Summary
The Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Directorate (IEV) provides leadership for visitor and community engagement and supports the work of the NPS to welcome and create meaningful experiences with visitors from around the world. IEV provides the policy, strategy, and standards to support the parks that help people connect with, learn from, and discuss the resources and stories that define our nation.
Duties
The IEV Associate Director is responsible for providing leadership, policy development, program accountability, and budget formulation for interpretation and education programs. The Associate Director leads the NPS visitor experience programs that will serve millions of additional visitors, help the American public engage with relevant meanings about parks so that they might support and care for parks.
These programs include service-wide volunteerism, military and veteran engagement, the Junior Ranger Experience, Historic Weapons and Living History, Artist in Residence, Interpretation Planning, Digital Experience, Visitor Experience Planning, Community Engagement, Commemorations and Anniversaries, Every Kid Outdoors; the NPS Parks as Classrooms Program, Cooperating Associations, and interpretive media assets within the overall framework of the mission of the NPS. The Associate Director is also responsible for:
- The executive direction and line management of subordinate managers for each of the functional areas.
- Manages interpretive activities including developing policies, initiatives, standards, and guidelines for interpretive activities in the natural, historical, urban, and recreational parks which will encourage innovative and effective park programs.
- Implements comprehensive interpretive plans (CIPs) that serve as the backbone of interpretive and educational program planning and direction.
- Leads through excellence in interpretation and education, which is achieved through specific visitor activities, interpretive media, ongoing scholarly research, planning, technical excellence in implementation, broad public input, continual reevaluation, sound business practices, and training to professional standards for all who provide interpretive services within the NPS.
- Develops strategic planning and conducts periodic reviews of goals and program activities; maintains effective working relationships with cooperating associations, volunteers, the educational community, and professional interpretive organizations.
- Serves as a representative of and counsel to the Director on bureau-wide strategic initiatives and operations and serves as an NPS witness before Congressional committees.
- Represents NPS at Departmental or Inter-departmental conferences on matters within assigned program areas, with authority to commit the NPS to new or modified policies or courses of action.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- You must be able to obtain/maintain a Tier 4 High-Risk Public Trust designation.
- Individuals assigned male at birth after 12/31/59 must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirements. To verify registration visit SSS.gov.
- You will be required to make occasional travel, however, travel will be made on a case-by-case basis for the first 12 months.
- Telework will not be authorized for the first 12 months.
- Selections are subject to Department approval. Initial appointments to the SES must have Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) certified by an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Board before appointment and will be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
- Agencies must request OPM approval to appoint the current or former (within five years) Executive Branch political appointees to permanent competitive service, non-political excepted service, or career SES position. Please make note in your application package if you have held any of these positions within the last five years.
- The applicant selected for this position will be required to file a Financial Disclosure Report, OGE-278, and the supplemental form, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interest. All forms must be filed within 30 days after the selection for this position.
- You must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Qualifications
We are looking for a candidate with executive-level leadership and management experience in delivering visitor and interpretive services and environmental education programs of the highest quality; who has experience building strong partnerships and community relations; managed volunteer and community engagement programs; who has successfully managed a large, geographically dispersed organization; and has attracted and retained a highly skilled and diverse workforce.
To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must show that you possess the Technical Qualification and Executive Core Qualifications listed below. An individual's total experience and education must demonstrate the ability to perform the duties of an executive-level position. To be considered, you must submit a comprehensive narrative statement that addresses the Technical Qualification (TQ) and each Executive Core Qualification (ECQ). Applicants who do not submit a supplemental narrative statement that addresses each of these factors separately will not be considered.
Your responses to the TQ and ECQs will be evaluated based on how clearly and concisely you emphasize your level of responsibilities, the scope and complexity of your programs; services managed; program accomplishments; policy initiatives undertaken; level of contacts; the sensitivity and criticality of the issues addressed; and the results of your actions taken.
Mandatory Technical Qualification (TQ) *Required Documentation*: TQs are designed to assess an applicant's experience relevant to this position. Each TQ narrative response must 1) not exceed two pages; 2) include specific examples of your experience, education, and/or accomplishments; and 3) address specific challenges, context (situation), actions, and results.
- Describe the breadth of your experience and expert knowledge in managing a complex visitor experience portfolio, which includes interpretation and education programs, cooperating associations and partnerships, volunteer and community engagement programs, commemorative events and programs, entrepreneurial management, training, and development of comprehensive program evaluations.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ) *Required Documentation*: The ECQs are designed to assess executive experience and are required for entry to the Senior Executive Service. You must demonstrate exceptional leadership, managerial and people skills; and know how to build partnerships and communicate with customers. ECQ narratives must not exceed ten pages in total.
ECQ 1- LEADING CHANGE: You must have demonstrated an ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leadership Competencies: Creativity and lnnovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision
ECQ 2 - LEADING PEOPLE: You must demonstrate the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Leveraging Diversity, Developing Others, Team Building
ECQ 3 - RESULTS DRIVEN: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. lnherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility
ECQ 4 - BUSINESS ACUMEN: This ECQ involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management
ECQ 5 - BUILDING COALITIONS: This ECQ involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, lnfluencing/Negotiating
Fundamental Competencies for each ECQ: The following competencies are the foundation for success in each of the Executive Core Qualifications: lnterpersonal Skills, Ora! Communication, lntegrity/Honesty, Written Communication, Continual Learning, Public Service Motivation
ECQ narratives should follow the Challenge, Context, Actions, Results (CCAR) format provided at GUIDE (opm.gov). Each ECQ and TQ statement should include more than one example of relevant experience. This is a traditional method announcement, meaning qualification narratives are required. lf you exceed the page limit for ECQs and/or TQ your application will not be considered. Please give a complete and detailed answer for each specific mandatory qualification demonstrating your experience.
Typically experience will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the federal service or equivalent in the private sector or non-governmental organizations. Each ECQ and TQ are unique qualifications. Therefore, duplicate responses are not sufficient in determining if you meet that specific qualification. Do not refer to your resume or application to explain your experience or your application package will be considered incomplete and will not be considered. Failure to submit a narrative statement or specifically address the mandatory ECQs and/or TQ clearly is also considered incomplete and will not be considered. As a result, you will be rated as "INCOMPLETE".
If you are currently serving under a career Senior Executive Service appointment, are eligible for reinstatement into the Senior Executive Service, or have completed a Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SES CDP) approved by OPM, you only need to submit a narrative statement covering the Technical Qualification. You do not need to submit a narrative on the ECQs. SES CDP graduates must submit a copy of their CDP program certification with their package.
Education
No mandatory education requirement.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Applicants who meet the mandatory executive and technical qualifications and have submitted all the correct required information for this vacancy announcement will be evaluated by a panel of senior executives to determine the degree to which they possess each of the listed qualifications. This evaluation will determine which applicants are best qualified and will potentially move forward for an interview with the hiring manager(s). Total background, including experience, ECQ and TQ narratives, awards, self-development, and training will be reviewed. This information will be obtained from your uploaded documents, including the required narrative statements for the ECQs and TQs described above.
Required Documents
Please upload the following documents:
- Resume (not to exceed 10 pages). Your resume should include your paid and non-paid work experience related to this position.
- Narrative responses to the Technical Qualifications not to exceed 2 pages. (mandatory for all applicants)
- Narratives for the Executive Core Qualifications not to exceed 10 pages total. (not required by current SES, SES reinstatement eligible or SES CDP OPM certified graduate)
- Graduates of approved OPM SES Candidate Development Programs (CDP) must include a copy of their OPM certification of eligibility and narrative statements addressing only the Technical Qualifications.
- Current or former SES members must submit documentation (SF-50 or equivalent Notification of Personnel Action). Please only address the Technical Qualifications if you have current SES status, are SES reinstatement eligible, or are OPM SES CDP certified.
- Current Civil Service employees must submit a copy of a recent SF-50, or equivalent Notification of Personnel Action, that indicates Federal status, grade, tenure, and type of service. (please do not submit an SF-50 for an award.)
- Strongly recommended: A copy of your most recent annual performance appraisal, not more than 2 years old.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
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.
How to Apply
You must submit your application and upload your narrative statements via USAJobs so that they will be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on the closing date of the announcement. If you encounter technical difficulties during the process, please call 1-877-662-7730 Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST (excluding Federal holidays) for assistance or click "Contact Us." Please do not wait until the last day to apply for a vacancy announcement. We will not accept applications submitted late or applications other than those submitted through USAJOBS. As the Applicant, it is your responsibility to verify that the information entered, uploaded, and submitted is received and is accurate.
1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in or create an account
2. Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application." For help: USAJOBS Help Center - How to...
3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click the "Upload" button and select the document on your device, then wait for the upload to finish. Repeat as needed. Documents must be less than 3MB each and should be in a compatible file format.
4. Select documents you want included in this application.
5. Review the package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
6. Select if you want to include your demographic information.
7. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
8. Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
9. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
10. Review and Submit Application.
11. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
12. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job. Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So you must select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Next steps
The NPS will conduct a qualifications evaluation of applicants who supply all requested material. Best-qualified candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of the outcome after the completion of the selection process.
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