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 Support Services, Site and Facilities Branch located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), in Boise, Idaho. Information about the area can be found at https://www.boisechamber.org/ We expect to fill one position at this time; however, additional positions may be filled from this announcement if they become available.

Duties

The position serves as the BLM Fire and Aviation (FA) subject matter expert and senior advisor concerning the planning, design, and construction of new fire facilities and the renovation of existing BLM facilities. Develops architectural design criteria for fire facilities and the implementation of technical standards for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting life cycle conditions of buildings and facilities within the BLM. Provides project and architectural expertise to perform or direct the design, construction, and maintenance of BLM fire facilities. Collaborates with the National Operations Center (NOC) Architectural and Engineering (A/E) Branch as well as the BLM Washington Office (WO) in the review, analysis, and evaluation of capital improvement and deferred maintenance building projects. Serves as a leader and/or member of Site Study Teams providing both leadership and technical contributions to determine the feasibility of proposed BLM fire projects and perform life-cycle cost studies to establish criteria for such projects. Prepares, coordinates, and reviews final designs, drawings, specifications, and cost estimates for various types and sizes of facilities. Uses BLM’s Facility Asset Management System (FAMS) to review fire facility characteristics, conditions, and geographic placement while assessing for overall strategic facility planning. As the BLM FA Space Management expert, the incumbent helps develop policy, provides guidance, and ensures compliance with space management policy on new, remodeled, and leased facilities. The incumbent leads teams in the field to execute design and construction projects for state, district, and field offices within the BLM. Develops, coordinates, and implements design and construction standards and schedules with state and field offices to ensure that projects are technically correct and completed on schedule and within budget. Uses Project Management software in the accomplishment of planning, programming, and record keeping work. Prepares a scope of work, detailed supplementary instructions for design guidance, and an independent government cost estimate (IGE) for A/E firms retained to develop working drawings and specifications. Prepares preliminary construction cost estimates based on current costs and develops anticipated costs for future construction. Independently ensures that project goals and objectives are consistently met through effective project management. The incumbent of this position serves as the architectural concept design lead for high-performance and sustainable buildings design criteria, policy implementation, and initiatives. Serves as the FA program’s authoritative source of knowledge on building codes, life safety codes, accessibility standards, space management policy, and other architectural components of buildings.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Be sure to read the How to Apply and Required Documents Sections.
• You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
• Direct Deposit Required.
• Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
• Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
• An applicant appointed to this position must possess (or obtain within 30 days of entrance on duty) and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
• May require completion of a one year probationary period.
• Incumbent must be a registered Licensed Architect with a US State or Territory, for the duration of the appointment to ensure safeguards of life, health, and property.

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: You must be a Registered Architect (A) if applying for the 0808 series. Your license or registration must be held in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, or a territory of the United States. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your registration with your application to be considered for the position. 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. In addition to meeting the basic education requirement you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: overall project planning, occupant space programming, cost value analysis, budget management, project and construction cost estimates, production of architectural design documentation, code compliance analysis, permit applications, professional scopes of work, technical review of designs, facility condition assessments, and overall project management from concept through design and on through construction administration. There is no substitution of education for specialize experience at the GS-12 and above grade levels. AND meet the Basic Occupational Requirements for one of the following Architect (808) series: Basic Requirement for Architect: A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in architecture or in a related field that included 60 semester hours of course work in architecture or related disciplines of which at least (1) 30 semester hours were in architectural design, and (2) 6 semester hours were in each of the following: structural technology, properties of materials and methods of construction, and environmental control systems. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the arts and sciences underlying professional architecture, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the architectural principles, methods, and techniques and their applications to the design and construction or improvement of buildings. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by at least one of the following: 1. Related Curriculum - Degree in architectural engineering provided the completed course work in architectural engineering provided knowledge, skills, and abilities substantially equivalent to those provided in the courses specified in statement A above, or 2. Experience: 1 year of experience in an architect's office or in architectural work for each year short of graduation from a program of study in architecture. In the absence of any college courses, 5 years of such experience is required. This experience must have demonstrated that you have acquired a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles and theories of professional architecture. 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 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion, such as long periods of standing and/or recurring and considerable walking, stooping, bending, crouching, and climbing such as in performing regular and periodic construction activities and field inspections, or to observe and study work operations in an industrial, storage, or comparable work area. Work may also include frequent lifting of moderately heavy items weighing less than 50 pounds, such as equipment and samples. The operation of a motor vehicle is required in connection with assigned duties. Airline and occasional foot travel are required. Work Environment: Work is normally performed in an office setting. However, approximately 20% of the work involves travel and work in the field, which includes attending meetings and assessing BLM facilities. Field work may involve working in close, confined spaces for short periods and working in conditions typical to construction sites. Some field work is performed in extreme temperatures ranging from -30 to 100° F. Both office work and travel require the incumbent to exercise all required and prudent safety precautions. Incentives: Certain incentives (such as Recruitment, Relocation or Student Loan Repayment) may be authorized to eligible selectees. 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. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive or Student Loan Repayment. Concurrent Announcement: This announcement is being advertised concurrently under number FAMP-24-12388034-LAS for status candidates and special hiring authority eligibles. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Education

Proof of Education:
All applicants who are using education or a combination of education and experience to qualify must submit copies of official or unofficial transcripts which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, institution name, and student name. If any required coursework is not easily recognizable on transcripts, or if you believe a portion of a particular course can be credited toward meeting an educational requirement, you must also provide a memorandum on letterhead from the institution's registrar, dean, or other appropriate official stating the percentage of the course that should be considered to meet the requirement and the equivalent number of units. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable; however, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to produce the original official transcripts.

Pass/Fail Courses:
If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis, your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

Graduate Education:
One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

Foreign Education:
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address NIFC, Fire and Aviation Human Resources (MS-1700) 3833 South Development Avenue Boise, ID 83705 US
• Name: FA-HR-Internal NIFC
• Phone: 208-387-5523
• Email: [email protected]