The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, is recruiting for a Wildland Fire Dispatch Coordinator 1 in Palmer, Alaska.

What You Will Be Doing:

The Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center (ACDC) Assistant Center Manager plays a critical role in wildfire response, providing technical direction, coordination, and leadership to dispatchers while ensuring seamless operations in resource mobilization and logistics.

In this role, you’ll assist in managing daily dispatch functions, including coordinating personnel, crews, equipment, and supplies, as well as handling transportation, meals, lodging, and flight following. Depending on fire activity, you may directly or indirectly oversee 20+ seasonal employees, ensuring a well-coordinated and effective team.

As the ACDC Assistant Center Manager, you will play an active role in regional and statewide logistics operations, assisting with setting priorities and providing direction to staff to ensure the timely mobilization of critical resources in support of large incidents, Area Offices, and cooperating agencies.

Collaboration is essential. You’ll work closely with Fire Management Officers (FMOs) to coordinate multiple simultaneous fire responses and allocate resources where they are needed most.

Mission and Values/Culture:

The Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection is dedicated to serving Alaskans through wildland fire suppression, management, and control. Our mission is to safely manage wildland fires that pose a threat to life, property, and critical infrastructure across 150 million acres of land throughout Alaska, providing cost-effective and efficient fire protection and aviation services on State, private, municipal, and contracted lands. Protecting life, property, and the safety of both the public and firefighters remains our top priority.

Benefits of Joining Our Team:

We offer extensive training, travel opportunities, and career advancement to help you grow as a dispatcher. At the Alaska Coastal Dispatch Center (ACDC), we strive to foster a supportive culture that promotes a strong dispatch organization, work-life balance, and clear career pathways for incoming dispatchers. Our consolidated dispatch center enhances training and mentorship opportunities, provides in-state and out-of-state assignments, and helps dispatchers develop leadership skills. Teamwork and camaraderie are at the heart of ACDC, where dispatchers support one another and grow together.

The Working Environment You Can Expect:

Our Dispatch Center, located in Palmer, Alaska, fosters teamwork and camaraderie, creating a supportive environment that builds friendship and loyalty. Located in the Matanuska Valley, Palmer offers breathtaking mountain views, a small-town feel, and easy access to outdoor recreation like hiking, fishing, and skiing. This close-knit team, made up of individuals with diverse skills and strengths, motivates each other to work harder, collaborate, and grow together in a dynamic and scenic setting.

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

• Managing Performance: Takes responsibility for employees’ performance by setting and communicating expectations and goals that are specific and measurable, tracking progress against the goals, supporting employees’ efforts to achieve job goals (by providing resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer, etc.), ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly.
• Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
• Vision: Takes a long-term view and builds a shared vision with others; acts as a catalyst for organizational change. Influences others to translate vision into action.
• Customer Service: Anticipates and meets the needs of both internal and external customers. Delivers high-quality products and services; is committed to continuous improvement.
• Incident Management: Knowledge of the tactics, technologies, principles, and processes to protect, analyze, prioritize, and handle incidents.

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

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.

Qualifications
Three years of experience in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field
And
Certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) in any three of the following:
Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD)
Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher (EDSP)
Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
Aircraft Dispatcher (ACDP)

Substitution:
Three years in any combination of post-secondary education from an accredited college in forestry, natural resources, or a closely related field will substitute for the required experience (2.67 semester hours or 4 quarter hours of post-secondary education are equal to one month of experience). There is no substitute for the required certifications.

Special Note: ?
Wildland Fire Dispatch Coordinators must receive red card training and certification under the National Incident Qualification System.

** Please read the below information carefully. **

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

• A list of two professional references with current contact information, with at least one being a current or former supervisor.
• A copy of your two most recent performance evaluations or a letter of reference if evaluations are unavailable.
• IQS Master Record or current Incident Qualifications Card.
• Driver’s license.

SPECIAL NOTICES

Certification from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) in any three of the following is required to be considered for this position:

1. Expanded Dispatch Support Dispatcher (EDSD)
2. Expanded Dispatch Supervisory Dispatcher (EDSP)
3. Initial Attack Dispatcher (IADP)
4. Aircraft Dispatcher (ACDP)

Application Notice

You can ONLY apply for this position through the Workplace Alaska website or a hardcopy application. Instructions on how to apply with Workplace Alaska may be found on the Workplace Alaska “ How to Apply page. Your application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on the closing date.

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 must 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.

Driver’s License Requirement

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

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.

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:

Phil Blydenburgh

Coastal Region Fire Management Officer

Phone: 907-863-2014

Email: phillip.blydenburgh@alaska.gov