Wildland Firefighter (Smokejumper) (Detail/Temporary Promotion)

About the role

This Wildland Firefighter (Smokejumper), GW-0456-05/06 position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, working in the following location(s): Boise, ID Fairbanks, AK For information on Boise Smokejumpers, visit their website. For information on Fairbanks Smokejumpers, visit their website. PLEASE SEE ALASKA PAY DIFFERENTIAL IN "Additional Information" Section

What you will do

• Incumbent parachutes into rugged terrain and performs fire suppression and related duties.
• Incumbent maintains smokejumper and firefighting equipment, tools, and supplies.
• Repairs, packs and maintains parachutes and related equipment.
• As a fire crew member or Initial Attack Commander incumbent utilizes fire behavior knowledge and firefighting experience to perform wildland fire suppression and prescribed fire operations safely and effectively in accordance with identified appropriate management response.
• May direct fire line activities and tactics for firefighters, equipment, aircraft and other resources.

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.
• 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.
• You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
• 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 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.
• Must meet the maximum age requirement.
• See qualifications section for more information.
• This position requires regular and recurring overtime and shift work during peak fire season.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Medical Requirements Please see the Department of Interior Medical Standards Program website for the Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Standards for your position: *** Physical Requirements Employment in this position is conditional upon your successful completion of the following smokejumper physical fitness performance tests: When you report for duty, you will be given a physical condition test.
• The test is given in one time period with a 5-minute break between exercises.
• The test consists of performing the following exercises: 30 push-ups 6 pull-ups Run 1.5 miles in 10.47 minutes or less OR backpacking a 110-pound load three miles in less than 65 minutes.
• Work Capacity Test at the Arduous Level: All arduous wildland firefighters must backpack a 45-pound load for three miles in 45 minutes or less.

Education

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.

PASS/FAIL COURSES: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis.

If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

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 programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

For further information, visit: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

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 qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications.

To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire.

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.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications requirement(s), this position requires successful completion of the following additional assessment: This assessment will measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform in the position.

Fire Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.

Technical Competence: Knowledge of how to perform one's job. Refers to specialized knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience. Leadership: Influences, motivates, and challenges others; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations.

In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals.

Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement.

Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

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 09/25/2026.
• Resumes must show relevant experience and other information.
• Your resume MUST list your education and work experience including (1) the dates (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.
• In addition, Civil Service employees must provide their current OPM title, series, and grade.
• 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: College Transcripts: If you are qualifying with education, you must provide copies of all your official or unofficial transcripts for verification from an accredited U.S. college/university by the closing date.
• Transcripts must include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average, or class ranking, institution name, and student name. from an accredited U.S. college/university by the closing date.
• If your degree is from a Foreign Institution, See Foreign Education.
• All selections and tentative offers of selection are contingent upon submission and verification of 'official' transcripts.
• Current or Prior Federal Employees SF-50: (non-award), or equivalent Notification of Personnel Action if you are a current or former Federal employee.
• Your SF-50 (non-award) must show tenure code 1 or 2 in block 24, and position occupied code 1 (competitive service) in block 34.
• If you have previously held a higher grade than the grade/position you currently occupy, you must submit a copy of the last non-award SF-50 you received for that position.
• Note: Federal employees who have reinstatement eligibility please review the How to Apply for Reinstatement page for all required documents.
• If you have any questions regarding which SF-50's to submit, it is highly recommended that you contact the person listed on this vacancy announcement before the closing date.
• IFPM Requirement - You must provide a copy of your Incident Qualification and Certification System (IQCS) Master Record or other equivalent documentation which verifies you meet the required NWCG minimum qualifications for this IFPM position.
• Failure to provide this documentation will result in you being rated as not qualified.
• 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.
• Proof of Age: As this is a covered primary fire position, your application package MUST include official government issued documentation (SF-50, driver's license, etc.) indicating your date of birth.
• If over the maximum entry age (MEA), and you are not a Veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted (i.e. initial primary covered SF-50, copies of approved coverage letters based on individual claims, and any additional SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments if a break occurred).
• If over the MEA and you are a Veteran, you must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation.
• Failure to submit required documentation may result in loss of consideration.
• Performance Appraisal: Performance Appraisal: Please see "How to Apply" section.

What to expect next

Additional Information cont.: This is a not-to-exceed 180 days detail/temporary promotion assignment and may be filled at the GW-05 or GW-06 level (depending on qualifications). At the expiration of this assignment, or whenever your services are no longer needed, you will be returned to your position and agency of record.

Temporary Promotion may be extended up to a maximum of 5 years without further competition. Alaska Return Rights (excluding Anchorage and Fairbanks): If you are a current U. S.

Fish and Wildlife Service employee and you are transferring from a Region outside of Alaska, you will be eligible to return to a position in your home Region upon completion of a minimum 3-year tour of duty in Alaska.

If you exercise this option, your home Region will place you in a position of equivalent grade in the same general occupational classification series that you occupied in Alaska. For the professional series at the GS-5 level or above.

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 via USAJOBS of a status change (i.e., referred, not referred, not eligible, not qualified, etc.).

Note, you must login to your USAJOBS profile to view details of the status change. Information regarding how to see your application status can be found in the USAJOBS Help Center. If referred and further evaluation or interviews are required, you may be contacted by the hiring officials for the location in which you are referred.

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. You will be notified if this job is filled or canceled. Timelines for this process vary widely.

Additional information

In addition to the base salary including 32.36% locality pay, you will receive a 1.49% cost of living allowance for Fairbanks, AK. This allowance is subject to annual review, adjustment, and gradual decrease. Pay scale for Alaska: $59,878 to $91,974 Housing is available but not required in Fairbanks, AK.

The new Special Base Rate (SBR) Salary Table for Federal wildland firefighters, General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay plan effective March 23, 2025 was used to indicate the salary in this announcement. Salaries may vary dependent upon location selected. You can access the new pay schedule here.

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.

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.

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.

See "Next Step" and "How to Apply" Section's for additional information.