Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection)
What you'd do
You will serve as a Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection), National Law Enforcement Specialist (NLES), responsible for administering the law enforcement (LE) employee wellness program as well as the LE standards program (law enforcement suitability and security and commissioning). The NLES is responsible for policy oversight, developing national policies, directives, procedures and standards.
Major duties
The Incumbent serves as Chief, Division of Visitor and Resource Protection (Chief Ranger), at Big Thicket National Preserve. The position is located at Preserve Headquarters north of Kountze, Texas, and reports directly to the Superintendent. The Chief Ranger Is responsible for organizing, planning, directing, coordination, administration of law enforcement and visitor protection activities. The Preserve contains more than 113,000 acres, divided into nine widely separated land units and six water corridors, totaling approximately 267 miles of waterways. Preserve management units encompassing more than 600 miles of boundaries are situated in seven counties in southeast Texas and are dispersed over an area of 3,600 square miles. As one of the first two National Preserves in the National Park System. Big Thicket was established "to assure the preservation of numerous representative areas typical of the Big Thicket Region, and to protect and preserve the natural values which make this 'biological crossroads' unique In the United States. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: The incumbent serves as Chief Ranger. As the chief of the division, the incumbent is responsible for planning, directing, and executing all park programs dealing with visitor and resource protection. The incumbent is the principal advisor to the Superintendent relative to visitor and resource protection issues and assists the Superintendent with a variety of park management assignments. Directly supervises one GS-11 Supervisory Protection Ranger, one GS-9 Park Ranger (Protection). Plans work schedules and sequences of operations on a long-range basis. Revises work schedules and goals to meet changes in workload, and assures coordination of work schedules and operations among subordinate units and with other divisions when activities affect the whole park. Reviews resource requirements data and other material for proper determination of what staffing, equipment, space requirement, materials and other resources are needed to accomplish the mission of the division. Adjusts figures based on overall determination of needs.
What you need to qualify
Requirements Continued Probationary Period: 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 - 08/10/2026-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 1 National Park service Law Enforcement Commission. or equivalent, by 08/10/2026. 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 08/10/2026. -AND- Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one 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). This experience includes: law enforcement or investigative work; investigating, apprehending, detaining or prosecuting individuals suspected of or convicted of crimes against the United States; protecting officials against threats to personal safety; 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; or other similar work. 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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