Hybrid Equipment Specialist (Direct Hire Authority) at Department of the Interior

Equipment Specialist (Direct Hire Authority)

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Boise, Idaho

Salary Range: $72111 - $107650 Per Year

Job Summary: Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. This position is located with the BLM Fire & Aviation Directorate, Division of Fire Operations and Safety located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. Information about the surrounding area can be found at https://www.boisechamber.org. We expect to fill 3 positions at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Major Duties:

• Provides operational and administrative support to the National Fire Equipment Program’s (NFEP) Production Manager(s) in executing equipment production and delivery activities.
• Serves as a national level technical expert in the design, development, contracting, procurement, delivery, and maintenance of mobile wildland fire equipment including engines, water tenders, heavy equipment and support vehicles.
• Offers direct and indirect technical assistance to agency personnel to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to fire engines and other mobile fire equipment.
• Maintains cost, labor, and materials records on assigned projects.
• Assists in the preparation of technical documentation, including Equipment Bulletins and Equipment Alerts, to ensure timely and accurate communication of equipment issues, potential hazards, and recommended corrective actions.
• Serves as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or Project Inspector (PI) on mobile wildland fire equipment contracts, ensuring contract compliance, monitoring vendor performance and verifying fire readiness of equipment.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and technical specialist for reviews and investigations to assess and improve the effectiveness and safety of organizational operations.
• Supports various NFEP programs and activities, including the Improvement and Deficiency Reporting System, Rural Fire Readiness Program, Location Based Services Program and periodic updates to the Fire Equipment Maintenance Procedure and Record.

Qualifications: Selective Placement Factors (SPFs): This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified: Commercial Drivers License - Required to possess and maintain a valid state Commercial Drivers License (CDL). Specialized Experience: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the minimum qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. For GS-09: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-07 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Experience in the safe operation and maintenance of wildland fire equipment in a variety of wildland fire management areas; suppression and preparedness, mobilization and dispatch coordination, training, and logistics; providing troubleshooting and technical assistance, training and requested field support for interagency fire programs; consulting with management of vehicle replacement cycles, performing inspections on fire equipment, and maintenance and repair policies relating to various fire vehicle classes. -OR- Education: Completed 2 years of graduate education leading to a master`s degree in a directly related field OR Completed 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree - OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. For GS-11: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-09 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: Experience in the safe operation and maintenance of wildland fire equipment in a variety of wildland fire management areas; suppression and preparedness, mobilization and dispatch coordination, training and logistics; monitoring vehicle replacement cycles, processes and procedures for ordering new or replacement fire equipment, equipment maintenance and repair policies and procedures; and contracting duties such as development of specifications, performing market research, evaluating contractor proposals, performing Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or Project Inspector (PI) duties. -OR- Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 years of graduate education leading to such a degree in a directly related field - OR- Combination of Education and Experience: You may meet qualifications requirement for this position with an equivalent combination of specialized experience and appropriate graduate education. Graduate level education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements within the closing date of the announcement. If selected at the lower grade, subsequent promotion to the next grade level will be processed without further competition dependent upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties. Department of Transportation (DOT) DRUG TESTING REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION. This position requires possession of a Commercials Driver's License (CDL). As such, it is a Drug and Alcohol Testing Designated Position (TDP) under the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991. If the person selected for the position does not currently occupy a CDL Drug and Alcohol Testing Designated Position, he/she will be required to submit to and receive a negative test result prior to appointment. A positive drug or alcohol test result may be grounds for denying final placement into this position. In addition, the Act mandates that the incumbent will be subject to random drug and alcohol testing and that he/she may also undergo reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up testing.

How to Apply: THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by 08/22/2025. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the NIFC-FA Branch of Human Resource office at [email protected] or (208) 387-5523. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e., you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below in order to complete the application process successfully: 1) YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBs; your profile must contain a current resume for submission. In order to receive proper consideration, your resume should include the following information: Current personal contact information. Work experience (paid or unpaid) including - starting and ending dates (month and year, MM/YYYY - MM/YYYY), employer's name and address, job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties and accomplishments, supervisor's name and telephone number, indicate if supervisor may be contacted, hours per week, and salary. Education and job-related training including - school name, type and year of degrees/diploma received, credits earned and majors; title of training course and year of completion. References - personal and professional- Additional information - skills (languages, tools, machinery, typing speed, etc.), certificates or licenses (current only), and/or honors, awards, and special accomplishments (recognition, professional memberships, publications, leadership activities, etc.). INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. 2) Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria; the eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12766049. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Application Deadline: 2025-08-22