experience must be documented with specific dates in the resume.

In addition to the Specialty Placement Factorrequirements described above, you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

For GW-13: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS/GW-12 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: managing subordinate smokejumper staff in fire preparedness activities, fire suppression operations, and administrative related duties; developing technical guidelines for wildland fire & smokejumping operating handbooks and manual supplements; serving as technical expert for various smokejumper operations.

Only experience and education obtained by 09/24/2026 will be considered.

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.

Physical Demands
The work requires sustained, extremely strenuous physical exertion under hazardous and fast-changing conditions. The incumbent regularly performs 16-hour shifts or longer on the fireline, engaging in physically demanding tasks such as extended periods of standing, digging, bending, kneeling, running chainsaws, and hiking across steep, uneven, rocky, or densely vegetated terrain. These duties may occur at any time of day or night and often require an immediate transition from routine or sedentary activity to highly arduous physical effort. Assignments may involve carrying 120-pound packs for several miles through rugged terrain while maintaining operational readiness. When qualified, the incumbent must also parachute into remote and hazardous environments and be able to react instantly to rapidly advancing fire behavior in order to execute emergency escape and survival actions.

Work Environment
Work is primarily in an office and associated office complex. Approximately 25 percent of the time is spent in the field, on fire assignments or conducting inspections at outstations. During this time, the incumbent is routinely exposed to high-risk operations of smokejumping, cargo dropping, and fire suppression. Employee risks death or serious injury during parachute jumps, cargo dropping, and firefighting.

Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - 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). While secondary positions are not subject to the maximum entry age policy, the selectee must have prior service in a primary position (3 years of service in primary/rigorous position(s)) and meet the transfer requirement for movement from a primary to secondary position to be eligible for special retirement coverage. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your SF-50).
YOU MUST LET US KNOW IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY IN A PRIMARY POSITION.

This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission and is in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE.