Duties
As a Supervisory Park Ranger you will lead daily operations and direct the completion of collateral duties related to training and leadership. You will supervise GL-9 permanent and seasonal law enforcement rangers as well as non-commissioned staff and park volunteers. You will conduct and supervise the detection of criminal activity, investigation of criminal violations, and custodial arrests. You may prepare and execute warrants, interview witnesses, and detain suspects. You will ensure the completion of comprehensive written reports. You will conduct and/or supervise gathering of law enforcement, security, and intelligence information relating to the park, its facilities, events, mission, or visitors.
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.
- Serves as a Level 1 commissioned Park Ranger and is required to carry firearms and other defensive equipment.
- Performs a wide range of resource and visitor protection duties as fully trained and qualitied professional.
- Coordinates and collaborates with a variety of other law enforcement organizations (adjacent towns and counties) to fulfill the responsibilities of visitor and resource protection.
- Serves as the primary contact for the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in all matters related to threats and intelligence sharing.
- Conducts law enforcement investigations of felonies and other crimes and offenses and violations of park rules and is responsible for working with other law enforcement personnel in preparing in-depth criminal prosecutions.
- Ability to conduct and/or supervise the gathering of law enforcement security, and intelligence information related to the park its facilities events mission or visitors.
Physical Demands: Incumbent must be in excellent physical and mental condition in order to safely and competently perform under emergency situations. Incumbent must maintain a year-round physical fitness training program. The work regularly includes long periods of standing or walking at any hour of the day or night and during inclement weather, and on uneven terrain. Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement and related emergency activities. Lifting or carrying of equipment weighing over 50 pounds is required. Duties involve performing physically rigorous assignments, often in outdoor environments, frequently exposed to severe weather conditions. Dangerous persons must be physically confronted, subdued, and apprehended many are known to carry weapons. Prisoners must be kept under physical restraint during transport and processing. Criminal Investigations often must be carried out without regard to fixed work schedules, days off, or opportunities for proper rest or nutrition. Duties require manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints. Arms, hands, legs and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that the incumbent may perform, the duties satisfactorily. Vision in both eyes, with or without glasses, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing without aid, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at I000, 2000 and 3000 Hz levels. Physical fitness requirements must be met prior to and on an ongoing basis during employment. Complexity and breadth of issues and operations associated with this position are considered highly stressful.
Working Conditions: Work is performed in both an office and outdoors. Field conditions can range from extreme winter temperatures below 0 to summer temperatures over 100 degrees. At any given time, incumbent must be prepared to respond to any location within the parks, dispersed across a large metropolitan area. 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). Emergency law enforcement operations will require entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons and exposure to infectious diseases. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- 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.
- Direct Deposit: 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.
- Time-in-Grade: 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.
- Firearm Proficiency: Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
- Security Investigation: 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.
- Drug Testing: 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.
- Physical Fitness: Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and 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.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-06/03/2025-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.
Selective Factors: Applicants must meet
ALL of the following to qualify:
- Law Enforcement Commission: Must possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by the closing date of this vacancy announcement, 06/03/2025, a valid Type I level National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement.
- AND -
Applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
- EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include: serving as a law enforcement officer, including patrol and response, criminal detection, suspect apprehension, transport, and detention; law enforcement special operations; emergency medical response; structural and/or wildland fire fighting; applying regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resources protection; serving on incident management teams; leading incident management teams; making recommendations to senior managers and implementing management actions; budgeting and financial management, and human resource management. You must include hours per week worked.
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
Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess a valid Type I Law Enforcement Commission by the closing date of this vacancy announcement06/03/2025 . You will be required to maintain a Level I Law Enforcement Commission after you begin work. This is a secondary administrative law enforcement officer position in an organization having a law enforcement mission. An NPS Type I (full) Law Enforcement Commission is required. Choose the statement that best describes your experience and/or training. Please indicate if you currently hold or have held a NPS (Type I) law enforcement commission within the past three years. {You must include your commission number and expiration date, and date (s) and location (s) of your last 40-hour refresher training, and date of your last established proficiency in the use of firearms in your resume/application). If you do not meet the requirements of this selective factor, you will be rated ineligible for this position.
Requirements Continued:
- Physical Efficiency Battery: 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.
- Driver's License: 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.
- Uniform: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- Probationary Period: If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
- Financial Filer Requirement 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.
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.
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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.
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:
- Leadership
- Legal, Government and Jurisprudence
- Oral Communication
- Technical Competence
- Written Communication
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.
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 06/03/2025. 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.
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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.