Forestry Technician (Prevention & Mitigation) - Direct Hire Authority

Summary
This position implements and promotes a wildfire prevention and mitigation program with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Rocky Mt. Region, Fort Peck Agency, Deputy Superintendent, Trust Services, Branch of Fire Management in Poplar, MT and will be filled from Standard PD No. BIAPV1
This announcement will be used to fill vacancies utilizing the Direct-Hire Authority (5CFR 337.201). Category rating, veteran's preference, and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do NOT apply for this vacancy.
This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
ALL U.S. CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: These positions will be filled using Direct Hire Authority for this occupation. CTAP and ICTAP candidates in the local commuting area.
Duties

• Coordinates and disseminates information concerning wildland fire management activities.
• Provides guidance and assistance on wildland fire prevention and mitigation programs to the field and provides expertise and materials to all supported programs.
• Assists with the formulation and execution of the budget.
• Provides wildland fire prevention and mitigation expertise by representing the unit at local, state and regional/national/tribal forums.
• Educates the public about the ecology of wildland fire and its relationship to the mission of the organization.
• Implements prevention plans to reduce human and equipment caused ignitions.

Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required
• You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
• You may be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
• If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
• This position requires the incumbent to possess and maintain a valid state driver's license.
• This is a Testing Designated Position and is subject to both pre-employment and random drug testing as a condition of employment. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.

Qualifications
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Technical and Medical Support Positions and Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0462: Forestry Technician Series;
GS-7: 1 year of specialized wildland fire management experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal Service (obtained in either the public or private sector). Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, experience with fire effects on cultural and natural resources; experience working in prescribed fire/fuels management; experience in fire management operations, and; assists in wildland fire management planning, coordination and implementation such as program coordination, fire rehabilitation planning and fire mitigation measures OR one full year of graduate level education in forestry, range management, agriculture, or a subject-matter field directly related to the position.
GS-6: 1 year of creditable specialized wildland fire management work experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sector). Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, experience in standard prevention strategy; experience that demonstrates an understanding of standard fuels reduction; and experience that demonstrates an understanding of fire causation.
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS: These are MANDATORY qualification prerequisites to qualify for this position, therefore, the applicant must have possessed the following to be considered eligible for this position:

• Prior Wildland Firefighting Experience: This position requires a minimum of 90 days previous wildland firefighting experience which provided knowledge of the techniques, policies, and practices of wildland fire management. Wildland fires are categorized into two distinct types: 1) Wildfires - unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires; 2) Prescribed Fires - Planned ignitions. This description includes only fireline experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages

NOTE: Selective factors are knowledges, skills, abilities, or special qualifications that are in addition to the minimum requirements in a qualification standard but are determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Applicants who do not meet the selective factors are ineligible for further consideration.
FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This position is covered under the secondary/administrative firefighter special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336(c)(CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d)(FERS) when it is filled by an incumbent who transfers directly from a primary or another secondary law enforcement or firefighting position with no break in service to this position. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent will depend upon his or her individual work history. You may meet the qualification requirements, but not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If you are not eligible for special retirement coverage, you will be placed in the regular retirement system.
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur within 90 days from the closing date.
Education
If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
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.
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.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows 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: FOREIGN EDUCATION
Additional information
Indian Preference Policy: Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC Section 472). Verification form BIA-4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. No other documents will be accepted as proof of Indian Preference.
All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2023 Salary Tables here and select the duty station from Poplar, Montana to choose the appropriate pay chart. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.
TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL BE AUTHORIZED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRAVEL REGULATIONS.
TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of the position are suitable for Situational telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.
The full performance level of this position is GS-7. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed.
This position has been designated as an Incidental Operator under the Indian Affairs Motor Vehicle Safety Program and requires the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle in order to properly carry out his/her assigned duties but whose principal duties are not operating a motor vehicle and his/her position is not classified as a motor vehicle operator. The incumbent will be required initially and annually to acknowledge and certify possession of a valid state driver's license.
This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see What are bargaining units?
Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF50 noting position, grade level, duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, applicants must be qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position described above.
Under this Direct-Hire announcement, all applicants who meet the minimum requirements at the grade level for which they apply will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. Veteran's Preference and category rating DO NOT APPLY for this announcement under Direct-Hire Authority regulations.
All qualified candidates will be referred for consideration; the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion.
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.
You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12204919.
If a determination is made that an applicant has inflated qualifications or experience on the resume, the applicant will receive no consideration for the position, as per OPM regulations.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  The following documents are required for this position:
  
  • Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy); position title; position series and grade (if federal service); work schedule; hours worked per week; relevant duties performed; supervisor with contact information, and 3 professional references and contact information (Do not include current/former supervisors), etc. Important! If your resume does not show complete information for each job entry, your application will be considered incomplete. Specifically:
    
    • Beginning and ending dates (mm/yy) of employment,
    • Work schedule (Full-time or Part-time), and
    • Hours worked per week.
    • For more information see What should I include in my federal resume
  • On-line Assessment Questionnaire
  • Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
  • Form BIA-4432, Verification of Indian Preference for Employment (if claiming Indian Preference).
  • If you are applying under CTAP and ICTAP, you MUST submit pr...