Operations Specialist (Fire Support)

Summary

This position is assigned to a Forest Service, Region 5 Pacific Southwest office. This positions serves as the Emergency Fire Contract Administrator of an Interagency Emergency Fire Equipment Contract Program, working in a variety of Incident Management assignments. For additional information about the duties of this position, please contact Brian Grabowski at [email protected] or Deirdre Cherry at [email protected].

Duties

• Duties listed are at the full performance GS-11 grade level.
• Serves as a primary contact for incident management personnel, dispatch, forests, and regional inquiries to resolve issues with contracted resources.
• Reviews statements of work and contract specifications to ensure they are vetted through the appropriate staff.
• Ensures contract compliance and when appropriate, provides findings and recommendations for use and improvement.
• Ensures contract compliance and when appropriate, provides findings and recommendations for use and improvement.
• Coordinates and conducts reviews of contractor personnel training documents identifying and evaluating the quality and adequacy of fire training courses, materials, and instructors.
• Identifies and analyzes emergency fire equipment contractor skills or knowledge deficiencies and developmental needs.
• Develops and conducts equipment inspection training for interagency personnel throughout the region.
• Contracting Officers Representative (COR) for Regional Emergency Incident Blanket Purchase Agreements (IBPA’s)
• Provides training and guidance of Incident Contract Project Inspectors (ICPI) performing under Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) agreements and National Contracts (exclusive of aviation contracts).
• Responsible for conducting field evaluations and inspections on firefighting equipment, services, materials, processes and procedures, including the period of ongoing fire suppression activities.
• Communicates contract administration efforts with appropriate signatory Contracting Officer, including agreement solicitation support, verification of vendor provided information and contract actions.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt. Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check. Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's General Schedule Qualification Standards. Your application and resume must clearly show that you possess the experience requirements. Transcripts must be provided for qualifications based on education. Provide course descriptions as necessary. GS-09: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as three or more of the following: Assisting with the review of statements of work and contract specifications; and/or Assisting with contract reviews to evaluate contractor performance; and/or Assisting with the inspections of equipment, materials, processes, procedures, etc. to ensure contract compliance; and/or Assisting with purchasing supplies and services following ordering protocols and addressing payment inquiries during and after wildland fire and other emergency assignments. OR A master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and education (only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours may be used to qualify applicants for this grade level). GS-11: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as three or more of the following: Working with incident management resources to provide contract compliance and assistance; and/or Performing project management support work directly related to emergency incident management projects; and/or Serving as a Contracting Officers Representative (COR) or similar position for emergency incident related contracts including equipment, services, and material; and/or Conducting inspections of equipment, materials, processes, procedures, etc. to ensure contract compliance. OR A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR An appropriate combination of specialized experience and graduate level education (beyond what is required for a master's degree, i.e., more than 36 semester hours leading to a Ph.D.). 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. TIME IN GRADE REQUIREMENT: If you are a current federal employee in the General Schedule (GS) pay plan and applying for a promotion opportunity, you must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. This requirement must be met by the closing date of this announcement. To receive consideration for this position, you must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Education

See above for education that may be qualifying for the specific grade level. How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated based on your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the competencies listed below: Contracting/Procurement Project Management Writing Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. If you meet the qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified, you will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities must meet minimum qualifications to be referred. Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered to more accurately reflect the submitted documentation. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action. To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13058314 Other Information

Position(s) will be located at the Region 5 Forest Office location listed above or at another Forest Office within Region 5. Final determination of the duty station will be made by the selecting official at the time of the job offer. Pay rates vary depending on location. The salary shown is for the Rest of the U.S. (RUS) See OPM.gov for additional information on pay rates. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Reemployment Priority List (RPL): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP candidates must be rated and determined to be well qualified (or above) based on an evaluation of the competencies listed in the How You Will Be Evaluated section. When assessed through a score-based category rating method, CTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary and term employees the opportunity to compete for permanent competitive service positions. Individuals must have more than 24 months of service without a break between appointments of two or more years and the last temporary or term appointment must have been with the Forest Service. Service must be in the competitive service and have been at a successful level of performance or better. Part-time and intermittent service will be credited only for time actually worked. Non-pay status such as leave without pay is credited for up to six months in a calendar year; anything beyond six months is not credited. Applicants are responsible for providing sufficient information/documentation to determine if the 24 month criteria is met. If you are selected for a position with further promotion potential, you will be placed under a career development plan, and may be non-competitively promoted if you successfully complete the requirements and if recommended by management. However, promotion is not guaranteed. This position may be eligible to telework up to four days per week, based upon the duties of the position. This position may also be eligible for flexible work arrangements as determined by agency policy and any applicable collective bargaining agreements. This position is not eligible for telework. The Forest Service may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government, to attract highly qualified candidates. Additional Information is available on the OPM Website. Positions filled from this announcement may be a bargaining or a non-bargaining unit position represented by either NFFE, AFGE or NAGE. Forest Service daycare facilities may be available. Government Housing may be available. We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies.