Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Unit Fire Chief)

Summary

U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) This position is a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Unit Fire Chief), GW-0456-13 working in the following locations: Arcata, CA or Orick, CA: 1 Vacancy Bishop, CA: 1 Vacancy Burbank, WA: 1 Vacancy El Dorado Hills, CA or Willows, CA: 1 Vacancy Fresno, CA or Three Rivers, CA: 1 Vacancy Redding, CA: 1 Vacancy Riverside, CA or Jamul, CA: 1 Vacancy Sausalito, CA: 1 Vacancy Susanville, CA or Tulelake, CA: 1 Vacancy

Duties

• As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Unit Fire Chief), your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Supervises multiple Wildland Firefighters and provides second-level supervision over their staff.
• Directs suppression operations on large or complex fires as required by the severity of the fire or by the requirements of a particular fire.
• Directs the preparation and execution of annual budgets for fire management programs, taking into account expenses for salaries, supplies, new facilities, and equipment, etc., to ensure adequate staff, equipment, and facilities to protect natural resources from fire.
• Fire management planning involving interacting with all disciplines (interdisciplinary teams) as well as subordinate leadership, employees of the organization, and cooperators from other federal, state, tribal, and local agencies.

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 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.

Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the 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 complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Education

Education may not be used for this position.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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 qualification requirements of this position. Once the application process is complete, HR will review your application to ensure you meet eligibility and minimum qualifications. To determine if you are minimally qualified for this position, HR will complete a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire.

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. In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications requirement(s), this position requires successful completion of the following additional assessment: Subject Matter Expert Review. This assessment will measure the critical competencies listed below that are required to successfully perform in the position. Planning and Evaluating: Understands the organization’s financial processes.

Prepares, justifies, and administers the program budget. Oversees procurement and contracting to achieve desired results. Monitors expenditures and uses cost-benefit thinking to set priorities. Partnerships: Knowledge of the tactics, technologies, principles, and processes to protect, analyze, prioritize, and handle incidents.

Incident Management: Ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, or other organizations to achieve common goals. Financial Management: Determines objectives and strategies; coordinates with other parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors and evaluates the progress and outcomes of operational plans; anticipates potential threats or opportunities. In the evaluation process, due weight will be given to job related experience, education, training, incentive awards and performance appraisals. Applicants must have a performance rating of at least the equivalent of fully successful to be eligible for promotion or placement.

Applicants may provide a copy of a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months. If the applicant is unable to provide a performance appraisal of record dated within the last 18 months, the applicant may provide a written explanation as to why. Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Required Documents

• You must submit a complete application package.
• The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/23/2026.
• Resumes must show relevant experience and other information.
• Your resume MUST list your education and work experience including (1) the dates (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.
• In addition, Civil Service employees must provide their current OPM title, series, and grade.
• 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: Note: Federal employees who have reinstatement eligibility please review the How to Apply for Reinstatement page for all required documents.
• If you have any questions regarding which SF-50's to submit, it is highly recommended that you contact the person listed on this vacancy announcement before the closing date.
• 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.
• Performance Appraisal: Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years.
• Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official.
• The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.
• If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available.
• Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.
• Veterans' Preference Documentation: If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and you are claiming 5-point veterans' preference, you must attach a copy of your DD-214 Member Copy 2 or 4 showing you were honorably discharged.
• If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form.
• You may not be awarded preference if you do not attach the correct Veteran Documentation as specified above.
• NOTE: To be eligible for a Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) appointment under Merit Promotion procedures, you must be a preference eligible, or a Veteran separated after 3 years or more of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions.
• 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.