Telework eligibleFederal

Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Helicopter Program Manager) - Direct Hiring Authority

Office of the Secretary of the Interior · Department of the Interior

Salary
$73,199–$95,165/year
Grade
9
Work location
Telework eligible (US)
Posted
Aug 10, 2026
Apply by
Aug 24, 2026
Category
Wildland Fire Management

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Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority This Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Helicopter Program Manager) - Direct Hiring Authority position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-9 working in the following location(s): El Portal, California

Duties

As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Helicopter Program Manager) - Direct Hiring Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Responsible for helicopter safety and compliance with all applicable Department of Interior (DOI), and US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) policies and procedures. Plans, coordinates, and directs helicopter support to execute a wide variety of park-wide missions requiring interdisciplinary participation to complete. Responsible for ensuring compliance with agency policies, procedures, and objectives during aviation missions and to meet short term project and emergency needs. Serves in Fire and Aviation management positions, as qualified, and assigned during initial attack, ongoing fires, other natural disasters, search and rescue, as well as during other emergencies. Assists in training and may serve as lead instructor for park and interagency courses, or workshops, which instruct helitack, park, and other cooperating agency personnel in helicopter operations. Plans, coordinates, and directs helicopter operations in support of mission requests. Directs aviation mission planning including briefings of pilots, contract personnel and crews on mission requirements. Participates in and may direct helicopter operations to include accompanying pilot on flights, provides radio communications to dispatch and/or ground firefighter and navigates with use of maps. Conducts post flight briefings with pilots and crews to improve mission safety and effectiveness. May serve as a rappeller, short hauler, or spotter.

Requirements

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 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. 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 during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Supervisory Probationary Period: Selectees who have not previously completed a supervisory probationary period, will be required to serve a one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period for this position. 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. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Occupancy of government quarters is required for the position. Subject to frequent extended travel particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.

Education

IMPORTANT - There is no education substitute for experience at the GW-0456-09 grade level. Position Information: **PLEASE NOTE - this position is covered under the new GW pay table specific to Wildland Firefighters. Yosemite National Park, El Portal, CA, covered under the Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA Pay Table. 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. 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.

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.

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