Supervisory Aviation Management Specialist (Branch Chief, Pilot Operations)

This Supervisory Aviation Management Specialist (Branch Chief, Pilot Operations) position is with Office of the Secretary of the Interior (Department of the Interior) in Phoenix, AZ. You will serve as a Supervisory Aviation Management Specialist (Branch Chief, Pilot Operations) within the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Wildland Fire Service, in the Headquarters Aviation, Flight Operations Division. Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Key duties: • Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Provide technical and administrative supervision to subordinates. Plan and assign work based on program priorities, complexity of assignments, and employee development needs. Give advice, counsel, or instruction to individual employees, providing coaching, technical direction and mentoring where needed. Manage and resolve conflicts, confrontations, and disagreements in a positive and constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact. Manage human resources matters such as recruitment, promotions, and disciplinary actions, ensuring compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies. Manage the national pilot operations program. Oversee policy development and operational guidance related to crewed flight missions. Encourage and facilitate cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; foster commitment and team spirit; and work with others to achieve goals. Serve as the principal point of contact for interagency collaboration on pilot operations. Represent the Department of the Interior (DOI) in national aviation forums and contribute to national aviation doctrine. Develop networks and builds alliances; and collaborate across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals. Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/23/2026 -unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. 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. Selective Factors: 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. 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." -AND- Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GW-13 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Qualifying specialized experience is demonstrated experience in at least one or more of the following areas: 1) Experience in aerial supervision over wildland fire incidents within the fire traffic area. Directing and/or sequencing aircraft to drop aerial suppressants on a wildfire. Providing guidance to fire personnel on the ground regarding tactics and aviation needs. 2) Experience as a qualified airplane pilot and/or instructor pilot conducting missions on wildland fire. This would include (but is not limited to) missions to deliver smokejumpers or lead plane operations. 3) Aviation Management experience as displayed by the following; ordering aviation resources, evaluating aviation risk, reviewing and approving aviation safety plans, advising fire managers on utilization of aviation resources. You must include hours per week worked. 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. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.