Supervisory Park Ranger (Interpretation)
What you'd do
This position is located at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the Interpretation Division.
Major duties
This position leads Interpretation, Education, and Outreach for Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Springfield, IL, and New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Barry, IL. As a key member of the park management team, the incumbent provides expert leadership in planning, developing, and overseeing park-wide interpretive and education programs; manages digital and print media, volunteer services, partnerships, and public affairs; and guides staff and management in delivering high-quality visitor services. The position directs a multifaceted division, supervising personnel, coordinating interagency efforts, and ensuring effective communication of park themes and resources to visitors. Day-to-Day Duties: - Provide daily supervision, guidance, and support to interpretive staff, volunteers, and program managers. - Oversee visitor services operations, including visitor centers, digital information platforms, and public-facing communication. - Coordinate with partners, agencies, and tribal representatives on interpretive projects and collaborative initiatives. - Review and develop interpretive content, including social media posts, public information materials, and education programming. - Monitor ongoing projects, budgets, and planning efforts to ensure program goals and operational needs are met. Area information: Lincoln Home National Historic Site is located in downtown Springfield, Illinois. Springfield, the state capitol (population 117,000) is located approximately 200 miles south of Chicago and 100 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri. Amenities are typical of a Midwestern city and include a wide variety of educational and cultural opportunities as well as professional, commercial and health services. The climate is cold in the winter and hot and humid in summer. Government housing is not available, but a variety of housing options are available for rent or purchase in the local area. Housing costs are some of the lowest in the country. Additional information can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/liho and information about the Springfield area can be found at: https://www.springfield.il.us/.
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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/25/2026-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. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications. (Screen-Out) Specialized Experience: 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 experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes performing interpretation, education, and outreach program management, including: planning and coordinating park-wide interpretive and education programs; developing and updating interpretive planning documents; supervising staff and volunteers; managing digital and print media; leading partnerships and collaborative projects; and performing administrative and management duties such as budgeting, operational planning, and establishing program goals. My experience demonstrates competencies in Partnerships, Interpretation, Administration and Management, and Program Management. NOTE: You must include hours worked per week on your resume. 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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