Wildland Firefighter (Fuels Management) - Direct Hire Authority

US Office of the Secretary of the Interior; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

US Office of the Secretary of the Interior in Thousand Oaks, California, seeks a Wildland Firefighter (Fuels Management) to oversee fuel management and fire-line activities in a dynamic wildfire environment. The position is identified under Direct Hire Authority and stresses documentation of prior firefighting experience with specific hours and seasons.

Applicants should meet IFPM standards and be prepared for field work in remote terrain.

Qualifications

• Primary wildland firefighting experience including fire line work in containment and suppression.
• IFPM requirements: RXB2, ENGB/CRWB/HMGB as applicable.
• GW-9 or GW-11 level specialized experience in federal or equivalent outside federal service.

Skills

Fireline experience

Resumé with hours per week

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 Firefighter (Fuels Management) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-9/11 working in the following location(s):

• Thousand Oaks, California

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

Selective Placement Factors

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.

1. Prior on-the-line firefighting

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.

2. IFPM Requirements

This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Prescribed Fire and Fuels Specialist - Medium Complexity and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found here: Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM).

• Prescribed Fire Burn Boss, Type 2 (RXB2)
• Engine Boss (ENGB) or Crew Boss (CRWB) or Helicopter Manager (HMGB)

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

Only experience and education obtained by 09/16/2026 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-9 level:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-08 grade level in the Federal service: Examples of specialized experience include: develop and revise fire management planning documents for long range wildland fire control and prescribed burns; organize and complete preparedness activities as it pertains to fire equipment, supplies, and fire personnel; analyze incident objectives, strategies and tactics, safety, cost effectiveness/efficiency; experience working with various resources and agencies in order to accomplish work.

For the GW-11 level:

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-09 level, or higher, in the Federal service; Examples of specialized experience include: assist with developing, reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness and consistency with land management goals and objectives; analyzing fuel loadings and determining appropriate fuel treatment methods; performing land use planning and environmental coordination to determine if resource objectives were achieved; assist with analyzing the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management.

OR

At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-10 level, or higher, outside of the Federal service; Examples of specialized experience include: developing, reviewing and evaluating fire management plans for ecological soundness and consistency with land management goals and objectives; analyzing fuel loadings and determining appropriate fuel treatment methods; performing land use planning and environmental coordination to determine if resource objectives were achieved; analyzing the ecological role of fire and its use and/or exclusion, and smoke management.

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.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE

There is not an option to qualify for the 0456 series utilizing education at the GW-11 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 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 in the office is primarily sedentary. Field work does require frequent physical exertion, involving walking over rough terrain, sometimes for extended periods, and working under occasionally inclement (hot, cold, snow, wind, etc.) weather conditions. The incumbent must be in good physical condition in order to safety perform field activities. The incumbent must be able to perform duties in areas of uncontrolled wildfire where hazardous conditions exist. The incumbent must be able to fly as a passenger in helicopters and single engine fixed wing aircraft.