FUL - Horse Wrangler (Motor Vehicle Operator)

About the role

You will serve as a FUL - Horse Wrangler (Motor Vehicle Operator) with Bureau of Land Management. This position is located within the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management at the following locations: Fallon, Nevada Reno, Nevada Winnemucca, Nevada Hines, Oregon Wheatland, Wyoming WG-07: First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

What you will do

• This position is located within the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro (WH&B) Program, focusing on operations at a WH&B holding facility.
• The incumbent is responsible for the well-being and welfare of WH&Bs, which includes their comprehensive care, feeding, safe handling, preparation for adoption, veterinary treatment, and facility maintenance.
• The work of the position involves interacting with the public and adopters.
• The job duties are subject to requirements of the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program (CAWP).
• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Receives WH&Bs from trucks and trailers into the corral system and separates them by gender.
• Ensures WH&Bs are handled safely in trucks, corrals, and chutes during the unloading process.
• Given the unpredictable and potentially hazardous nature of transporting WH&Bs for extended periods, the incumbent must adeptly handle WH&Bs to mitigate any risks of injury to the animals, themselves, and fellow workers.
• Operates up to 36-foot horse trailers (e.g., gooseneck and bumper pull) and other similar length trailers to haul WH&Bs.
• Loads, arranges, and transports WH&Bs according to BLM guidelines to ensure the safest and most comfortable transportation to reduce the incidents of injuries or deaths.
• Selects routes and identifies alternative routes.
• Trucks may be operated within facilities, over highways, interstates, off-road and in rough terrain in all weather conditions.
• Rides and handles saddle horses to safely control WH&Bs from horseback on the open range, in corrals and in pen areas for gathers or general care.
• Controls individual WH&Bs unwilling to enter traps or corral systems as well as ropes WH&Bs from horseback if thesituation dictates.
• Operates various types of trucks or other motor vehicles with gross vehicle weights up to 26,000 pounds to haul hay, manure, dirt, gravel, water or other supplies, materials, and equipment related to WH&Bs for specific assignments or regularly established schedules.
• Trucks may be operated within facilities, over highways, interstates, off-road, and in rough terrain in all weather conditions.
• As required, troubleshoots and performs basic maintenance and seeks assistance from others when major maintenance is needed.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• To learn more, visit ***
• Pre-employment and random drug testing are required.
• You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license, nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• Firearm qualification and certification are required for the role, and ongoing proficiency must be maintained.
• Skill and ability to ride horse back and rope Wild Horse & Burros or other closely related stock.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized.
• In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.
• Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience for Federal Wage System (FWS) positions.

How you will be evaluated

This position is being filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Under this authority, competitive rating, ranking, and veterans' preference procedures do not apply. The Servicing Human Resources Office will determine whether applicants meet the qualification and eligibility requirements described in this announcement.

Applicants who meet these requirements may be referred to the selecting official on a certificate of eligibles for consideration.

You must certify that you will maintain a permanent and exclusive residence within the defined vicinity of the field unit(s) listed in this announcement.

Upon receipt of a completed application package, the Servicing Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements described in this announcement. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages. Resumes longer than two pages will not be reviewed.

Applicants may submit only one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine qualifications and eligibility. If more than one resume is submitted, only the most recent submission will be reviewed.

If your resume is incomplete or does not demonstrate that you meet the qualification requirements or specialized experience described in this announcement, you may be determined ineligible or not qualified for further consideration.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Documents you must provide

• Two Page Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed.
• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible.
• All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
• Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
• Proof of residence (e.g. mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy).
• SF-50 cannot be accepted as proof of residence.
• Veteran Documentation, if applicable, such as: DD-214, SF15, letter from Veteran Affairs, etc. Do not submit photographs with your application package.
• Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from all documents.
• Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.
• Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

What to expect next

Please refer to your USAJOBS account for application status; the Human Resources Office cannot respond to individual status inquiries. Once your Occupational Questionnaire has been received, you will receive an acknowledgment confirming your submission was successful.

Applicants who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under this authority, all applicants determined to be qualified may be referred. If your name is referred, you may be contacted directly by the hiring official for a possible interview.

You will be notified of the status of your application at key stages in the process, including when candidates are referred for consideration and when the selection process has been completed.

You can find your path with the Department of Interior at *** Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement.

Additional information

This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Eligibility is limited to applicants who reside within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. For this announcement, the local commuting area is the area from which individuals can reasonably commute to the duty station under normal conditions.

The defined vicinity for this position is: 75 miles from duty location (duty location addresses are listed below).

You must provide proof of residency within the defined vicinity (e.g. mortgage or property deed, lease/rental agreement, utility bill, insurance policy, etc.).

See the Required Documents section for information on how to verify current residence.

Fallon, NV = 5684 Indian Lakes Rd, Fallon, NV 89406 Reno, NV = 1340 Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502 Winnemucca, NV = 5100 East Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445 Hines, OR = 28910 US-20, Hines, OR 97738 Wheatland, WY = 1005 North Wheatland Highway, Wheatland, WY 82201 This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies.

Physical Demands: Work related to WH&Bs requires considerable and strenuous physical exertion to handle, ride (e.g., full gallop), rope, maneuver and restrain domesticated horses and WH&Bs up to 1,500 pounds.

Work involves physical exertion and agility while performing duties such as heavy lifting (i.e., hay bales weighing in excess of 100 pounds, unloading and carrying portable panels, steel fence posts, jute, other materials, and equipment), bending, walking, standing, operating of trucks, coupling, and uncoupling of trailers and working with other equipment (e.g., torches for welding).

Working Conditions: Working with WH&Bs inherently includes hazards and dangers while riding, chasing, roping, corralling, counting, loading, handling, and caring for them where conditions cannot always be controlled. Hazards and dangers consist of being kicked, scratched, bitten, falling, or being run over.

Driving vehicles and hauling WH&Bs requires safe operation for long hours on highways, in facilities, off road and in rough road terrain in all weather conditions. Work is outside in HMAs, corrals, and other areas in all conditions (i.e., dusty, rainy, snowy, humid) and temperatures (i.e., over 100 degrees F, below zero temperatures).

There are risks related to slippery, muddy, frozen, uneven, and rocky ground. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position.

A Federal employee who is transferring from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, ***