Zone Field Training Officer (Lead) Job

Vacancy No. WO-1614-VRP-25-12753514-IMP Department National Park Service
Salary $73,939.00 to $144,031.00 Grade 11 to 12
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/13/2025 Close Date 9/26/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
San Francisco, CABrunswick, GABoulder City, NVSan Antonio, TX


Summary

This announcement is for the Visitor and Resource Protection (VRP), National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Training Center (LETC).

Duties

Major Duties of the Zone Field Training Officer (Lead) position include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Serves as a senior uniformed, commissioned law enforcement officer which includes investigation, apprehension, arrest, detention, or prosecution of persons and entities violating applicable laws, rules, and regulations enacted to protect and provide for the safe use of lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and Department of the Interior.
  • Serves as an NPS-LETC certified training official in the NPS Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP), providing expert guidance and training on law enforcement procedures as a law enforcement instructor.
  • Conducts technical training, review, and evaluation of training and evaluation provided to field trainees in a specified zone/geographic area of responsibility.
  • Provides evaluations of trainer and student performance in classroom, team, and individual training settings to determine whether training is meeting agency mission and needs.
  • Implements and instructs training standards, law enforcement skills development, agency policies, and case law.
  • Serves as a technical advisor to assigned FTEP park units, Field Training officers, trainees, and Regional Office points of contact.
  • Maintains working relationships with key stakeholders to complete joint training projects or to share best practices; develop and deliver presentations to students and management officials.
Additional duties for the GS12:
  • Responsible for the research, development, implementation, recruitment, and refinement of training and evaluation provided to field trainees in a specified zone/geographic area of responsibility.
  • Serves as a subject material expert in training standards and law enforcement skills development. Develops law enforcement training curriculum using advanced principles and techniques to include lesson plan development, research, curriculum review, development, and revision.
  • Develops relationships with key stakeholders to expand the program, recruits new field training officers, and provides guidance and feedback to senior park and regional management officials.

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

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Must possess a NPS Type I Law Enforcement Commission & meet physical fitness standards to maintain commission. Include your commission number with expiration date within your resume.
  • Must currently be a credentialed Field Training Officer for the NPS Field Training & Evaluation Program.
  • Must have completed a recent Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) with a passing score of at least 25%. Must upload a copy of your PEB results with your supporting documents.
  • 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 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.
  • Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
  • 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.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also 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.
  • Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions.
  • 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.
  • Government housing may be available.
  • 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 & shift work.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 15 nights a month.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • Applicants must be at least 21 years old.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/26/2025-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:
  1. Mandatory Law Enforcement Commission: Applicants must meet one of the following criteria by the close date of the announcement to be considered for these positions.
    • Currently hold, or have previously held (within the past three years), a National Park Service full (Level I) law enforcement commission, or equivalent within the past three years.
      • You MUST certify in your supporting documents the possession of at least one of the above criteria. Include your commission number with expiration date within your resume.
  2. Primary Law Enforcement Experience: This is a covered secondary law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). Applicants for this position must possess prior law enforcement experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government.
  3. Credentialed Law Enforcement Training: Candidate must currently be a credentialed Law Enforcement Instructor or Field Training Officer for the National Park Service (NPS) Field Training and Evaluation Program. Applicants must have attended a NPS Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) Training Officer Course. The two NPS-approved courses of instruction are the NPS FTEP Training Course and the DHS FLETC FTEP Training Officer Course. Candidates must have completed one of the two courses by the close date of the announcement in order to qualify as a Field Training Officer. Applicants are not required to submit proof of Field Training Officer (FTO) during the application process - this will be verified during the application review.
- AND -

Applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications by the close of the announcement:

GS-11 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 (or GL-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: completing a variety of written products (e.g. reports, tracking sheets, etc.) to document law enforcement activities or law enforcement related program progress; delivering law enforcement specific training; updating or modifying lesson plans, training plans, or curriculum for law enforcement specific training; AND/OR developing standards or procedures for law enforcement program operations at a local level. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education, or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree at an accredited college or university, in a field of major study that is directly related to the work of the position. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-11. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated, as well as transcripts.

GS-12 SPECIALIZED 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). Experience at this level must include ALL of the following: preparing a variety of written documents (e.g. guidelines, plans, standards, etc.) to support a law enforcement project or program; delivering law enforcement specific training, and training others how to train law enforcement specific material; developing lesson plans, training plans, and curriculum for law enforcement specific training; assisting in the development of standards and procedures for law enforcement program operations to be applied organization-wide; AND/OR providing technical guidance to others on law enforcement operations or policies.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One 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 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

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

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.

The salary annotated on this announcement does not include locality pay. Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay.

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: Many assignments regularly require long periods of standing, hiking, and/or climbing, in many cases on uneven, steep, rough, slippery, and/or rugged terrain. Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement, fire-fighting, search and rescue, and with medical and related emergency activities. Lifting or carrying equipment over 50 pounds, such as fire-fighting or search and rescue equipment is required. These duties are performed either during the instruction of others or in performance of the duties on an individual basis.

Physical fitness requirements must be met prior to and on a continuing bases during employment. Must maintain compliance with RM-57 arduous duty physical requirements, and successfully participate in the physical efficient battery test. There is a high stress component to some of the incumbent's work assignments.

Frequent travel to field locations will be required to coordinate training activities, conduct program reviews and provide instruction.

Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement, search and rescue, medical and related emergency activities. Lifting or carrying equipment weighing over 50 pounds, such as emergency equipment or search and rescue equipment is required. There is a physical, mental and emotional high stress component to much of the incumbent's work assignment. Position is require3d to meet and continuously maintain the physical/medical standards as set forth in the requirements of D.O. #57.

Working Conditions: While some of the work is performed in an office setting, some of the work is performed outdoors in all kinds of weather and climatic conditions. This work is performed at various hours of the day and night and for prolonged periods during emergency situations.

Emergency service and law enforcement work requires entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, and substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions. A wide range of personal protective equipment and clothing is (some of witch may be uncomfortable, got or inconvenient to wear) is required to be used and worn. Adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions is required.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

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.

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:

  • Employee Development
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Teaching Others
  • 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. This assessment measures 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.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/26/2025.

  1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Your resume must clearly show how long your have held each grade in a federal position.
  2. Complete All Required Assessments.
  3. Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as:
    • Federal employees or former federal employees must submit a copy of their latest or last SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" reflecting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service, shows position title, series, grade and an additional SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held, if not reflected on your latest SF-50. Examples of acceptable SF-50s include: Promotion, Within Rate Increases (WRI/WGI), or Appointment SF-50s. Do not submit an Award SF-50. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. Your last Federal performance appraisal plan for your last position must reflect a rating of Fully Successful or equivalent. If the SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess the one-year time-in-grade, as required by this announcement. In this instance, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one-year
    • Veterans Preference Documentation (e.g. DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter as appropriate)
    • LMWFA: Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
  4. Performance Appraisals and Awards:
      • All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If submitting a performance appraisal not dated within the last18 months, a statement as to why it is the most recent must be submitted. If no performance appraisal is available, applicants must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
  5. Documentation that you meet Selective Factors. Failure to submit the required Selective Factor documents will result in loss of consideration.
  6. Documentation that you meet the National Park Service full (Level I) law enforcement commission requirement. Failure to submit the required law enforcement commission documents will result in loss of consideration.
  7. Documentation that you completed a recent Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) exam with a passing score of 25% or higher.
  8. College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
  9. 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.
  10. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
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 09/26/2025. 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.

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.

Agency contact information

Keri Vasquez
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.


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


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