Wildland Firefighter (Fire Operations Analyst) - Direct Hire Authority

About the role

These Wildland Firefighter (Fire Operations Analyst) Program Evaluations Manager positions are with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-12 working in the following location(s): As applicable: One Vacancy within the Alaska Geographic Area, Location is Negotiable One Vacancy within the Rocky Mtn Geographic Area located in either Cody, WY or Cheyenne, WY One Vacancy within the Northern Rockies Geographic Area, Location is Negotiable

What you will do

• Serves as an analyst supporting wildland fire programs by applying comprehensive knowledge of wildland fire management operations to collect, analyze, and synthesize complex information to improve operational effectiveness, safety, and decision-making.
• Synthesizes complex qualitative and quantitative information into clear, actionable findings and recommendations that inform fire management strategies, tactics, and operational decisionmaking.
• Participates in or leads information collection efforts related to wildland fire and other incident types, exercises, or program evaluations.
• Ensures information is presented in a clear, concise, and operationally relevant manner for diverse audiences, including field personnel, incident management teams, and agency leadership.
• Supports coordination and integration across wildland fire programs by working with interagency partners, program managers, training leads, and operational personnel.
• Advises leadership on the application of analytical methods, knowledge management approaches, and organizational learning processes to improve fire management program effectiveness and operational consistency across the enterprise.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• 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.
• Official U.S. Wildland Fire Service uniform is required.
• 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 may be required to travel overnight away from home.
• You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Education

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is no qualifying education for this grade and series combination.

Additional Information: For Additional Information for each location, please contact Rocky Mountain Geographic Area- Paul Hohn @ ***: Alaska Geographic Area - Greg Funderburk @ *** Northern Rockies Geographic Area- William Harty @ *** These positions are being advertised with selections being made at multiple geographical areas.

Please review this map of the areas would like to be considered for Geographic Areas | National Interagency Coordination Center. You will not be considered for geographical areas that are not selected.

Probation/Trial Period Con't: The [probationary or trial] 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 or trial 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 -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

How you will be evaluated

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.

You will be evaluated based on how your application materials reflect the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position.

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.

Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement.

Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion.

Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis.

Documents you must provide

• You must submit a complete application package.
• The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/13/2026.
• Resumes must show relevant experience and other information.
• Your resume MUST list your education and/or work experience including (1) the dates that include month/year (mm/yy) of each employment, along with (2) the number of hours worked per week, and (3) work experience duties listed under each job entry.
• If experience is for a career ladder position, please ensure to clearly show how long you were working in each grade level.
• Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s).
• Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility.
• No assumptions will be made about your experience and/or education.
• You are welcome to submit a cover letter.
• Resumes must also include name and how to best contact you, including email address and phone number.
• Do not include the following types of information in your resume: Classified or government sensitive information Social Security Number (SSN) Photos of yourself Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc. Encrypted and digitally signed documents.
• In describing your experience, please be clear and specific.
• Visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information on What should I include in my federal resume and/or OPM Resume Writing Tips.
• In addition to the online application (resume and responses to the questionnaire), you are required to submit the following supplemental documentation as applicable: CTAP/ICTAP Documentation: documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location.
• Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

What to expect next

Once you submit all the required documents and the online application in USAJOBS, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After the evaluation process is complete, you will be notified of your status and/or referral to the hiring official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted by the hiring official.

You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated.

If you were not referred and/or have questions or concerns regarding your rating determination or referral status, in the interest of time, please submit your inquiry in writing within seven (7) calendar days of receiving a Notice of Results and Referral notification email. Inquiries may be submitted to contact listed on this announcement.

Be sure to include the announcement number to assist our team in reviewing your inquiry.

Additional information

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority 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: Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy.

These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed.

To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: ***

Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration.

PCS INFORMATION: -No PCS entitlements authorized for Rocky Mountain GA -Yes, entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6.

All moving expenses are taxable. Depending on location: 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.

Telework: This position is suitable for telework and may be allowed to telework with supervisory approval. Additional Vacancies: One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area.

Cost of Living Allowance: In ALASKA ONLY: In addition to the yearly salary, this position is entitled to a cost-of-living allowance (COLA) as determined by *** .This allowance is subject to annual review, adjustment, and rate decrease.