Program Supervisor - Unit Fire Management Officer
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- 26142194 Requisition #
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- 8 hours ago Post Date
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's mission is to help ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations.
The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset. The DNRC empowers employees to exercise professional judgment in carrying out their duties. Employees are provided with the training and tools necessary to achieve the mission. Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained.
Core Values:
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Forestry and Trust Land Division recognizes that building a collaborative, professional, and inclusive work environment is critical to fulfilling our mission of managing, protecting, and promoting stewardship of Montana’s forests and lands for the benefit of current and future generations and our trust beneficiaries. We hold ourselves to these high standards as we are accountable to the people of Montana.
- We value and respect each other.
- We create collaborative work environments.
- We build and maintain strong relationships.
- We practice accountability.
- We celebrate our successes and take pride in our work
Stillwater Unit represents DNRC’s Forestry and Trust Land Management divisions within its assigned areas in Flathead and Lincoln counties. The Unit conducts field activities and is responsible for all day-to-day operations of these Divisions within the geographical area. The Unit provides direct wildland fire-suppression services for approximately 150,000 acres of State, private and Federal land. A portion of the land area is wildland residential interface, which presents a complex fire-management situation. The Unit assists the State/County Cooperative Fire Program in Flathead and Lincoln counties and provides assistance to these counties and their rural fire departments as needed. Stillwater Unit manages and administers 135,000 acres of State-owned land. On these lands the State is responsible for lease administration, rights-of-way, grazing, forest-product sales, forest-improvement projects, gravel permits, other uses, and administration of the Recreational Access Law. The Unit provides resource-management assistance and administers the logging slash hazard reduction law on all private lands. The Unit administers the Best Management Practices (BMP) and Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) resource-protection laws regulating commercial timber sale practices on all Federal, State, and private lands within the Unit boundaries.
Job Overview
This position is the Unit Fire Supervisor on Stillwater Unit and is responsible for planning, directing, and analyzing the fire-management programs and activities within the assigned geographic area; coordinating resources; and providing guidance to internal and external cooperators. This position is also assigned responsibility for supervising and training subordinate staff and other Unit employees in fire prevention, fire suppression, and readiness components of the Unit fire-management program and providing professional assistance in carrying out the Unit’s forest-management programs.
Essential Functions (Major Duties or Responsibilities): These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties that may be assigned to the incumbent.
Fire Program Planning and Analysis
Plans and direct Unit-wide fire management programs and activities, including developing and implementing wildland fire-prevention plans; managing program budget allocations; managing fire-readiness levels; designing and managing comprehensive initial-attack plans; analyzing changing fire-suppression trends, practices, techniques, and issues; designing and implementing comprehensive fire-management plans for counties within the protection area; designing and coordinating multiagency fire-response simulations; providing management direction for the burning-permit program within the responsibility area; planning and organizing a seasonal work force; and coordinating and supervising building, grounds, and maintenance activities for Stillwater Unit. This requires knowledge of fire-management principles and practices; fire behavior; the fire incident command system and organization; program planning and management; standards, equipment, techniques, and methods used in wildland and urban interface fire control; fire-prevention planning and strategy; program budgeting; research methods; initial attack and readiness planning; knowledge of Federal and State laws applicable to forest management; and skills and abilities in written and verbal communication methods and techniques.
Operations, Implementations, and Resource Coordination
Provides information, expertise, and guidance to multiple cooperating and dependent organizations involved in fire prevention, planning, and suppression, including county planning boards and local governing bodies, incident management teams, rural fire districts, and volunteer fire departments. Coordinates and monitors resource deployment and availability to ensure effective and efficient use of personnel and equipment meet the fire program objectives throughout the year and oversees and coordinates Unit detection and dispatch activities. Provides guidance to others on county planning issues associated with subdivision layout and design, fire suppression tactics and strategy, fire laws and codes, interpretation of fire data and changing conditions, fire occurrence and potential, and methods to educate the public on fire prevention. This requires knowledge of the principles and practices of fire management, prevention, and suppression; resource mobilization and coordination; initial-attack response; fire behavior; fire planning; maps and aerial photos; the incident command system; the standards, equipment, methods, and tools used in wildland fire control; prescribed fire and fuels management; and Federal, State, and county laws and regulations related to fire management and forest practices. Also required are knowledge of the principles and techniques of wildland fire investigations; fire billing practices and procedures; and
Provides information and guidance to county planning boards and governing bodies concerning the layout and design of new subdivision plats and plans, and identifies issues associated with public safety and wildland/urban interface. Recommends alternatives for mitigating wildfire potential in high-risk or high-hazard fire areas. Coordinates the use of hazard and risk inventory for subdivisions, proposed subdivisions, and wildland areas in fire-program implementation.
Supervisor and Training
Directly supervise guaranteed seasonals and seasonal less than six-month staff. This involves recruitment and selection; assigning and reviewing work; training; establishing performance standards; evaluating performance; handling corrective action; and, if necessary, recommending termination. Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices; DNRC and State personnel policies, procedures, and precedents; organizational theory; employment law; and program requirements is required.
APPLICATION MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION ARE:
- Online State of Montana application
- Resume
- Cover Letter
HELPFUL HINT: You must check the “relevant document” box to ensure your attachments are uploading correctly to the specific application.
Benefits:
- Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays
- Health, Dental, Prescription, and Vision Coverage
- Retirement Plans
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF. Look here, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service to learn more and see if you may qualify!
Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience): Requires education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in forestry, fire management/suppression or a related field and five (5) years’ experience to include Incident Command System (ICS) training and related fire program management experience, and 2 years supervisory experience. Ability to attain certification as an Incident Commander Type 3 qualifications upon hire.
Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Abilities needed: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with counterparts within the department and with cooperators and clientele. Ability to exercise leadership skills in order to utilize subordinates effectively. Ability to skillfully plan and carry out several concurrent projects. Ability to perform vigorous outdoor work. Ability to remain calm, make accurate assessments of situations, and make and communicate effective decisions in stressful situations, such as emerging fires threatening life and property. This position requires: Extensive knowledge of wildland fire incident procedures and principles. Considerable knowledge of equipment and methods used in wildland fire control, wildland fire prevention and home protection principles, fire cause investigation techniques, fire Incident Command System (ICS) and a working knowledge of civil and criminal procedures. Considerable knowledge of effective supervision and training methods. Considerable knowledge of personnel management laws/rules /procedures and fire finance and general purchasing policy and procedures.
This level of knowledge, skill and ability is usually attained through a combination of education and experience provided by a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry with a fire and /or forest management emphasis and a minimum of 5 years progressively responsible experience in professional forestry field work, including wildland fire control methods and procedures, fuels management and timber management with past supervisory experience as a fire team leader preferred. Incumbent is expected to obtain qualification as a division/group supervisor level and a multi- resource Incident Commander ICS level type 3.
Working conditions and physical demands
The work of this position is conducted in both a normal office environment and in the field. Field work involves exposure to varied weather and road conditions and moderate amounts of walking and climbing on rough, uneven terrain. The ability to perform physical labor is a job requirement. The work requires the incumbent to work in the field on a regular basis to assess the effectiveness of fire-management operations, evaluate crew and system performance, determine training needs and priorities, and conduct inspections. Fire suppression duties include dangers and risks associated with erratic and unpredictable fire behavior, walking and climbing on steep terrain, rolling stones, and falling snags. The position regularly encounters dirty, dusty, smokey, and noisy conditions and occasional low-level flights in fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft and is required to drive vehicles on unmaintained roads and trails in all weather conditions. Travel by vehicle averages or exceeds 1,000 miles per month.
The incumbent is required to perform physically demanding work during fire season (digging Fireline, walking and climbing for extended periods over rough terrain, and carrying equipment and supplies) for shifts more than 12 hours for several days duration.
SPECIAL INFORMATION:
Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months
ELIGIBILITY TO WORK:
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the person selected must produce within three days of hire documents that show authorization to work in the United States. Examples of such documentation include a birth certificate or Social Security card along with a driver’s license or other picture I.D., or a U.S. passport, or a "green card"
Effective May 4, 2026, this agency is participating in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. After accepting a job offer and completing Form I-9, your information will be submitted to the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration for verification.
