Search Rescue Helicopter Pilot Jobs in California

Summary
This is a Direct-Hire advertisement. Veterans preference is not applicable to this advertisement. Learn more about this authority at: Direct Hire Authority
This Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Helicopter Program Manager) - Direct Hiring Authority position is with the US Wildland Fire Service, GW-0456-9 working in the following location(s):

• El Portal, California

Learn more about this agency
Duties
Help
As a Supervisory Wildland Firefighter (Helicopter Program Manager) - Direct Hiring Authority your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for helicopter safety and compliance with all applicable Department of Interior (DOI), and US Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) policies and procedures.
• Plans, coordinates, and directs helicopter support to execute a wide variety of park-wide missions requiring interdisciplinary participation to complete.
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with agency policies, procedures, and objectives during aviation missions and to meet short term project and emergency needs.
• Serves in Fire and Aviation management positions, as qualified, and assigned during initial attack, ongoing fires, other natural disasters, search and rescue, as well as during other emergencies.
• Assists in training and may serve as lead instructor for park and interagency courses, or workshops, which instruct helitack, park, and other cooperating agency personnel in helicopter operations.
• Plans, coordinates, and directs helicopter operations in support of mission requests.
• Directs aviation mission planning including briefings of pilots, contract personnel and crews on mission requirements.
• Participates in and may direct helicopter operations to include accompanying pilot on flights, provides radio communications to dispatch and/or ground firefighter and navigates with use of maps.
• Conducts post flight briefings with pilots and crews to improve mission safety and effectiveness.
• May serve as a rappeller, short hauler, or spotter.

Requirements
Help
Conditions of employment
Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
Direct Deposit Required.
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.
Selectees must pass a pre-employment medical examination and may be subject to post-employment medical examinations to determine if they are maintaining the fitness standards for this position.
You must also pass the work capacity test for arduous positions.
this position requires the incumbent to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of their official duties. Selectee must hold and maintain a valid state driver's license throughout their employment in this position.
Official U.S. Wildland Fire Service uniform is required.
A condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
Supervisory Probationary Period: Selectees who have not previously completed a supervisory probationary period, will be required to serve a one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period for this position.
Individuals assigned male at birth after 12-31-59 must be registered for the Selective Service. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
Must meet the maximum age requirement. See qualifications section for more information.
You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
Occupancy of government quarters is required for the position.
Subject to frequent extended travel particularly during fire season, and you must obtain a government charge card for travel.
Qualifications
In order to qualify for this position you must possess the Minimum Qualification requirements listed below.
To receive credit for experience, 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 Placement Factor(s): 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.
This position is a Primary Firefighter position and is subject to a maximum entry age (MEA). The MEA is the date immediately preceding your 37th birthday. Applicants must not have reached age 37 at the time of appointment, unless proof is provided of prior Federal service in another primary covered position, or you are a preference eligible veteran. If you are a preference eligible veteran, you may be eligible for this position after your 37th birthday. You must supply a copy of your Defense Department Form 214 (DD-214) along with Standard Form 15 (if applicable) and any associated documentation in accordance with the instructions in this vacancy announcement. Failure to provide this documentation with your application may result in loss of consideration. Please refer to the Required Documents section for further guidance on what documentation is required to meet this requirement. If over the MEA and you are not a veteran, proof of prior covered service must be submitted prior to employment. Acceptable proof consists of SF-50s showing beginning and ending dates of covered/creditable appointments and copies of approved letters based on individual claims.
Requirement for the GW-09 grade level ONLY: This position has been identified as one of the key fire management positions under the Interagency Fire Program Management (IFPM) Standard. This position has been categorized as a Complex Helicopter Program Manager and requires selectee to meet the minimum qualification standards for IFPM prior to being placed into the position. Detailed information regarding IFPM positions can be found at www.ifpm.nifc.gov. To meet IFPM requirements for this position, you must have possessed all of the following National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) incident management qualifications and training requirements to be considered eligible for this position (currency not required):

1. Incident Commander Type 4 (ICT4); AND
2. Helicopter Manager - Single Resource (HMGB); AND
3. Helibase Manager (HEBM); AND
4. At least one season as an Assistant Fire Helicopter Crew Supervisor

In addition to the requirements described above, the following additional experience is required.
Only experience and education obtained by 09/07/2026 will be considered.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. Please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.
Minimum Qualification
To qualify for the GW-09 level:
You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS/GW-08 level in the Federal service, or equivalent, which includes the following: Performing wildland fire operations, and at least one of the following wildland fire-fighting functions: Initial attack and Fire-line Suppression Operations; Prescribed Fire Operations; Helitack Operations; Wildland Fire Engine Operations; leading others in any two of the following functions: initial attack and suppression hand-crew operations; prescribed fire operations; wildland fire engine crew operations; helitack fire crew operations; providing on-the-job training and conducting daily crew briefings, safety sessions, and/or other basic wildland fire training.
*Applicants must meet all minimum qualification requirements for the position of interest by the closing date of the Job Announcement.
This position is covered by the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S.C. 8336 (c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412 (d) as a Primary/Rigorous Firefighter. Applicants must be 18 years of age but not have reached their 37th birthday by the closing date of this announcement. These positions are covered by the special enhanced annuity retirement provisions for Federal Firefighters and Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in documented special retirement covered position(s) sufficient to count toward 20 years of covered service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. Applicants must submit proof of their previous and/or current status in the Fire Fighter or Law Enforcement special enhanced annuity retirement system.
Physical Demands: Arduous exertion for protracted periods of time such as, but not limited to, extensive running, walking, climbing, kneeling, stooping, pulling hoses, jumping and twisting, prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar activities requiring at least average agility and dexterity.
Working Conditions: Forest, range, and desert environments in steep terrain where surfaces may be extremely uneven, rocky, covered with thick tangled vegetation, smoky conditions, etc. Temperatures commonly exceed 100 degrees F and may fall below freezing. Risks include smoke inhalation, fire entrapment, snake or insect bites and stings, exposure to excessive machinery noise, and falling and rolling material. Employee must adjust and cope with exposure to weather elements, dust and smoke, poor bivouac and eating situations under an unpredictable set of circumstances. Firefighters may be required to live in backcountry camps for extended periods of time. The hazardous nature of the work requires that personal protective equipment be worn (e.g., boots, hard hat, gloves, flame resistant clothing). Work may require travel by fixed-wing or rotor-wing aircraft.
Education
IMPORTANT - There is no education substitute for experience at the GW-0456-09 grade level.
Position Information:
**PLEASE NOTE - this position is covered under the new GW pay table specific to Wildland Firefighters.

• Yosemite National Park, El Portal, CA, covered under the Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA Pay Table.

If eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed.
One or more positions may be filled from applications received under this announcement in the advertised office or other U.S. Wildland Fire Service offices in the local commuting area.
Additional information
Department of Interior (DOI) Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) procedures apply in filling this vacancy. These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements) for the position with a score of 85 or above on the assessment questionnaire, and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal, proof of eligibility, and most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, and duty location with their application. For more information visit: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
The RPL is the mechanism agencies use to give reemployment consideration to their former competitive service employees separated by a RIF or who have fully recovered from a compensable injury after more than one year. If you are currently on an RPL, you may be given priority consideration.
Telework: This position is suitable for telework only in an emergency or natural disaster.
The USWFS provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Please visit USAJOBS Help Center | Reasonable accommodation policy if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.
The probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will 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.
Under applicable law, the employment of an