Aviation Manager (Unmanned Aircraft System)

Summary

This Aviation Manager (Unmanned Aircraft System) position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-2101-13 working in the following location: 1 - Eastern Area Geographic Area, at a DOI Federal Office Location Only, Negotiable After Selection (US Wildland Fire Service Geographic Areas Map) In order to be considered for any duty location, ensure desired locations are selected. Applicants will not be considered for locations not selected.

Duties

As a Aviation Manager (Unmanned Aircraft System) your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Provides senior level aviation management expertise to the field, as well as coordination between USWFS units concerning safety, operations, investigation, direction, training, and compliance for the conduct of aircraft operations program activities. Analyzes and guides aviation program activities in order to assure safe and cost-effective use of aviation resources throughout the USWFS that comply with DOI existing statutes, regulations and policies. Develops and supports implementation of the aviation safety training program within WFS to ensure Federal Aviation Administration policy requirements are followed. Evaluates organizational performance in terms of the application of safe and accepted flight procedures and recommends corrective action or additional training. Performs a key role in periodic aviation reviews in order to respond to safety and operational issues. 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. Official U.S. Wildland Fire Service uniform is required. A condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications

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. Only experience and education obtained by 09/08/2026 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-13 level: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-12 level, or higher, in the Federal service, or equivalent, which includes all of the following: Examples of specialized experience include: Preparing and editing state/regional level aviation plans, oversight of Uncrewed Aviation Systems (UAS), processing and providing management input into SAFECOMs, leading aviation reviews. 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: Most of the work is sedentary in nature and requires sitting for long periods. The position requires intermittent physical exertion while inspecting field operations or participating in accident/incident investigations. On occasion, it may be required to perform field work requiring long walks over rough, rocky terrain for long hours during high temperatures. Substantial travel to meeting locations in other cities and to remote field locations for assignments up to two weeks in duration is common. Mode of travel may be by aircraft, ground vehicle, and horseback and on foot. Working Conditions: Most of the work is performed in an office or meeting room setting. The incumbent will be assessing direct applications of aviation needs and activities in the field program. These activities often require the person to be at the location engaged in actual aviation activities in the air and on the ground. The work can be expected to include periodic assignments of long duration in remote airports, heliports and field camps. At times the incumbent may be required to inspect aviation operations on wildland fires, prescribed fires, or other resource management activities.

Education

IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE: There is no qualifying education for the 2101 series at the GW-13 grade level. 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 minimum qualification requirements of this position. Once the job opportunity announcement closes, your resume and all supporting documents will be reviewed by HR to determine if you are minimally qualified for the position. 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. Due to this vacancy being filled through OPM's Direct Hire Authority, Veterans Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants does not apply to positions filled under this announcement. Applications received as a result of job fairs, recruitment events, and emergency hiring mechanisms in support of this hiring initiative will also be accepted during the duration of the announcement. All minimally qualified candidates will be referred for consideration. Please note that the hiring office may conduct interviews at their discretion. Interviews may be conducted on a pass/fail basis. The competencies below provide an overview of what this position entails once encumbered: Fire Management - Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, & ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, & equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management. Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress & evaluates outcomes. Leadership - Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors. Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Other Information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. 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 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp. Reemployment Priority List (RPL): The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration. PCS INFORMATION: -Yes, entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable. Reasonable Accommodation: The USWFS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process. Probation/Trial Period Con't: The [probationary or trial] period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your [probationary period -OR- trial period] your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.