Summary

This position provides crime victims with statutory rights & services in a victim-centered and trauma-informed manner & assists witnesses to crime with fairness and respect. Incumbent has responsibility for case management, contacting victims and witnesses directly and assists victims of crime by providing a full range of services.

Open to the first 50 applicants or until 03/19/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to the Public and open to Career Transition eligibles.

Duties

Major Duties of the Victim Specialist position include, but are not limited to the following:

Provides crisis intervention, emergency assistance, needs assessment, referrals to community resources.
Assistance with applications for victims' assistance, protection orders, impact statements, restitution claims, and other documentation.
Assists victims with participation in investigative, prosecutorial and judicial processes. Assists law enforcement and victim advocates in park units working with victims of crime.
Maintains logs of casework and compiles reports. Assists with data collection and annual reporting of the program.
Training of NPS law enforcement officers on statutory obligations of victim services and rights, victim-centered best practices, and trauma-informed victim support. Promotes the goals of the victim assistance program through direct connection to park units across the service.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

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); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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 operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required at the time of appointment, must be able to maintain.
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 per 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.
Required to complete basic certification level through the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP) within first 90 days.

Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you are required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness & whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process & therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals & mission of the agency, &/or otherwise promote efficiency of service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

your performance & conduct;
the needs & interests of the agency;
whether continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; &
whether continued employment would advance efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue & that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary 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.

*Additional Requirements are below in the Qualifications section*

Qualifications

GS-07 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify for this position you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement.

EXPERIENCE: 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) Assisting in providing basic crises support service; 2) Helping others understand processes by providing information on procedures & preparing related forms or documents under guidance; 3) Assisting with program activities including gathering information & maintaining basic documentation or record-keeping systems; 4) Performing routine administrative, documentation, & data-entry tasks, including maintaining logs, preparing reports, & entering information into records systems while maintaining confidentiality; & 5) Supporting training, outreach, or technical assistance efforts, such as preparing materials, scheduling events, & participating in community awareness activities. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
-OR- EDUCATION: Completion of at least 1 year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement, if related to the occupation. You must include transcripts.
-OR- COMBINATION: Completion of a combination of education & experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education & experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified & may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; & then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. You must include transcripts.

GS-09 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify for this position you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement.

EXPERIENCE: 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) Providing direct victim support services, including conducting initial assessments of victim needs, delivering crisis intervention, offering information & options, & making referrals to community resources while ensuring statutorily mandated victim rights are upheld; 2) Supporting victims throughout investigative & prosecutorial processes, including accompanying victims during interviews, forensic examinations, enforcement operations, & court proceedings; maintaining contact & providing updates consistent with case integrity requirements; 3) Explaining the criminal justice system, victim rights, & procedural steps; assisting with preparation of statements, protection orders, court documents, & victim impact statements; 4) Evaluating victim eligibility for state victim compensation programs, gathering necessary information, & assisting victims with application completion & documentation requirements; 5) Initiating & maintaining victim service documentation, including case logs, reports, & entries in a records systems, ensuring confidentiality & accuracy in accordance with legal & agency policy; & 6) Supporting delivery of technical assistance & training for law enforcement & victim service personnel, contributing to victim-centered practices & community awareness initiatives. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
-OR- EDUCATION: Completion of at least a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the occupation. You must include transcripts.
-OR- COMBINATION: Completion of a combination of education & experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education & experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified & may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; & then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify. You must include transcripts.

GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement

EXPERIENCE: 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) Providing comprehensive, independent victim services, including crisis intervention, emergency assistance, needs assessment, safety planning, & referrals to community resources, while ensuring all statutorily mandated victim rights & services are upheld; 2) Supporting victims through the full span of investigative & prosecutorial processes, including accompanying victims to interviews, forensic exams, enforcement operations, & judicial proceedings, while providing case updates & guidance on criminal justice procedures; 3) Evaluating eligibility for state victim compensation programs, gathering documentation, assisting victims with applications, & maintaining accurate case records & file systems; 4) Applying deep knowledge of Federal Victims' Rights laws, Attorney General Guidelines, state compensation systems, & law enforcement operations to support victims, guide them through legal processes, & liaise with prosecutors & law enforcement officials; 5) Independently initiating, maintaining, & safeguarding victim service documentation, including reports, case logs, & accurate entries in law enforcement records management systems in accordance with policy & security requirements; 6) Providing technical assistance & training to law enforcement personnel & victim service professionals, developing training materials, & participating in community awareness activities related to victim services; & 7) Exercising independent judgment in prioritizing & managing victim service cases, including responding to complex, sensitive, or unexpected situations requiring diplomacy, analytical skills, & trauma-informed practices. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
-OR- EDUCATION: Completion of at least a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related to the occupation. You must include transcripts.
-OR- COMBINATION: Completion of a combination of education & experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education & experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified & may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; & then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify. You must include transcripts.

*See more qualification information including volunteer experience and listing hours in the Additional Information section*

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

You must include months, years & hours per week worked to receive credit for your work &/or volunteer experience. 1 year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid & unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills providing valuable training & experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-03/19/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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.

Additional Selections: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Career Ladder/Promotion Potential: Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: Work is mostly sedentary although there is some walking, bending, and reaching. The position requires many periods of intense concentration and pressure involving short deadlines. The incumbent may be called and need to respond after normal work hours to address urgent victim needs and may experience periods of inconsistent schedules and late night/early hour work.

Working Conditions: Work is predominantly performed in an office setting. However, incumbent may be asked to lend assistance in emergency situations, e.g., search and rescue operations, special park projects, etc. There will be some travel required that may involve long periods of sitting in a car or plane. Incumbent may be required to respond to a scene of a crime to provide crisis intervention once the scene is safe.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wage to calculate locality pay

Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF_50s.

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.

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.

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 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.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

Oral Communication
Teamwork
Technical Competence

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.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/19/2026:

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. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
Complete All Required Assessments.
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.
College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
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 85 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.

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

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 03/19/2026. 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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Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
Select documents you want included in this application.
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Select if you want to include your demographic information.
After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
- Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
Review and Submit Application.
While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
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

Keri Vasquez

Email: keri_vasquez@nps.gov

Address: Visitor and Resource Protection
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
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.

Victim Specialist Job