Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Wildland Fire Module Leader) - Direct Hire Authority

U.S. Department of the Interior; Deutschland; On-site; EUR 58,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of the Interior's Wildland Fire Service seeks a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (WFOS) in the GW-0456-10 series.

This Direct Hire Authority vacancy is located in the Pacific Northwest region, with assignments to firefighting, preparedness, and leadership duties in harsh backcountry environments. You will lead crews, plan operations, and ensure safety and compliance while performing duties such as ignition, control, mop-up, and rehabilitation.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national.
• Suitability for Federal employment after background check.
• Direct Deposit required.
• Drug test before appointment; random testing during employment.
• Must hold a valid state driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Participates in ignition, holding, mop-up, and rehabilitation per standards and regulations.
• Participates in preparedness reviews, drills, safety sessions, and after-action reviews.
• Assigns and reviews work daily/weekly; approves leave and manages priorities.
• Plans and assigns work, sets short-term priorities for subordinates.
• Evaluates subordinate performance and enforces standards.

Skills

Supervision

Safety

Planning

Communication

Job description

Summary

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority These Wildland Fire Operations Specialist (WFOS) positions are with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-10 working in the following location(s): Marblemount, Washington Port Angeles, Washington

Major Duties

As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Wildland Fire Module Leader) - Direct Hire Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Participates in preparation, ignition, holding, mop-up, and rehabilitation are completed to the standards specified and in accordance with regulations, policies, and guidelines.
• Participates in preparedness reviews, proficiency checks and drills, safety sessions, and after action reviews.
• Assigns and reviews work daily, weekly, or monthly; assuring that production and accuracy requirements are met; and approves leave.
• Plans and assigns work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short-term priorities.
• Evaluates work performance of subordinates, setting standards, monitoring, and final evaluating of subordinate performance.

Physical Demands: Arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity.

Working Conditions: Forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Employee must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor bivouac and eating situations under an unpredictable set of circumstances. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (e.g., boots, hard hat, gloves, flame resistant clothing). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotor wing aircraft.

Education

There is no qualifying education for the 0456 series at the GW-10 grade level.

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.
• 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 OR 2-year trial 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.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
• You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• You may be required to travel 75% or less.
• 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.

Evaluations

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.

Required Documents

You must submit a complete application package. The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/13/2026. 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: 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.

Other Information

• 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. In order to be considered for any duty location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected.
• PCS INFORMATION: -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. -In addition, relocation discretionary entitlements May be authorized for this position excluding contractor-provided home sale. 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 only in an emergency or natural disaster.
• 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.
• Applicants are ineligible for this position if ANY time they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside or the applicant receives a pardon.
• Probation/Trial Period: 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.