Forestry Technician

DutiesSummary

THIS POSITION WILL SUPPORT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE EFFORTS TO COVID-19.

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Region, Trust Services, Branch of Wildland Fire and Aviation Management, Engine Section in Fort Defiance, Arizona. This position is to perform wildland fire suppression/management/control functions and serve as a firefighter on an engine, helitack, prescribed fire, wildland fire crew, or on a hand crew.



Responsibilities
• Perform Wildland fire related duties involve fire prevention, patrol, detection or prescribed burning.
• Serve as a skilled crewmember on an engine, helitack or prescribed fire or hand crew.
• Utilize a variety of specialized tools, equipment and techniques while actively suppressing wildfires, such as a Pulaski, shovel, McLeod, ax and chainsaw to control the spread of wildfire.
• Performs basic fireline activities such as line construction, hose layout, operations of pumps and accessories, lopping and scattering of fuels using hand tools and holding, patrolling, monitoring, and mop-up operations.
• Performs project work such as fuel inventory and hazard fuel reduction projects.
Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

None

• Job family (Series)

  0462 Forestry Technician

  Similar jobs
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• Requirements

  RequirementsConditions of Employment
  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • Indian Preference applies
  • You will be required to have federal payments made by Direct Deposit
  • You may be required to successfully complete a probationary/trial period
  • A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  • Incumbent is required to operate a government motor vehicle, must possess a valid driver's license, and have a safe driving record within the 3 year period immediately preceding submittal of GSA Form 3607.
  • This position is subject to both pre-employment and random drug testing as a condition of employment. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
  • This position is subject to pre-employment and annual medical screening and physical fitness testing for arduous duty.
  Qualifications

  EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Technical and Medical Support Positions and Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0462: Forestry Technician Series.

  GS-4: 6 months of general work experience, which can be any work experience AND 6 months of specialized work experience. Examples of specialized experience include but not limited to on-the-line wildland fire experience in forest/range fire prevention or fire suppression work as a trainee wildland firefighter -OR- 2 years of education above the high school level which included at least 12 semester hours in any of the following courses: forestry, agriculture, crop or plant science, range management or conservation, wildlife management, watershed management, soil science, natural resources (except marine fisheries and oceanography), outdoor recreation management, civil or forest engineering, or wildland fire science. No more than 3 semester hours in mathematics is creditable OR 4 seasons of work experience.
  
  All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  
  Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

  Education

  If you are qualifying based on your education, you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable, or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses, grades, semester, year, and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.
  
  If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.
  
  If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION

  Additional information

  Appointment is time limited to not-to-exceed 1730 hours in the current service year per Office of Personnel Management approved exception.

  All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2020 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Fort Defiance, Arizona. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart.
  
  TELEWORK: Indian Affairs has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
  
  Career Transition Assistance Programs: These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp .
  
  Under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) two groups of individuals are eligible to apply under this announcement: current and/or former employees serving or who have served under time-limited competitive appointments at land management agencies. Land Management Agencies include: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service.

  • Current appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; AND 3) must have performed at an acceptable level during each period of service.
  • Former appointees: 1) must have been hired under competitive examining procedures to a time limited appointment with a land management agency; 2) must have served under one or more time limited appointment(s) by a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of 2 or more years; 3) must have separated for reasons other than misconduct or performance; AND 4) must have performed at an acceptable level through the service period.
  Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals, Peace Corps employees, Foreign Service employees, veterans, etc. For more information, visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.
  
  Former Federal Employees are required to indicate whether they received a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) buyout in their previous employment with the Federal government, and are required to submit a copy of the applicable Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) regarding the VSIP. Most individuals who accept reemployment with the Federal government within 5 years of receiving the VSIP amount, must repay the gross amount of the separation pay prior to reemployment.
  
  How You Will Be Evaluated

  You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

  Your application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position. Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 02/10/2021 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position. Qualified candidates will then be rated as best qualified, well qualified, or qualified depending on their possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies and experience requirements as demonstrated by your responses to the assessment questions. Competencies measured include:
  

  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Safety Engineering
  • Technical Competence
  • Technology Application
  
  We will compare your resume and supporting documentation to your responses on the assessment questionnaire. If the information in your resume does not support your responses to the assessment questions, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your qualifications.
  
  Qualified Indian preference candidates will be referred to the hiring manager in order of veterans' preference.
  
  You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11000713. Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.
  
  Background checks and security clearanceSecurity clearance

  Other

  Drug test required

  Yes

  Position sensitivity and risk

  Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

  Trust determination process

  Suitability/Fitness

• Required Documents

  Required Documents

  The following documents are required for this position:

  • Resume which details work experience including dates worked (mm/yy-mm/yy), position title, Grade (if federal service), and hours worked per week.
  • On-line Assessment Questionnaire
  • Most recent SF-50 (if applying under merit promotion. Be sure your SF-50 displays your tenure in box 24, your position in box 34, and that the SF-50 is not an award)
  • Transcripts (if using education to qualify) - Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, an official transcript may be requested at a later time.
  • Veteran's documentation - (if applicable) VA letter on VA letterhead stating your overall combined rating, SF-15, DD-214 (copy 4) reflecting an honorable discharge and dates of active duty military service.
  • Special Appointing Authority documentation (if applying under a special hiring authority)
  • BIA Form 4432 (if claiming Indian preference)
  • Performance Appraisal (if applying under the Land Management Flexibility Act)
  If you are applying as a VEOA candidate, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 and your letter from the VA reflecting an honorable discharge and that you either completed three years of active duty service or are a preference eligible. For more information see: https://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/shav/index.aspx#veoa.
  
  If you are unable to apply online, require reasonable accommodation in the application process if you are an applicant with a disability, or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
  
  ALL DOCUMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 9:59 PM Mountain Time ON THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. If your application package is incomplete in any way, you will not be considered for this position, and requests for extensions will not be granted. Please double check your application package before you submit it.
  
  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SOLICITED OR ACCEPTED BY THIS OFFICE.
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

• Benefits

  Benefits

  A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

  Review our benefits

  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Federal employees - Competitive service

  Current or former competitive service federal employees.

• Federal employees - Excepted service

  Current excepted service federal employees.

• Individuals with disabilities
• Land & base management

  Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

• Military spouses
• Native Americans

  Native Americans or Alaskan Natives with a tribal affiliation.

• Veterans

Current or former career or career-conditional Federal employees in the competitive service Indian preference eligibles (must submit a BIA Form 4432) Veterans who are preference eligibles or who have been separated from the armed forces with an honorable discharge Government employees eligible through an Interchange agreement Candidates eligible under Non-Competitive special hiring authority Current or former time-limited employees eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act