Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Summary

You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with National Park Service. The purpose of interpretation is to enrich peoples lives through meaningful experiences and enjoyable recreation. This is a temporary promotion and/or detail not to exceed 1 year and can be extended up to 5 years. This temporary promotion may be made permanent without further competition.

Duties

• Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Plans, designs, develops, and improves interpretive materials such as webpages, app content, audio, video, other digital content, signs, publications, and waysides and presents a variety of formal and informal interpretive and educational programs to a wide variety of audiences. Serves as a front-line representative of the National Park Service to meet and greet visitors in visitor centers, in a park or at outreach events providing orientation, information, and informal interpretation. Works effectively, cooperatively, and builds relationships/partnerships, with coworkers, park partners (educators, cooperating associations, Tribes, community groups, other agencies), and the general public in an effort to provide quality park interpretation and effective outreach to park communities. Actively engage and interact with local communities through on and off-site representation and interpretive programming. Identify and engage with new audiences and communities. Coordinate and maintain effective working relationships with organizations (e.g., academic and cultural institutions, state and local government agencies, special interest/user groups). May assist partners and communities in developing their own interpretive and management plans, ensuring they are complementary to park goals and objectives while meeting partner and community needs. Coordinate the operation of a visitor facility and/or information desk. Supervise, train, coach, and mentor interpretive staff and volunteers.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/22/2026-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-09 grade level, you must possess at least one 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience must include (1) coordinating, evaluating, or directing interpretive programs, (2) assisting with developing long-range program plans, (3) developing interpretative and educational programs, and (4) coaching or mentoring interpretive or similar staff. -OR- EDUCATION: two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education, a master's degree, or an equivalent graduate degree in natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, or sociology. -OR- COMBINATION: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. Calculate your education and experience percentages by determining what percentage of the required amounts you possess. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify. 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. For Details: There are no qualification requirements for a detail assignment. However employees must meet any positive education/licensure requirements in order to be detailed to positions with these requirements. Detail assignments do not include additional compensation and the selectee will not earn time-in-grade at the higher grade level.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct Deposit participation required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. 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.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 09/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13052752 Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.