Supervisory Park Ranger (I)
What you'd do
You will serve as a Supervisory Park Ranger (I) with the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Park, in the Division of Interpretation and Education.
Major duties
Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Determines staffing needs, recruits and selects seasonal staff, makes recommendation to Division Chief regarding permanent appointments and promotions, and provides training. Develops program goals, sets priorities, plans and assigns work, prepares schedules, and sets deadlines. Establishes performance standards, coaches and evaluates employees, develops Individual Development Plans, rewards, or disciplines as appropriate. Hears and resolves employee complaints, referring more serious issues to higher levels. Prepares position descriptions, approves leave and personnel actions. Coordinates with park divisions, specialists, and the Great Lakes Research and Education Center to stay abreast of important research findings related to parks' cultural, natural, and recreational resources. Applies in-depth knowledge of the park's complex resources and ensures subordinates apply this information in daily programming. Writes and edits texts for brochures, exhibits, and informational literature to be used to interpret the park's natural and cultural resources and promote environmental education to the surrounding communities.
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 - 08/13/2026-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. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level: 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). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Providing a wide variety of Interpretative services to enable efficient operation of an Interpretive Education program or office; analyzing work functions and processes and identifying process improvements; planning and coordinating. Plans, implements, manages, and coordinates a comprehensive interpretive, education, volunteer, and visitor services program. Responsible for short- and long-range planning. Writes and updates interpretive planning documents. Prepares division standards and goals. Responsible for workplace health and safety of employees. 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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