Wildland Fire GIS Specialist

US Office of the Secretary of the Interior; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Office of the Secretary of the Interior is advertising a Wildland Fire GIS Specialist (GW-0456-12) for the Northern Rockies Geographic Area. Location is negotiable after selection, and the selectee must report to an official DOI building.

This role requires specialized GIS experience, including advising on GIS practices, developing guidelines and policies, and providing technical assistance to solve complex GIS problems using computer applications.

Qualifications

• At least one year of specialized GIS experience at GW-11 level or higher.
• Experience advising on GIS best practices and local policy development.
• Experience solving complex GIS problems using computer applications.

Skills

GIS business practices

Policy development

Program development

Technical problem solving

Job description

This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority

This Wildland Fire GIS Specialist position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-12 working in the Northern Rockies Geographic Area. Location is negotiable after selection. Selectee must be able to physically report to an official DOI building.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Selective Placement Factor(s):

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.

Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered.

Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either:

• At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization;
  - OR -
• At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive).

Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume.
Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement.

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.

Only experience and education obtained by 10/12/2026 will be considered.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

Minimum Qualification

For the GW-12 level:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-11 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent, is required. Examples of specialized experience include: Advising on common GIS business practices, planning, policy, and program development for local use; Contributing to the development of guidelines, regulations and policies concerning GIS and GPS use; Providing technical assistance to solve unique or complicated problems through GIS technology and computer applications.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at this grade level.

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.

*Applicants must meet all selective placement factors and minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement.

Secondary Firefighter Retirement Coverage - Applicants for this secondary administrative fire fighter position under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d), must possess knowledge of the principles, methods, and techniques of wildland firefighting as demonstrated by direct wildland firefighting experience. In order to receive credit, you must provide a written description of your experience in wildland firefighting. Education without hands‑on wildland firefighting experience does not meet this requirement. Periods of wildland firefighting experience, gained through militia and rural fire departments, can also be credited. Wildland fire is defined as any non-structure fire that occurs in the wildland. Two distinct types of wildland fire have been defined and include wildfire and prescribed fires as follows: Wildfire: Unplanned ignitions or prescribed fires that are declared wildfires. Prescribed Fires: Planned ignitions. This description includes only fire line experience on a Prescribed Fire; it does not include experience in the planning stages. Prescribed fire experience must be supplemented by fire suppression experience in order to be creditable as previous wildland firefighting experience.

Physical Demands:

Work is primarily sedentary but may require extended periods of computer use, irregular work hours, and shift work during U.S. Wildland Fire Service incident operations. May involve light physical activity such as moving equipment, setting up workspaces, or occasional travel in field or incident base environments.

Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in an office/computer room environment but may also be performed in incident command posts, temporary facilities, or mobile environments supporting U.S. Wildland Fire Service wildland fire incidents, often under austere conditions. The employee may be exposed to long work hours, high operational tempo, and the inherent risks associated with wildland fire incidents, though not typically engaged in direct firefighting activities.