Park Manager (Superintendent)
What you'd do
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Midwest Region, Jewel Cave National Monument, in Custer, South Dakota. For more information on the position, please contact Eric Gabriel at [email protected] or Lindsay Oleson at [email protected].
Major duties
In this position, your duties will include but are not limited to the following: Manages and maintains a positive working relationship with the park employees including community representatives and a variety of officials within and outside the Bureau concerning the delegated authorities related to the management and preservation of the cultural, historical, and natural resources of the Park. Anticipate future requirements with accuracy to adjust human, material, and fiscal resources to maintain programmed service levels and to meet un-programmed needs. Careful planning and coordination to achieve successful results of numerous programs, projects and activities, integrated into the Park's mission. Recruits and hires subordinate staff members in line with merit staffing procedures and equal employment opportunity guidelines. Assigns work to staff and provides policy direction to their efforts. Evaluates the work performance of subordinate staff members, deals with inadequate performance, through counseling, training, coaching and other means. Resolves staff complaints concerning working conditions and related matters. Physical Demands: Occasionally is required to work under unusual and stressful situations which call for physical stamina and emotional stability. The work is rarely sedentary, and requires walking, driving, standing and bending. Travel to other areas is often required. A valid driver's license is required. Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in an office setting. However, work is also performed out-of-doors in various types of weather and terrain. Working in Jewel Cave required adaptability to darkness, cool temperatures, and moist conditions. Area Information: Jewel Cave National Monument is located in the southern Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. It lies approximately 13 miles west of Custer, SD and 24 miles east of Newcastle, WY. It is most noted for its significant underground resources, as well as being recognized as the fifth longest cave in the world with over 200 miles of mapped and surveyed passages. Its surface features showcase a forested landscape, interspersed with open meadows and wildland fire scars. Limited shopping and medical facilities are available in the nearby gateway communities; however, full-service amenities are available in Rapid City, SD, which is located around 50 miles northeast of Custer. Climates range from below freezing in the winter season to mid-90s during the summer months. For more information, see the parks website: www.nps.gov/JECA
What you need to qualify
Requirements Continued - As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one (1) year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary 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 probationary 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-07/07/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's Federal General Schedule Qualification Standards. To qualify for this position at the GS-13 grade level, you must possess at least one 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. Specialized experience includes in-depth knowledge of park management principles, practices, techniques, laws, and regulations. Experience includes a variety of duties such as managing and supervising park or similar activities with an emphasis on natural management and protection, cultural and resource preservation and protection, visitor use and interpretation, law enforcement, maintenance of physical facilities and administrative programs. 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. 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.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.