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Supervisory Park Ranger (P)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Dinosaur National Monument

Summary

This position is located in Dinosaur National Monument, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection.

Government housing is available.

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.

For more information about this position, please contact:
Phil Akers, Superintendent
Phil_Akers@nps.gov

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 07/02/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 2, 2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
Yes—The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Salary
$91,985 - $119,583 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
Yes
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
Yes
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
LE-MP-26-12982043-JM-SD1
Control number
872792900

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Duties

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The Chief Ranger of the Visitor and Resource Protection division at Dinosaur National Monument serves as the senior law enforcement official with responsibilities for planning and executing the park's law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical services, cultural and natural resource protection, employee and public safety. The position works collaboratively with four other division chiefs and the superintendent to provide direction and oversight for all aspects of park management. The visitor and resource protection division is a complex and multifaceted operation that manages the monument's diverse mix of high mountainous desert, world-class whitewater boating and incredible geological, archeological and paleontological resources that attract over 330,000 visitors annually.

Major Duties Include:

  • Plans, develops, coordinates and directs law enforcement activities relative to various criminal activities such as illegal hunting, UTV encroachment, paleontological and archeological site disturbance, etc.
  • Performs short- and long-term management planning including budget formulation and execution and setting division goals and priorities.
  • Supervise and manage protection programs and VRP employees in a complex multi-jurisdictional land ownership setting.
  • Plans, directs, and oversees Concessions Management, Commercial Use Authorization and Special Park Uses.
  • Develops partnerships with cooperators, non-profit organizations, other law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and others.

You will set work goals and ensure all employees receive required training in a timely manner; identify operational requirements and make recommendations to your supervisor regarding programming, budgeting, training, administration, and evaluation of operations; and schedule patrols to maximize visitor contact with special consideration to problem areas. You will supervise and lead complex law enforcement, all hazard, emergency medical, and search and rescue operations as well as provide emergency medical services to park visitors and residents. In addition, you will participate in all aspects of employee supervision including performance planning and appraisals, employee recognition, and employee counseling.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. 1-year probationary period is replaced with a 2-year trail period, if hired into an excepted position.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial 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.

Requirements
  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • Subject to pre-employment physical and drug testing.
  • Must possess a Type I Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent.
  • New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty.
  • Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
  • You may be required to serve a 1-year supervisory probationary period.
*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

Requirements Continued...

  • 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). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
  • Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
  • Prior to appointment, the people selected for these positions must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile.
  • You will need to secure and maintain National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) certification.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle.
  • 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.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights a month. 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 21 years old.
  • The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.

Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/02/2026-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 Factors: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify:
  • Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 07/02/2026. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement.
  • This is a covered secondary law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). In addition to the qualifying experience and/or education described above, applicants for this position must possess experience gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent; AND
  • Applicants must be at least 21 years of age.
- AND -
  • EXPERIENCE: Must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Examples of qualifying experience may include: 1) leading and/or supervising law enforcement or resource protection employees; 2) interpreting and applying regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resource protection; 3) collaborating with other law enforcement or emergency response agencies on investigations or emergency incidents; 4) serving as Incident Commander or Operations Chief on all-hazard operations (e.g., emergency services, search and rescue, special security events, etc.).

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLETC 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.

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.

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.

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: A variety of physical demands occur in this position. There may be many days of primarily sedentary work in an office, but the incumbent may be required at very short notice to participate in strenuous physical activity. The intensity of the workload and extensive variety of factors that influence this position may result in significant periods of stressful activity. This position comes under the scope and requirements of the park's Health and Fitness Program and incumbent must meet the minimum requirements as specified in DO-57.

Working Conditions: The majority of time is spent in an office environment. However, field inspections, evaluations and consultations and emergency situations frequently involve outdoor work where there is exposure to various risks and discomforts associated with a park environment. Exposure to cold, damp, foggy, snow, rainy and windy weather is required, sometimes in potentially hazardous situations along cliffs and on rocks. Work environment is typically intense and the emotional environment is most commonly one of high stress.

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

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:

  • Criminal Investigation
  • Managing Human Resources
  • Oral Communication
  • Personnel Security and Safety
  • Planning and Evaluating


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

Jennifer Mengel
Email
jennifer_mengel@ios.doi.gov
Address
Dinosaur National Monument
4545 E Hwy 40
Dinosaur, CO 81610
US

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