The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, is recruiting for a Safety Officer in Palmer.

What You Will Be Doing:

Under direct supervision, this position reviews, evaluates, and monitors compliance with required safety and health regulations for the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, with an emphasis on wildland fire, aviation safety, and mission-related support operations.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection’s mission is to safely manage wildland fires that threaten life, property, and critical infrastructure on 150 million acres of land throughout the State of Alaska. The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection works closely with federal, state, and local emergency response agencies to provide wildland fire management and protection for the State of Alaska.

This position is part of a high-functioning team that supports the “boots on the ground” to ensure the safety of people, property, and Alaskan resources. Under its multifaceted functions, the primary goal of this position is to communicate and reduce risk for our employees and emergency responders. This position works within a team to solve diverse challenges and contribute to the success of the DOF mission. We are looking for an enthusiastic, dependable problem solver to join our team.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

Joining the DOF wildland fire team offers numerous benefits, including working with dedicated professionals to achieve fire, fuels, and forestry goals. You will contribute to meaningful work in a professional environment with a clear mission that supports the State of Alaska and protects Alaskan residents, businesses, and investments.

Additionally, we offer opportunities for career advancement, comprehensive training programs, and flexible work schedules. Being part of our team means you can grow your skills and advance your career while making a significant impact in the field of wildland fire management.

The Working Environment You Can Expect: This position will be based in Palmer or Fairbanks, Alaska. At DOF, we encourage team building and camaraderie. This environment promotes friendship and loyalty within the organization, fostering close-knit relationships that motivate our employees and build trust in a fast-paced, emergency response environment. Our team includes individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and abilities, working together to achieve our common goals and meet the mission of safely protecting Alaska from wildland fire.

We are looking for a candidate who possesses the following position-specific competencies.

Incident Management: Knowledge of the tactics, technologies, principles, and processes to protect, analyze, prioritize, and handle incidents.
Oral and Written Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral and written presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
Risk Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools used for risk assessment and mitigation, including assessment of failures and their consequences.

Click hereto learn more about working for the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection.

Minimum Qualifications

Competency-Based Minimum Qualifications Instructions

This job class uses competency-based minimum qualifications. Please ensure your application (through work history, volunteer experience (duties summary), training, education, licenses, certifications, etc.) supports how you have gained the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (competencies) and that you possess the minimum required competencies for the job class.

Competency Description

The competency description(s) listed below have been designed to promote a common understanding of the essential elements of the job class. They highlight the more general and customary knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), tasks, and behaviors used to describe the competency. They typically list expectations instead of specific tasks and are only used as parameters and guidelines. A competency’s description is not intended to exclusively define every KSA, task, and behavior needed to meet the competency successfully but rather to provide the manager/agency with a broad reference of options for how an applicant can meet the job expectation.

Any combination of training and/or experience that provides the applicant with competencies in

Compliance: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change.
Safety Hazards: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, theories, and methods to identify, control, mitigate, and eliminate safety hazards in the design and use of facilities, equipment, operations, and work processes.
Fire Management: Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories of fire management, including the characteristics, behavior, and ecology of fire; methodologies, strategies, and equipment used in prescribed fires; fire detection, prevention, and suppression strategies; and integration of fire with natural resource management.

equivalent to those typically gained by:

experience with occupational safety and health programs, including applying occupational safety and health-related regulations, codes, and standards and involvement with workplace safety and health consultations, inspections, and/or investigations.

Starting Salary
Palmer - $2568.75
Fairbanks - $2646.00

Additional Required Information

Please read the below information carefully.

This applies to your application submission.

At the time of application, please ensure that you provide the following materials:

NWCG Incident Qualification (Red) Card.

At the time of the interview, please ensure that you provide the following materials:

Driver's license.
As list of two professional references with current contact information, with at least one being a current or former supervisor.
A copy of any forestry and/or fire-related training certificates.
A copy of your two most recent performance evaluations or a letter of reference if evaluations are unavailable.

SPECIAL NOTICES

This position may travel within Alaska during the fire season (April 1 - August 31 or later) for up to 14-21 days at a time to assist area offices with fire and attend meetings or training.
May work towards qualification for other positions utilized in the Incident Command System.
May be required to work or be available, during evenings and/or weekends, depending on the need during the fire season.

Supplemental Questions

For your application to be evaluated, you must answer the Supplemental Questions. The State of Alaska (SOA) uses four proficiency levels to measure and describe an applicant’s level of competence in applying certain behaviors, knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish a specific task. The four proficiency levels are Mastery, Fluency, Literacy, and Discovery. You will need to rate your proficiency level for each competency listed in the supplemental questions.

Education

If post-secondary education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must fill out the Education section of the application. If you have not obtained a degree, please indicate the units completed. Copies of transcripts are required to verify educational credentials if used to meet the minimum qualifications for a position.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the minimum qualifications listed above. If utilizing this education, you must show that the education credentials have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that such education has been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs; or an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution reports the other institution as one whose transcript is given full value, or full value is given in subject areas applicable to the curricula at the post-secondary institution. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Work Experience

If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer’s name, job title, employment dates, and whether full or part-time. Applications will be reviewed to determine whether the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant may not advance to the recruitment interview and selection phase.

Note: Attaching a resume is not an alternative to filling out the application entirely. Noting, "see resume" or any similar response on any portion of your application may lead to a determination that your application is incomplete and removal from consideration for this job posting.

Bargaining Unit

If you are a current state employee, please mark the union you are a member of at the time of application. Do not complete this question if you are not a current state employee.

Multiple Locations

This position is being recruited in Palmer and Fairbanks; the final location is dependent upon the location of the most qualified candidate. There is only ONE position to be filled.

Driver’s License Requirement

Applicants must possess a valid driver's license. Proof of licensure will be required prior to reporting to duty.

Firearms

This position requires the use or possession of a firearm or ammunition. In accordance with the federal Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997 (PL 104-208), if you have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, you may not hold this position.

A "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" is an offense that is (1) a misdemeanor under Federal or state law and (2) has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.

If you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, do NOT apply for this position.

EEO STATEMENT The State of Alaska complies with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Individuals with disabilities who require accommodation, auxiliary aides or services, or alternative communication formats should call 1-800-587-0430 or (907) 465-4095 in Juneau or TTY: Alaska Relay 711 or 1-800-770-8973 or correspond with the Division of Personnel & Labor Relations at P.O. Box 110201, Juneau, AK 99811-0201. The State of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.

Please be sure to check your junk folder for any messages that may be sent to you about this recruitment.

Contact Information

Workplace Alaska Application Questions & Assistance

Questions regarding application submission or system operation errors should be directed to the Workplace Alaska hotline at 1-800-587-0430 (toll-free) or (907) 465-4095 if you are in the Juneau area. Requests for information may also be emailed to recruitment.services@alaska.gov.

For assistance with your password, please visit the reset password page.

For specific information about this position, please get in touch with the hiring manager at the following:

Andrea Fruean

Administrative Operations Manager

Phone: 907.761.6204

Email: andrea.fruean@alaska.gov

Careers with the State of Alaska offer MANY benefits

The following information describes typical benefits available to employees of the State of Alaska. Actual benefits received may differ by bargaining unit or branch of government, position type, or be prorated for other than full time work.

For a quick breakdown of the insurance, health, and retirement benefits available for State Employees you can view an orientation video from Division of Retirement and Benefits. (Please note this video is specifically designed for new State Employees.)

Insurance Benefits

Health insurance, which includes employer contributions toward medical/vision/dental
- The following employee groups are under AlaskaCare Benefits administered by the State: See https://drb.alaska.gov/help/plans.html for additional information.
  - AVTEC
  - Confidential
  - Correctional Officers
  - Marine Engineers
  - Mt. Edgecumbe Teachers
  - Supervisory
  - Unlicensed Vessel Personnel/Inland Boatman's Union
  - Exempt employees (not covered by collective bargaining)
- The following employee groups are covered by Union health trusts. Contact the appropriate Union for additional information.
  - General Government
  - Labor, Trades and Crafts
  - Public Safety Employees Association
  - Masters, Mates & Pilots
Employer paid Basic Life insurance with additional coverage available (amount depends on Bargaining Unit)

Optional Insurance Benefits

Group-based insurance premiums for
- Term life (employee, spouse or qualified same sex partner, and dependents)
- Long-term and short-term disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment
- Long-term care (self and eligible family members)
- Supplemental Survivor Benefits
Employee-funded flexible spending accounts for tax savings on eligible health care or dependent care expenses

Retirement Benefits

Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Teachers' Retirement System (TRS)
Matching employer contribution into a defined contribution program (new employees)
Employer contribution into a defined benefit or defined contribution program (current employees)
Contributions to the Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan in lieu of contributions to Social Security
Option to enroll in the Alaska Deferred Compensation Program
Note: The Defined Contribution Plan, Supplemental Annuity Plan and Deferred Compensation Program offer a variety of investment options

See https://drb.alaska.gov/retiree/ for additional information

Paid Leave & Other Benefits

Personal leave with an accrual rate increase based on time served
Twelve (12) paid holidays a year

State of Alaska jobs

Safety Officer