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Park Guide

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Mall and Memorial Parks and White House and President's Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide guide services to visitors. The work involves giving talks, interpreting natural and historic features, answering questions, guiding tours, and providing miscellaneous services to visitors.

Open to the first 150 applicants or until 07/09/2024 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
06/25/2024 to 07/09/2024
This job will close when we have received 150 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$40,351 to - $58,686 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 4 - 5
Locations
19 vacancies in the following locations:
President's Park
District of Columbia, DC
National Mall & Memorial Parks
Washington, DC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
5
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
NC-1616-NAMA-24-12375997-ST
Control number
796959500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Under this announcement, we are accepting applications from: 1. Current, permanent Federal employees serving under a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service; 2. Current or former time-limited employees eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA). 3. Reinstatement Eligibles; 4. CTAP/ICTAP Eligibles; 5. VEOA Eligibles; and 6. Those eligible for special/noncompetitive hiring authorities.

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Duties

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The major duties of the Park Guide position include, but are not limited to:

Park Guide Standard Duties:

  • Staff information counter in a visitor center.
  • Answering questions on a variety of subjects.
  • Guiding small groups and providing services to visitors.
  • Present limited and repetitive pre-established talks including introductions to films, map talks, and static exhibit interpretation.
  • Interpret park values for visitors with varying interests and backgrounds.
Additional duties for GS-4:
  • Performs duties including programs that contain live demonstrations and/or audio-visual devices.
  • Guide small parties (up to 20 people) on short walks.
Additional duties for GS-5:
  • Performs duties including programs that require application of broad subject-matter knowledge of the park.
  • Guide large groups (up to 50 people) on longer walks or programs.
  • Provide a wide range of services to park visitors.
  • Orient and explain current park events and warn of safety hazards.
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 will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You WILL be required to work , evenings, weekends, holidays, and may be required to work overtime.
  • This position will include working at the Washington Monument. Employees will be required to ride inside elevators, work at high elevation (500 feet), and be able to walk the stairs (896 steps).
  • If you are a new employee in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • 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-07/09/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

  • GENERAL EXPERIENCE: At least 6 months of general experience comparable in scope and responsibility in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities to demonstrate the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position and/or experience that provides familiarity with the subject matter or process of the occupation. You must include hours per week worked. -AND-
  • SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least 6 months specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Oral presentation of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; or developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups.. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
  • EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 years above high school (60 semester hour or 90 quarter hours) which included at least 12 semester hours of directly related courses, such as in American history, science, public speaking, parks & recreation, education, or communications. You must include transcripts. -OR-
  • Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
  • SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Oral presentation of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; or developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
  • EDUCATION: Successful completion of as four years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, such as American history, science, public speaking, parks and recreation, education, or communications. NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience You must include transcripts. -OR-
  • Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts.
You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.

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

There is no housing available. There is a high cost of living in Washington, D.C and the surrounding areas. At the National Mall and Memorial Parks, there is free employee parking in the park. Employees may also enroll in a Transit Subsidy program to offset the cost of public transportation.

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.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: Standing for long periods of time, walking for distances up to six miles daily, climbing and descending steep inclines, bending, and lifting moderately heavy items in a repetitive motion is required. Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts, occasional emergency responses, and repetitive nature of interpretive programs.

Working Conditions: Work is performed indoors at the visitors' center as well as in outdoor areas resulting in exposure to extreme temperatures, rain, snow, wind and direct sunlight.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF_50s.

Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.

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 who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Customer Service
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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