This position serves as a full-performance Park Ranger (Interpretation) at the Petersburg National Battlefield within the National Park Service (NPS). The purpose of interpretation is to enrich people's lives through meaningful experiences and enjoyable recreation; preserve and protect natural and cultural resources through broad collaboration and shared stewardship; and inspire social and environmental consciousness to build community and sustain the health of the planet.

Duties

Independently research, develop, and offer high quality interpretation that meets NPS standards for formal programs, such as walks and illustrated talks, on several different topics and locations, including addressing complex and controversial history. Independently provide informative information and informal interpretation for visitors, especially at a visitor center, while balancing park operations and ensuring it all runs effectively, including register sales, research requests, and possible emergencies. Act as a valuable asset to the team and help provide leadership and expertise on a variety of interpretive projects and programs, including interpretive media, public relations, educational programs, and planning special events with partners or volunteers. Competently and efficiently complete administrative duties as assigned that may include including donation remitting, purchasing, time keeping, scheduling, statistics, partnership liaison, etc. Act as a leader and mentor for less experienced staff, training new employees, coaching on interpretative programs, and overseeing day to day operations with park guides, volunteers, and interns. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Park Ranger Interpretation: The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/13/2024-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 GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park guide or tour leader; Law enforcement or investigative work; Archeological or historical preservation research work; Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; or Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation. Related majors include Major study -- natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include your college transcript(s). -OR- SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Superior academic achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Additional information can be found here. -OR- A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 1/2 a year of graduate education (18 semester hours) of directly related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the education requirement). You must include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: Park guide or tour leader; Law enforcement or investigative work; Archeological or historical preservation research work; Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; or Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation. Related majors include Major study -- natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include transcripts. -OR- A COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 1.5 years of graduate education (27 semester hours) of directly-related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the education requirement). Only education beyond the first year of graduate education is creditable. You must include transcripts. 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.

Contacts

• Address Petersburg National Battlefield 1539 Hickory Hill Road Petersburg, VA 23803 US
• Name: Lisa Cupp
• Phone: 717-673-5505
• Email: [email protected]