Park Ranger (P) - Law Enforcement Instructor
What you'd do
This position, within the Law Enforcement, Security & Emergency Services Division serves as an instructor and course developer in the assigned course areas of law enforcement and/or criminal investigation. This is a not-to-exceed one (1) year temporary promotion/detail assignment. This temporary promotion/detail may be extended without further competition; however, it may not exceed a total of five (5) years. This temporary promotion/detail may be made permanent without further competition.
Major duties
Major Duties of the Park Ranger (Protection) - Law Enforcement Instructor position include, but are not limited to the following: Serves as a senior commissioned law enforcement officer responsible for patrol, investigations, arrests, search and seizure activities, maintaining firearms proficiency, and applying advanced investigative and enforcement techniques. Creates, updates, and evaluates operating plans, standard operating procedures, action plans, and long and shortrange operational strategies to include improvements to program quality and efficiency. Analyzes diverse operational challenges, determines resource requirements, revises program activities to align with funding and leadership priorities, and leads investigations of major incidents or complaints. Conduct research on training topics, develop best practices, write instructional content, and contribute to agency-wide training policies and standards. 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. Temporary Promotion Requirements - Career or career-conditional candidates applying for a temporary promotion, must meet all qualification requirements, including time-in-grade qualification requirements. Detail Requirements - Career or career-conditional candidates must meet qualification requirements, however, candidates are not required to meet the time-in-grade qualification requirements of this position. Details also apply to current employees who hold the full performance level of the position (GS-11) or higher grade level on a permanent basis. While on detail, the employee continues to hold their official position from which detailed and keeps the same status and grade.
What you need to qualify
Requirements Continued... Time-in-Grade: 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. Physical Efficiency Battery: Prior to appointment, the people selected for these positions must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile. Firearm Proficiency: Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. Driver's License: 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. Security Investigation: 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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/03/2026-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: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years) a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 08/03/2026.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; AND Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Candidates who do not meet these requirements by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one or 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-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include the following activities:1) Leading the design, development, and delivery of advanced law enforcement and criminal investigation training, including curriculum development, instructional design, and evaluation of training effectiveness for interagency audiences; 2) Performing complex federal law enforcement duties, including criminal investigations, enforcement operations, and incident response involving sensitive or high-profile cases; 3) Serving as a subject matter expert and liaison with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and academic institutions to develop national training standards and policy recommendations; and 4) Conducting research and authoring professional training materials, including best practices, policy guidance, and instructional content that influence agency-wide law enforcement training and doctrine. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the occupation. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you 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-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:1) Serving as a commissioned law enforcement officer responsible for enforcement of federal, state, and local laws; exercising arrest authority; and maintaining proficiency with firearms, non-lethal weapons, and communication technologies; 2) Providing law enforcement training or instruction, or serving in a field training officer capacity; 3) Leads, plans, coordinates, implements, and evaluates short- and long-range goals and objectives, operating plans and program requirements; and 4) Determines programs or assignments resource requirements and assess and revise program activities to adhere to conform to direction of park leadership and the bureaus' policies.
Before you apply
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