National Firefighter Health Branch Chief

Summary

Summary

This position is located within the National Office Fire and Safety, Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) organization.

The incumbent serves as the National Firefighter Health Branch Chief within the Risk Management Program with a focus on wildland firefighter health andwellness program coordination and leadership, working closely with the Department of the Interior's Wildland Fire Service in the implementation of programs.

USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

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• Duties listed are at the full performance level GW-14.
• Plan and coordinate national firefighter studies and analysis of feedback and trends to determine the effectiveness in the implementation of federal health and wellbeing programs.
• Develop new ways to measure program accomplishments, results, and effectiveness.
• Responsible for the effective design and implementation of the Forest Service's wildland firefighter medical program, encompassing pre-employment medical screening and Medical Qualifications.
• Evaluate the expansion of firefighter health and wellness efforts across the federal agencies, and partner with non-federal entities for comprehensive approaches across the broader wildland fire system.
• Coordinate and evaluate firefighter health training with clinical experts and peers in training management programs to meet the needs of the federal wildland fire programs.
• Organize and supervise work groups and committees responsible for scoping, developing, revising and implementing programs or policies intended to improve the health and resilience of wildland firefighters.
• Determine priorities for initiatives, programs or capabilities that would serve to increase wildland firefighter support before, during, and after critical incidents.
• Studies and analyzes the wildland firefighter behavioral health program and develops national policy to provide for consistency across the entire fire management program.
• Recommends the preferred course of action for adoption of new and evolving programs or capabilities to reduce trauma and increase resilience.
• Provide consultation and advice on safety management systems; Agency doctrine, policy, principles; standards; and current and proposed legislation and regulation.
• Actively participates in high level conferences, negotiations and meetings concerning integration of the agency interest in behavioral health programs, which includes cancer prevention, physical wellness, medical surveillance, and suicide prevention.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment:

• 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.
• Must be 18 years of age.
• The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations.
• This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.
• Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
• There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however, applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.
• 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.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

GW-13: Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-12 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Provided subject matter expertise on technical matters related to firefighter health and wellness; Recommended initiatives or policy changes and obtained resources to improve human performance; Worked with clinical experts to develop and implement firefighter health efforts; and Reviewed and analyzed health and wellness programs or initiatives, designed and implemented quality assurance measures, and analyzed the effectiveness of programs.

GW-14: Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-13 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Provided authoritative guidance and leadership to firefighter health and wellness programs impacting one or several major agency organizations; Provided expert advice and leadership to agency officials regarding human performance in meeting long-term agency goals and objectives in fire and aviation program management; Worked with or supervised clinical experts to inform firefighter health efforts; and Initiated projects, studies, and/or activities and formulated and executed new programs for the purpose of ensuring firefighter resilience and long term health.

Selective Placement Factors

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary firefighter position under 5 USC 8336 (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent depends upon his or her individual work history.

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 provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

Additional information

For additional information about this position, please contact Erin Phelps at erin.phelps@usda.gov.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies 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. 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.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as certain military spouses, explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.

This is a permanent, full-time position and may include weekend work.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty location listed above and will be finalized at time of selection. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

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.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Forest Service and Government Housing are not available.

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 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 neither implied or guaranteed.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Job Description

Summary

This position is located within the National Office Fire and Safety, Fire and Aviation Management (FAM) organization.

The incumbent serves as the National Firefighter Health Branch Chief within the Risk Management Program with a focus on wildland firefighter health andwellness program coordination and leadership, working closely with the Department of the Interior's Wildland Fire Service in the implementation of programs.

USDA Employees: Please refer to the Next Steps section.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

• Duties listed are at the full performance level GW-14.
• Plan and coordinate national firefighter studies and analysis of feedback and trends to determine the effectiveness in the implementation of federal health and wellbeing programs.
• Develop new ways to measure program accomplishments, results, and effectiveness.
• Responsible for the effective design and implementation of the Forest Service's wildland firefighter medical program, encompassing pre-employment medical screening and Medical Qualifications.
• Evaluate the expansion of firefighter health and wellness efforts across the federal agencies, and partner with non-federal entities for comprehensive approaches across the broader wildland fire system.
• Coordinate and evaluate firefighter health training with clinical experts and peers in training management programs to meet the needs of the federal wildland fire programs.
• Organize and supervise work groups and committees responsible for scoping, developing, revising and implementing programs or policies intended to improve the health and resilience of wildland firefighters.
• Determine priorities for initiatives, programs or capabilities that would serve to increase wildland firefighter support before, during, and after critical incidents.
• Studies and analyzes the wildland firefighter behavioral health program and develops national policy to provide for consistency across the entire fire management program.
• Recommends the preferred course of action for adoption of new and evolving programs or capabilities to reduce trauma and increase resilience.
• Provide consultation and advice on safety management systems; Agency doctrine, policy, principles; standards; and current and proposed legislation and regulation.
• Actively participates in high level conferences, negotiations and meetings concerning integration of the agency interest in behavioral health programs, which includes cancer prevention, physical wellness, medical surveillance, and suicide prevention.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

Conditions of Employment:

• 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.
• Must be 18 years of age.
• The U.S. Government utilizes Trusted Workforce 2.0 to implement Continuous Vetting (CV) as a-whole-of government approach to personnel security. If selected for this position, you will be subject to continuous automated record checks of criminal, financial, and public record databases throughout your period of eligibility or employment, replacing traditional periodic reinvestigations.
• This is a drug testing designated position. You will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing. Appointment is based on a negative result. This announcement constitutes 30 days advance notice.
• Secondary Coverage: Prior wildland firefighting experience is required.
• There may be additional Conditions of Employment not listed here; however, applicants will be notified of any specific requirements at the time a tentative job offer is made.
• 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.

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.

Specialized Experience Requirement:

GW-13: Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-12 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Provided subject matter expertise on technical matters related to firefighter health and wellness; Recommended initiatives or policy changes and obtained resources to improve human performance; Worked with clinical experts to develop and implement firefighter health efforts; and Reviewed and analyzed health and wellness programs or initiatives, designed and implemented quality assurance measures, and analyzed the effectiveness of programs.

GW-14: Applicant must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GW-13 level. Examples of specialized experience may include: Provided authoritative guidance and leadership to firefighter health and wellness programs impacting one or several major agency organizations; Provided expert advice and leadership to agency officials regarding human performance in meeting long-term agency goals and objectives in fire and aviation program management; Worked with or supervised clinical experts to inform firefighter health efforts; and Initiated projects, studies, and/or activities and formulated and executed new programs for the purpose of ensuring firefighter resilience and long term health.

Selective Placement Factors

FIREFIGHTER RETIREMENT COVERAGE: This is a secondary firefighter position under 5 USC 8336 (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Prior wildland firefighting experience is required. There is no age limit for entry into secondary positions. Firefighter retirement coverage of the incumbent depends upon his or her individual work history.

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 provide updated required documents and meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Education

There is no substitution of education for specialized experience for this position.

Additional information

For additional information about this position, please contact Erin Phelps at erin.phelps@usda.gov.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP), Reemployment Priority List (RPL) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP): To exercise selection priority for this vacancy, CTAP/RPL/ICTAP candidates must meet the basic eligibility requirements and all selective factors. CTAP/ICTAP 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/ICTAP applicants must receive a rating of at least 85 out of a possible 100.

Veterans who are preference eligible or who have been separated from the armed forces under honorable conditions after three years or more of continuous active service are eligible for consideration under the Veteran's Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA).

Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) provides current or former temporary or term employees of federal land management agencies 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. 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.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Employees: Permanent County employees without prior Federal tenure who are selected for a Civil Service position under Public Law 105-277 will be given a career-conditional appointment and must serve a 1-year probationary period.

For more information on applying under special hiring authorities such as certain military spouses, explore the different Hiring Paths on the USAJOBS website.

This is a permanent, full-time position and may include weekend work.

The duty station for this position will be at one of the duty location listed above and will be finalized at time of selection. Salary range as shown is the locality pay Rest of U.S. (RUS). Pay rates vary by location. Please visit the Office of Personnel Management's website for additional information on pay rates.

Recruitment or Relocation Incentive may be authorized. Final determination to pay an incentive will be made by the hiring official at time of job offer.

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.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

Forest Service and Government Housing are not available.

PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 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 neither implied or guaranteed.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.



Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.