Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) - Chief Park Ranger
What you'd do
You will serve as a Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) - Chief Park Ranger, in the Division of Visitor Resource Protection. This position is responsible for administering all phases of the law enforcement and visitor protection programs for park visitors and resources. Program responsibilities include law enforcement, boat safety, off-road vehicle management, park Dive Program, park collateral duty safety officer, Park special uses, and commercial use duties.
Major duties
This position is assigned to the Visitor and Resource Protection branch of Lake Meredith. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Oversees all law enforcement and visitor/resource protection operations, including felony investigations and enforcement on National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management-managed lands. Manages key safety and specialized programs, such as boat safety, off-road vehicle management, dive operations, and overall park safety. Administers permitting and compliance functions, including Special Use Permits, Commercial Use Authorizations, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses, and Tort Claims. Leads physical security efforts, including security surveys, planning, training, and reporting for park facilities. Supervises staff and directs long-range planning, executes acquisition paths, providing leadership, guidance, and strategic goals for park protection programs.
What you need to qualify
Requirements Continued... As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. 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. This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period. Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 07/28/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. If you do not provide evidence that you possess the following selective factor(s), you will be rated not qualified. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years) a valid Type I National Park Service Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 07/28/2026. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement. 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). In addition to the qualifying experience and/or education described above, applicants for this position must possess experience gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent. Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by 07/28/2026. -AND- Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Specialized Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to: (1) Law enforcement or investigative work involving the protection, conservation, or management of park areas; (2) 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; (3) Leading or supervising a law enforcement program, or other similar work. 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.
Before you apply
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