Summary Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. This position is located with the BLM Fire & Aviation Directorate, Division of Fire Operations, Branch of Preparedness & Suppression Operations, located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. Information about the surrounding area can be found at https://www.boisechamber.org/ Responsibilities Serves as the Branch Chief, Preparedness and Suppression Operations (FA-320), in the National Fire and Aviation Directorate’s Division of Fire Operations (FA-300). Performs as key member of the Fire and Aviation Management Team, and a key advisor to the Assistant Director for Fire and Aviation through the Fire Operations Division Chief. Manages Branch of Preparedness and Suppression Operations (FA-320, 321, 322, 324). Provides direction in preparedness and suppression standards development, equipment development, fire facilities management, and Great Basin Smokejumper operations. May serve as BLM representative to various national level agency and interagency groups such as the NWCG Executive Board and National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group. Manages staff working with BLM National Fire Operations Group to provide coordinated national leadership in all areas of fire operations, including: fire equipment design, preparedness reviews, fire severity funding, wildland fire training, etc. Serves as serious accident investigator/operations subject matter expert. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. For GS-14: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, you must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-13 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: experience advising various agency officials at the unit/ state or national level concerning natural resource policy (e.g. Fire and Aviation), operations and decision-making, resource mobilization, safety measures, budget requirements or cost management strategies, etc; experience managing a natural resource program(s) (e.g. Fire and Aviation) to include staff, budget, and performance measures; performing safety, risk management, technical, and/or administrative evaluations of natural resource programs at a unit/ state or national; experience leading the development and implementation of significant unit/ state or national level (or equivalent) policy to guide natural resource programs (e.g. fire and aviation), organizational structure, strategic planning and fire management operations. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level. There is no substitution of education for specialized experience at the GS-14 grade level. THIS IS A DRUG TESTING DESIGNATED POSITION in accordance with Executive Order 12564, and under the Department's Drug Free Workplace Program. Applicant(s) tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use and to pass the test prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Firefighter Special Retirement (Secondary Coverage): This is a secondary/administrative fire 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 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. Incentives: Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment. Education This position has a positive education requirement which requires that you have either: 1). A degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry or related disciplines appropriate to the position. -OR- 2). A combination of education and experience---courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education which may be defined as at least 24 semester hours in biological sciences, natural resources, wildland fire management, forestry, or agriculture equivalent to a major field of study. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the necessary competencies required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation. Proof of Education: All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts. Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/ Additional Information We expect to fill one position at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available. Verify Employment Eligibility (E-Verify): DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program(ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they receive a minimum score of 90 based on the rating criteria used for this position. Permanent Change in Station (PCS): Travel and relocation expenses will be paid consistent with the Federal Travel Regulation, Chapter 302, and Departmental policy. Selectee will be responsible for tax obligations related to payments for moving expenses - 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act, Public Law 115-97. See "Other" section for additional information on 2017 Tax Cuts as related to Permanent Change in Station (PCS). Tax Law Impact for PCS: On 22-Dec-2017, Public Law 115-97 - the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended qualified moving expense deductions along with the exclusion for employer reimbursements and payments of moving expenses effective 01-Jan-2018 for tax years 2018 through 2025. The law made taxable certain reimbursements and other payments, including driving mileage, airfare and lodging expenses, en-route travel to the new duty station, and temporary storage of those items. The Federal Travel Regulation Bulletin (FTR) 18-05 issued by General Services Administration (GSA) has authorized agencies to use the Withholding Tax Allowance (WTA) and Relocation Income Tax Allowance (RITA) to pay for "substantially all" of the increased tax liability resulting from the "2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" for certain eligible individuals. For additional information on WTA/RITA allowances and eligibilities, please visit: https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr/i1182168#i1180710 Telework: The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Alternative Application: If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document, you do not have in electronic form; view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application