An official website of the United States government
This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division.
05/30/2025 to 06/08/2025
$124,531 - $161,889 per year
GS 14
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
No
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Permanent
Full-time
Competitive
None
Yes
Yes
SE-1630-GRSM-25-12735074-MP
837787900
Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Current or former employees of a base management agency.
Clarification Statement: Current Career/Career Conditional Federal Employees of the Department of Interior (DOI); CTAP; LMWFA; Non-Competitive DOI Merit Promotion ONLY
MAJOR DUTIES:
Serves as the principal advisor to the Superintendent on all aspects of Visitor and Resource Protection Activities. The incumbent of this position is a member of the Park Management Team and functions as the administrator of the law Enforcement and Emergency Services program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including the Foothills Parkway. The Chief Park Ranger serves as the Senior Park Law Enforcement Officer and directs, coordinates, and is responsible for all the activities of this major operating division.
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.
AREA/DUTY STATION INFORMATION:
This position serves as the Chief, Division of Visitor and Resource Protection (Chief Ranger) at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). GRSM covers 522,427 acres, divided almost evenly between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. We are the most visited national park in the system, welcoming over 13 million visitors in 2023. We have 10 campgrounds with a total of 1000 sites, 11 picnic areas, totaling 1050 sites, more than 100 backcountry sites, including shelters, 850 miles of trails with approximately 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail running through the park. We also have 384 miles of roads - 238 miles are paved and 146 are unpaved. Elevations in the Smokies range from approximately 875 feet (267 meters) to 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) and the topography can drastically affect local weather. Temperatures can vary 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from mountain base to top, and clear skies lower down do not guarantee equally pleasant weather at higher elevations. Rainfall averages 55 inches (140 centimeters) per year in the lowlands to 85 inches (216 centimeters) per year at Kuwohi, the highest point in the park. The Smokies is a temperate rainforest. There are three distinct areas within the park, Cades Cove and Little River in TN and South District which is the state of NC.
ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT INCLUDED ON THE REQUEST FOR RECRUITMENT:
Prior law enforcement experience and a current law enforcement commission, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent experience outside the Federal Government is a mandatory prerequisite for incumbents of this position. This is an administrative/supervisory position.
Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by 06/08/2025 a valid Type I or higher level National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from an accredited institution, which currently consists of over 650 class hours and lasts on average 17 weeks. Please visit the Association of National Park Rangers' Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP) for additional information on approved training courses and equivalency for commissioning.
There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.
This is a secondary-administrative law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements, but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary position.
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.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:
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/08/2025.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/08/2025. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/837787900. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.