Chief - US Park Police Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. WO-1614-USPP-25-12796191-DE Department Office of the Secretary of the Interior
Salary $195,200.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/8/2025 Close Date 9/12/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Chief, U.S. Park Police, serves as the executive leader of one of the nation's oldest and most visible federal law enforcement agencies. This position requires a visionary law enforcement executive with deep experience in urban policing, interagency coordination, and the protection of national icons and democratic institutions.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S Citizens, those eligible to apply for career transition, and those eligible for special/noncompetitive hiring authorities including Public Land Corps

Duties

The Chief, U.S. Park Police (Chief, USPP) leads a full-service, urban-focused federal law enforcement agency operating in complex, high-density environments with diverse public safety needs. The Chief, USPP oversees planning and execution of law enforcement operations for high-profile special events and First Amendment demonstrations, ensuring public safety and protection of constitutional rights. The Chief USPP demonstrates resiliency and flexibility in rapidly evolving operational environments, including civil unrest, natural disasters, and national security incidents. The Chief, USPP must demonstrate resiliency and flexibility in rapidly evolving operational environments, including civil unrest, natural disasters, and national security incidents. This position requires strong initiative, independent judgment, good communications and interpersonal skills, a broad knowledge of police science and its application and extensive experience as a police professional in an urban environment.

Requirements

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 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.
  • 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 may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 25% of the time. 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.
  • 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.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a full (Type I) NPS law enforcement commission.
  • This position will require approval to access Sensitive Compartmented Information; eligibility for a Top-Secret clearance is required.
  • This is an administrative position in an organization having a law enforcement mission. Prior law enforcement experience, 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/12/2025-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 SP-11 grade level you must possess all of the following basic requirements by close of the announcement:

SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position supervises a department of law enforcement professionals who are responsible for providing the full range of police management, law enforcement, and crime prevention functions for the National Park Service, and is required to possess the following:
  • Experience in a primary/rigorous law enforcement position, or equivalent experience outside of the Federal Government (e.g. investigating, apprehending, or detaining individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws of the United States).
  • Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.
- AND -EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the SP-09 or GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all of the following:
  1. Leading police administrative functions, ensuring sound workforce and organizational management practices (e.g. crime prevention, crime response, and inter/intra-agency collaboration);
  2. Supervising and managing staff and subordinates of a law enforcement/police program;
  3. Overseeing the execution and completion of law enforcement reports;
  4. Building collaborative partnerships with internal and external law enforcement organizations; AND
  5. Interpreting policy to disseminate to law enforcement staff and partners.
  6. Demonstrated executive leadership in managing complex, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement operations-including urban environments-that ensure public safety, protect national assets, and uphold constitutional rights, with proven success in managing large-scale special events and First Amendment activities.
  7. Proven ability to lead urban law enforcement organizations through strategic planning, policy development, and organizational reform, while dynamically integrating administration and departmental priorities to enhance operational effectiveness, accountability, and workforce resilience.
Your two-page resume should also show that you possess the Core Qualifications listed below. Your resume should clearly demonstrate your experience and accomplishments related to the qualifications below.

1-Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding: Demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people. Competencies: Knowledge of the American System of Government, Commitment to the Rule of Law, Civic-Mindedness

2 - Driving Efficiency: Demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades. Competencies: Fiscal Responsibility, Managing Resources, Leveraging Technology

3 -Merit and Competence: Demonstrated knowledge, ability, and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality. Competencies: Technical Skill, Problem Solving, Agility and Resilience

4 - Leading People: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high-performance, high accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable. Competencies: Accountability, Developing Others, Executive Judgement

5 - Achieving Results: Demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.
Competencies: Operational Mindset, Innovation, Strategic Thinking

Qualifications 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.

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

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.

A Recruitment/Retention Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the Department of the Interior from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the Department of the Interior either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

Physical Demands: Incumbent will maintain a Level I Law Enforcement commission and therefore be required to meet all appropriate medical and physical fitness standards.

Working Conditions: Work is performed primarily in an office setting, but frequently requires on-site visits to emergency and crime scenes to observe subordinates in the field. Incumbent may be required to work extended shifts or be called back in an emergency situations and work with exposure to difficult circumstances, including exposure to dangerous situations, hazardous materials and all weather conditions. May occasionally be required to make physical custody arrests, subdue attacking or resisting individuals, perform rescue work or administer first aid. Travel may be extensive and may involve overseas travel, as well as other indoor and outdoor activities.

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

This position is not eligible for a remote work duty station.

Driver's License: 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 also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists.

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.

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.

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. Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes. Only one resume will be used to evaluate your qualifications. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

  • Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review and structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/12/2025:

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes. Only one resume will be used to evaluate your qualifications. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
    • Veterans Preference Documentation:
      • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
      • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
      • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
  4. Documentation that you meet the Selective Placement Factor for this position.
  5. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 80 on the rating criteria for this position.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

How to Apply

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 09/12/2025. 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.

  1. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
  2. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
  3. Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
  4. Select documents you want included in this application.
  5. Review 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 it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Please note: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you select. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim. Please review the list of documentation provided in the eligibilities language to ensure you provide the appropriate information. You may choose more than one eligibility.

Agency contact information

Racheal Winebar
Address
United States Park Police
1100 Ohio Drive S.W.
Washington, DC 20024
US

Next steps

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.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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