Department of the Interior

Wildland Firefighter (Aviation)

Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, Full time

Wildland Firefighter (Aviation)

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Denver, Colorado, Washington, District of Columbia, Miami, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, Boston, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kansas City, Missouri, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New York, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, Austin, Texas

Salary Range: $97564 - $126835 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located with the BIA, Office of Trust Services, Division of Forestry & Wildland Fire Management, Branch of Wildland Fire Management (WFM), located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. Information about the surrounding area can be found at https://www.boisechamber.org/ The duty location is in Boise, ID or may be negotiable at the time of selection, but it MUST be within the local commuting area of a Federal facility.

Major Duties:

  • Serve as a Wildland Fire Fighter (Aviation) that assists in the Management and administration of lndian Affair's (IA) aviation program.
  • Execute various phases of aviation priorities of the BIA aviation program including operations, aerial supervision, management, administration, safety, training, unmanned aerial systems, and program evaluation.
  • Develop standards provide guidance to managers, supervisors, project leaders and their staff, to ensure aviation safety and cost effectiveness in meeting a variety of Bureau missions and objectives.
  • Serve as the point of contact between the BIA and other Federal and State land management agencies for all aviation related concerns.
  • Establish and maintain contact with national, regional, agency, and tribal fire and aviation personnel to keep advised of their current conditions, needs, capabilities and readiness, as related to the safe and efficient use of aviation resources.
  • Provide expert technical assistance to Regional Directors, Agency Superintendents, Fire Management Staffs, Agency Aviation Officers, Project Inspectors, interagency partners, and other bureau and tribal representatives.
  • Perform the duties of aircrew members (Pilot, Air Tactical Group Supervisor, Aerial Supervision Module, or Helicopter Manager) or other fully qualified manager as required in fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft during special use activities.
  • Serve in various leadership functions such as: Trainer, Certifier, Incident Commander, Division Supervisor, Task Force Leader, Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Helibase Manager, Air Support Group Supervisor, Air Operations Branch Director.
  • Determine adequacy of program content and adherence to standards and advise the Program Manager on methods to correct deficiencies.

Qualifications: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Selective Placement Factors (SPFs): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified: Satisfactory performance as a Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS), OR Satisfactory performance as an Incident Commander Type 3 (ICT3) AND Completion and certification of NWCG Air Tactical Group Supervisor (ATGS) Position Task Book, PMS 311-18 Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. To qualify for the GS-12 grade level, you must have one (1) full year of creditable specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11. Examples may include the following: Experience developing and executing aviation programs for the use of aerial supervision to interface the principles and practices into the performance and efficiency of field operations. Experience conducting on-site inspections, accident investigations, and evaluations to gather and analyze data to ensure aircraft compliance and safety of operations. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements by closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade requirement in accordance with 5 CFR 300.604. If you are a current Federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must have completed a minimum of 52 weeks at the next lower grade level. Verify Employment Eligibility (E-Verify): DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify. Telework: The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis. The selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

How to Apply: THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by 01/26/2026. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the NIFC-FA Branch of Human Resource office at blm_fa_nifc_vacancies@blm.gov or (208) 387-5523. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e., you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below in order to complete the application process successfully: 1) YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBs; your profile must contain a current resume for submission. In order to receive proper consideration, your resume should include the following information: Current personal contact information. Work experience (paid or unpaid) including - starting and ending dates (month and year, MM/YYYY - MM/YYYY), employer's name and address, job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties and accomplishments, supervisor's name and telephone number, indicate if supervisor may be contacted, hours per week, and salary. Education and job-related training including - school name, type and year of degrees/diploma received, credits earned and majors; title of training course and year of completion. References - personal and professional- Additional information - skills (languages, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.), certificates or licenses (current only), and/or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (recognition, professional memberships, publications, leadership activities, etc.). INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. 2) Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria; the eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12848198. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-26