Summary Serve as Supervisory Park Ranger (Chief Ranger) with full authority and responsibility for all planning, development, operations and management of the division. The duties and responsibilities are complex and highly varied, requiring a high degree of professional competence and formal training. Incumbent reports to Deputy Superintendent for overall management of the division. Responsibilities Management of programs in law enforcement, physical security, antiterrorism, and financial resource management with a multimillion-dollar annual budget and 50 plus employees. Approve policy, manage overall planning, and set priorities for the division. Incumbent manages law enforcement programs through the combined technical and administrative direction of others. Manage a law enforcement program to protect visitors, employees, natural resources, cultural resources, and park facilities through education, patrol, monitoring, response, detection, detention, apprehension, investigation, intelligence gathering and analysis. Manage the security and anti-terrorism program in an urban park with multiple and complex security issues. Prepare the division's annual program budget and plans, budgeting, programming, obligating, and tracking the division's operating funds. 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 Type I Law Enforcement Commission. 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. 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. Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. 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. 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a I year supervisory probation period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Qualifications Requirements Cont.... 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. 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 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. Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This Probation period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct. the needs and interests of the agency. whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probation period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-03/20/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Qualifications 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: Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by entrance on duty. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement. Required to carry a firearm while performing duties and required to maintain firearm proficiency and be subject to the Lautenberg Amendment. Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by entrance on duty. - AND - GS-13: Applicants must possess all of 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-12 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 include: (1) Directing and supervising a law enforcement and resources protection program, interpreting regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement, natural and cultural resource protection. (2) Evaluating law enforcement program activities based on funding to determine objectives, amount and location of work, as well as the @type of resources needed for the program. (3) Reviewing law enforcement case reports to ensure compliance with policy, mutual aid agreements, cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding. (4) Investigating criminal activity, conducting investigations of applicable federal or state laws. 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 by entrance on duty a valid Type II (seasonal) or higher level National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from an accredited institution, which currently consists of over 650 class hours and lasts on average 17 weeks. Please visit the Association of National Park Rangers' Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP) for additional information on approved training courses and equivalency for commissioning. 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. Working conditions / Environment: Position is required to meet and continuously maintain the physical/medical standards as set forth in the requirements by D.O. #57. Most of the work required of this position takes place in an office setting, conference rooms, or other indoor meeting locations. The work typically involves long hours attending meetings, on the telephone, working on a computer, or working at a desk. Some of the work is to attend; coordinate, or instruct training both in a classroom setting or a field setting. However, as a commissioned law enforcement officer, the incumbent may need to perform arduous law enforcement duty either in the home park or in another unit of the National Park Service. The incumbent may need to wear personal protective equipment designed to protect against weapons of mass destruction to enable self evacuation from a hazardous environment, including a face mask respirator, butyl rubber gloves, and a Tyvek suit. 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. 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.
