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Park Ranger (Protection) - Training Program Manager

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Visitor Resource & Protection - Law Enforcement, Security & Emergency Services

Summary

This position, within the Law Enforcement, Security & Emergency Services Division, develops law enforcement curriculum, manages instructors, identifies national performance needs, and oversees delivery of the Law Enforcement Training Program.

TERM positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service and will be for a period not to exceed thirteen months, with possible extensions up to a total of four years without further competition.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/06/2026 to 05/19/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$109,383 - $142,199 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Grand Canyon, AZ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - 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
Term - Not to exceed 13 months, may be extended up to 4 years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
WO-1614-VRP-26-12947536-IMP
Control number
867930200

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Duties

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Major Duties of the Park Ranger (Protection) - Training Program Manager position include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Provides full leadership, direction, and operational oversight of a satellite law enforcement training program, ensuring for effective training delivery, resources, and operations meet Department of the Interior and National Park Service (NPS) standards and mission objectives.
  • Develops, reviews, and updates law enforcement training curriculum, evaluation tools, and instructional methods to ensure consistency with federal standards, NPS policy, and contemporary law enforcement practices.
  • Selects, supervises, and evaluates instructors, field training staff, and program support personnel; provides guidance on performance, training delivery, and adherence to program objectives.
  • Serves as the primary liaison between the satellite training site and internal/external partners (e.g., NPS leadership, parks, academies, federal/state/local agencies), ensuring alignment of training needs, expectations, and program requirements.
  • Ensures all program components comply with federal law enforcement standards, NPS policy, and applicable regulations; conducts ongoing assessment of program effectiveness and implements improvements to strengthen trainee preparedness for NPS law enforcement duties.
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.

Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Subject to background investigation & favorable adjudication.
  • Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Required pre-employment drug test & subject to random testing.
  • Required valid driver's license.
  • Required to wear a uniform.
  • May be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime & shift work.
  • May be required to travel overnight up to 5 nights per month and obtain a government charge card.
  • Required medical per DO/RM57, for pre-employment, periodic physical exams, & complete annual Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB).
  • Required to carry firearm, maintain & be subject to Lautenberg Amendment.
  • Required to complete Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450).
  • Mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Must be at 21 years of age & must not have reached 37th birthday upon appointment. Exceptions: 1) prior Federal service in primary covered position with 20 years of service before mandatory retirement age of 57; 2) qualified veterans' preference eligible.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you are required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness & whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process & therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals & mission of the agency, &/or otherwise promote efficiency of service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
  • your performance & conduct;
  • the needs & interests of the agency;
  • whether continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; &
  • whether continued employment would advance efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue & that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/19/2026-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.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTORS: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify:

  • Previous Law Enforcement Experience: Prior law enforcement experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE for incumbents of these positions. (Experience must be documented in your Resume.)
  • Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLERT issued Land Management Police Training (LMPT), full Type I Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment. This will be based upon having completed approved NPS training as outlined by policy including Natural Resource Police Training (NRPT), Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT), US Park Police Integrated (USPPI), Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), BIA Basic Police Officer Training Program (BIA-BPOTP), or Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP). This is required by the closing date of the announcement. Candidates who do not meet requirements by close of announcement will receive no further consideration.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE - GS-13: To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level, you must possess ALL of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
  • At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include ALL of the following:
    • 1) performing law enforcement duties for the protection, conservation, use, and management of natural and/or cultural resources in park areas or similar operations, which involved the application of law enforcement authorities and procedures to protect visitors and resources; providing law enforcement or investigative services which include apprehending, detaining, detection, and prosecution of individuals; applying knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, policies, and areas of jurisdiction when serving as a person with law enforcement authority; responding to accidents, emergencies, and/or natural disaster; using precautionary methods and techniques while patrolling to mitigate any crimes or violations of the law;
    • 2) planning, administering, or directing a structured law enforcement training or field-training program, including curriculum oversight, instructor coordination, trainee evaluation, or training quality assurance;
    • 3) supervising, leading, or providing formal performance evaluation of law enforcement officers, instructors, or field training staff in a professional policing
      environment; and
    • 4) creating, delivering, or validating law enforcement training content, assessment methods, performance standards, or qualification processes for sworn officers.
    • Resume must include hours per week worked.
You must include months, years & hours per week worked to receive credit for your work &/or volunteer experience. 1 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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Additional information

Open to the first 50 applicants or until 05/19/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

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

Duties of this position are not suitable for telework.

Physical Demands: Many assignments regularly require long periods of standing, hiking, and/or climbing, in many cases on uneven, steep, rough, slippery, and/or rugged terrain. Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, and with medical and related emergency activities. Lifting or carrying equipment over 50 pounds, such as firefighting or search and rescue equipment is required. These duties are performed either during the instruction of others or in performance of the duties on an individual basis.

Duties involve performing physical rigorous assignments, often in isolated outdoor environments, and occasionally exposed to severe weather conditions. Dangerous persons must be physically confronted, subdued and apprehended; many of whom are known to carry weapons. Prisoners must be kept under physical restraint during transport and processing. Criminal investigations and emergency incidents often must be managed without regard to fixed work schedules, days off, or opportunities for proper rest or nutrition.

Physical fitness requirements must be met prior to and on a continuing basis during employment. Must maintain compliance with RM-57 arduous duty physical requirements, and successfully participate in the physical efficient battery test. There is a high stress component to some of the incumbent's work assignments.

Working Conditions: While much of the work is performed in an office setting, some of the work is performed outdoors in all kinds of weather and climatic conditions. The work is performed at various hours of the day and night and for prolonged periods during emergency situations. The incumbent is frequently exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations in law enforcement and emergency types of situations requiring use of a wide-range of personal protective gear (some of which may be uncomfortable, hot, or inconvenient to wear), adherence to specific safety procedures, and other precautions. Incumbent is required to obtain and maintain a valid state operator's license in order to operate required motorized vehicles. May be required to fly in either fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft and/or may be required to operate and/or ride in all types of watercraft. Emergency law enforcement operations will require entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, and substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases.

Emergency service and law enforcement work requires entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, and substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions. A wide range of personal protective equipment and clothing is (some of which may be uncomfortable, hot or inconvenient to wear) is required to be used and worn. Adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions is required.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

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:

  • Education and Training
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Technical Competence


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.

National Park Service

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

Keri Vasquez
Email
keri_vasquez@ios.doi.gov
Address
Visitor and Resource Protection
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
US

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https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm

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