National Safety and Occupational Health Manager (Wildland Fire)

This National Safety and Occupational Health Manager (Wildland Fire) position is with Office of the Secretary of the Interior (Department of the Interior) in Phoenix, AZ. One position is being filled at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The incumbent serves as a senior Safety and Occupational Health Manager, leading USWFS safety and occupational health programs and developing field-focused solutions to improve firefighter safety, reduce risk, and enhance wildland fire operations. Questions? Please reach out to: Tyler McCowan, tmccowan@blm.gov. Duty location will be determined at time of selection at an approved DOI location. Key duties: • Serves as a nationally recognized subject-matter expert in wildland fire safety, firefighter health, and operational risk management, directly supporting wildland fire preparedness, suppression, and incident management operations across the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS). Develops, coordinates, and administers complex safety and health programs specifically tailored to wildland fire operations, including firefighter medical standards, incident medical support systems, industrial hygiene monitoring in fire environments (e.g., smoke exposure, heat stress), and critical incident stress management following fireline fatalities, near misses, and traumatic events. Serves as the technical authority to USWFS leadership, Incident Management Teams (IMTs), and fire program managers on integrating safety and occupational health requirements into operational planning and execution, including Incident Action Plans (IAPs), fireline briefings, and risk management processes (e.g., LCES, risk assessment, and decision support tools). Identifies and analyzes emerging and systemic safety issues specific to wildland fire operations through systems such as SAFENET, Lessons Learned, and incident after-action reviews. Leads the development and implementation of wildland fire-specific safety and occupational health policies, ensuring alignment with operational fire management requirements and integration into fire program doctrine, NWCG standards, and interagency fire guidance. Conducts comprehensive evaluations of fire program activities, including incident operations, prescribed fire programs, training exercises, and aviation operations, to assess compliance with safety standards and identify operational risk gaps affecting firefighter safety and mission execution. Analyzes wildland fire accident and incident data to identify operational risk trends tied to fire suppression activities, including line construction, firing operations, aviation missions, and extended duration incidents. Designs and delivers specialized training programs focused on wildland fire safety, operational risk management, and firefighter health, ensuring alignment with NWCG training standards and incident qualification requirements. 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. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2 page resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time or part-time, hours must be included). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. 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. 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. Basic Qualification Requirements: Candidates must possess Primary/Rigorous wildland firefighting experience, gained through fire line work in containment, control, suppression or use of wildland fire. You must clearly demonstrate this experience in your resume, including the months, days, and hours per week at which the work was performed to be considered. Applicants must have documented prior primary firefighting experience, with substantial service defined as either: At least one full fire season working in a primary wildland firefighting role (e.g., Engine Crew, Fire Effects Crew, Prescribed Fire/Fuels Crew, Hand Crew, Helitack Crew, Hotshot Crew, Smokejumper, Wildland Fire Modules or Fire Suppression Crews, etc.) with a federal, state, tribal, local, or private-sector organization; - OR - At least 14 days of on-the-ground fireline experience (cumulative or consecutive). Prior primary wildland fire experience must be clearly documented in your resume. Note: an IQCS Master Record or equivalent document will not be used to determine or calculate prior primary wildland fire experience eligibility for this requirement. In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-12 level, or higher in the Federal service, or equivalent. Examples of specialized experience include: Planning, developing, and managing occupational safety and health programs; interpreting and applying safety laws, regulations, policies, and standards; conducting inspections, hazard assessments, accident investigations, and program evaluations; analyzing safety data to identify trends, evaluate effectiveness, and implement corrective actions. Providing nationally recognized subject-matter expertise in wildland fire safety, firefighter health, and operational risk management, applying advanced knowledge of fire behavior, suppression tactics, incident command, aviation operations, and fireline safety across the U.S. Wildland Fire Service. Developing and implementing fire-specific safety and occupational health policies, standards, risk controls, training, and guidance addressing entrapment, burnover, aviation hazards, smoke exposure, heat stress, fatigue, medical support, and other operational risks. Advising leadership, Incident Management Teams, fire program managers, and interagency partners; integrating safety requirements into incident planning, risk assessments, Incident Action Plans, fireline briefings, training, and operational decisions. Strengthening organizational safety performance through stakeholder collaboration, technical direction, specialized training, interagency standards and guidance, investigations, and risk mitigation strategies that reduced operational risk and improved mission effectiveness. 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. To receive consideration for this position, you must provide updated required documents and meet all qualification and time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.