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Park Ranger (I)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Brown v. Board of Education NHP
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Department of the Interior (DOI) places a high value on diversity of experience and cultural perspectives and encourages applications from all interested eligible candidates. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are fundamental principles that guide the Department and allow us to successfully achieve our mission.
Open to the first 50 applicants or until 12/19/2022 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/13/2022 to 12/15/2022
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$36,575 to - $72,045 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 9
Location
Topeka, KS
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MW-1543-BRVB-23-11757914-DE
Control number
694380400

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Duties

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As a uniformed employee of the National Park Service, the incumbent serves as a front-line representative of the agency. Using excellent customer service, staffs the visitor center information desk and provides current and accurate information to visitors concerning the park and other surrounding areas of interest. Researches, develops, and presents detailed and specific interpretive programs (interpretive talks, conducted activities, and demonstrations) on natural/cultural history and thematic topics. Incumbent explains the significance of the area's natural and cultural resources and recreational opportunities. Advises visitors of park regulations and explains the importance of such to protection of the area, resources, and the safety of visitors. Additional duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

  • Increase visitor enjoyment and understanding of park resources, the National Park Service Mission, and park's enabling legislation.
  • Develops and presents briefings, lectures, multi-media shows, structured and impromptu talks, guided tours, on- and off-site programs to schools, community groups, subject matter specialists, and special interest groups, about park resources and the rules for park usage, employing appropriate interpretive techniques and devices geared to the characteristics and interests of particular audiences.
  • Uses audience-centered interpretive techniques as appropriate.
  • Uses social media and web to provide orientation, information, and interpretation to the public.
  • Assist with planning for future operations, facility, and budget.
  • Attend and participate in community outreach events.
  • Recruit and mentor interns and/or volunteers.
  • Work cooperatively with park partners and community-based organizations.
  • Tracks and reports statistics including visitor use, volunteer, and interpretive programs.
  • Researches park's natural and cultural resources, management, and administrative history.
  • Educates staff, volunteers, and visitors regarding management, rules, and regulations of the park.
Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking. in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves, and carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. Some employees may engage in firefighting. search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.
Working Conditions: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g -. exposure to extreme temperatures, climates. rough terrain, wild animals. pests. and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves. etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/19/2022-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement, Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualification Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for review on OPM's website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications.Specialized Experience:GS-05 level: Must possess one year of fulltime specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level.
Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park guide or tour leader, Law enforcement or investigative work, Archeological or historical preservation research work, Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area, Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations.
OR
Education:GS-05 level: Four years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field, (Related fields of study include natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources.)
OR
Combination Education and Experience
Specialized Experience:GS-07 level: Must possess one year of fulltime specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level.
Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park guide or tour leader, Law enforcement or investigative work, Archeological or historical preservation research work, Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area, Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations.
OR
Education:GS-07 level: One full academic year of graduate education related to this occupation
OR
superior academic achievement.
OR
Combination Education and Experience:
Specialized Experience:GS-09 level: possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to the following: park guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and/or implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations; or other similar work. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-7 grade level in the federal service.
OR
Education:GS-09 level: I have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or have successfully completed 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education with major field of study in natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the GS-9 level Park Ranger (Interpretation). (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours).
OR
Combination Education and Experience combination. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and one-half year (9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours) of directly-related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education).

Volunteer Experience: 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Oral Communication
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teaching Others
  • Teamwork
  • Writing

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