Summary This position is located in Interior Region 2 in the Wildland Fire and Aviation Management Division. This is a temporary promotion not to exceed 1 year, and can be extended up to 5 years. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 05/27/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Responsibilities Provides strategic long-range planning, leadership, guidance, coordination, and evaluation for regional/state wildland fire and aviation programs in the bureau and interagency community. This position serves as the National Park Service Southeast Region Regional Operations Specialist. As the Regional Operations Specialist, this position is organized under the Branch of Wildland Fire and Aviation/Division of Visitor and Resource Protection. The primary purpose of the position is to assess the effectiveness of fire management programs including operations, aviation, fuels management, prevention, planning, and training and to serve as a technical authority providing guidance, advice and support for policy interpretation and implementation to fire management agencies across the United States to all organizational levels in respective areas of expertise. The position serves as State/Region level subject matter expert in resource need forecasting and allocation. Analyzes and assesses existing Departmental and Bureau policy and procedures to evaluate overall effectiveness in meeting Bureau objectives at the regional and/or state level. Serves as a wildland fire management program expert and technical advisor to unit, tribal, state, or regional office managers. Reviews, analyzes, interprets, and disseminates existing and new departmental and bureau policy originating from the national office. Participates in the development of new regional/state wildland fire and aviation management policy. Serves as senior technical expert and provides high level technical guidance on wildland fire and aviation management activities that affect resource management plans and associated region/statewide resource and land management programs for state/regional/tribal and local wildland fire management offices/units. Produces updated policies and guidelines and ensures unique missions of each bureau are represented during development. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. 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. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Selectees will be expected to travel in (not pilot) a small single-engine aircraft. 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 up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Subject to frequent extended travel up to 14 nights per month particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/27/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECILIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience for this position is experience managing an aviation program, or a significant portion thereof, supporting a natural resource agency or organization. Duties include applying interagency aviation policy, guidelines, and procedures as they pertain to fixed and rotor wing aircraft operations in support of fire, resource management, law enforcement, and search and rescue operations; providing aviation safety technology advice, operational guidance, risk assessment, and specific aviation management experience in program implementation with emphasis on policy development, interpretation, and procedural compliance. You must include hours per week worked. This is an administrative position in an organization having a firefighting mission and is clearly in an established career path. Prior firefighting experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary firefighter position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE. This is a secondary-administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements, but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary position. This is a secondary-administrative firefighter position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. Volunteer Experience: 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. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: This work is primarily sedentary. Some physical exertion related to site visitations and fire line assignments is required. Walking on rough, uneven terrain, long periods of standing, and exposure to extreme heat, smoke, and temperatures is required. Working Conditions: This work is normally performed in an office setting. During the wildland fire season, field work may involve high risk exposure to potentially dangerous situating or stress. This involves occasional exposure to moderate risks and discomforts which usually require protective equipment to be worn. A range of safety and other precautions are required.