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Position Title
Park Ranger (Protection) - Senior Staff Ranger
Agency
National Park Service
Announcement Number
WO-1614-VRP-25-12700539-IMP Opens in new window
Open Period
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 to Tuesday, March 11, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. This position has an age requirement. Enter or select your date of birth. (limit characters)
2. Are you a current or former federal employee displaced from the agency hiring for this position?   If yes, confirm:
  • you are located in the same local commuting area of the vacancy; AND,
  • you are applying to a position that is at or below the grade level of the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
  • you are applying to a position that does not have greater promotion potential than the position from which you were or will be separated; AND,
  • your last performance rating of record is at least fully successful or the equivalent.
 
For more information, review the USAJOBS Help Center. 
 
To verify your eligibility, you must submit supporting documentation such as a Reduction in Force (RIF) separation notice or a Proposed Removal/Separation notice to include your latest performance rating (if the notice does not have this information included, you must submit a copy of your most recent performance appraisal) and a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50.
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3. Are you a current career/career-conditional National Park Service Federal employee and meet the following Competitive Merit Promotion Eligibility:

Current National Park Service Federal employee with a career or career- conditional appointment in the competitive service that hold, or have held a career or career-conditional position at a lower grade level as the position being announced. 

To verify your eligibility as a current National Park Service Federal employee, you must provide a copy of your current Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) reflecting your competitive status showing that you are a current National Park Service employee. All required documentation will be outlined in the Job Opportunity Announcement.
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4. Are you a current or former employee of a land management agency (Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; National Park Service; Fish and Wildlife Service; Bureau of Indian Affairs; or Bureau of Reclamation) who:
  • was originally hired to a time-limited position under a competitive appointment; and,
  • served one or more time-limited appointments at a land management agency for a period totaling more than 24 months without a break in service of two or more years; and,
  • performed at an acceptable level of service during each period of service; and,
  • if no longer employed by the land management agency, have been separated for no more than two years, and departed that position in good standing.
 
To verify your eligibility, you must provide documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
For more information, review Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA).
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5. My performance is at an acceptable level and I am not serving under a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). (limit characters)
A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating. (limit characters)
6. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (MUST include beginning and ending month/year e.g., 5/2019-10/2019 or 5/10/2019-10/20/2019), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week or full-time). If part-time, the exact hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. (limit characters)
MANDATORY ENTRY AGE (MEA)
Applicants for this position must be at least 21 years of age, AND have not reached their 37th birthday prior to the closing date of this job opportunity announcement and upon appointment to this position. The maximum entry age of 37 applies to this position. This is a primary position covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service (5 U.S.C. 3307 for Federal Law Enforcement positions).

Two exceptions are allowed:
1.) An applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; OR
2.) An applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service; OR
3.) An applicant is in receipt of an official Maximum Entry Age Waiver Memorandum approved by the National Park Service, Director of Law Enforcement (the applicant must upload this document with their application) AND is under the age of 40 years.
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7.
MANDATORY MINIMUM ENTRY AGE

Applicants for this position must be at least 21 years of age. Please select the answer below which best describes how you meet this requirement.
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8. MANDATORY MAXIMUM ENTRY AGE

Applicants for this position must be at least 21 years of age AND have not reached their 37th birthday prior to the closing date of this job opportunity announcement and upon appointment to this position OR you meet one of the mandatory entry age exceptions. Please select the answer below which best describes how you meet this requirement.
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9. As part of the official duties of this position, the incumbent is required to operate a Government vehicle. As such, applicants are required to have a valid State-issued Driver's License prior to the closing date of the job opportunity announcement.

Please note: You will be required to submit proof of a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's License before your entrance-on-duty date. Please select the answer below which best describes how you meet this license requirement.
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10. I certify that the locations I've selected for this job opportunity are the locations that I am able and willing to perform seasonal work at. To the best of my knowledge and belief, all the information included in these preferences are true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand that if I make an intentional false statement or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001), my eligibilities may be cancelled, I may be denied an appointment, or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 CFR part 731). I understand that any information I give may be investigated. I understand that responding "No" to this item will result in my not being considered for this position. (limit characters)
11. Are you a current career/career-conditional National Park Service Federal employee and meet the following Non-competitive Merit Promotion Eligibility:
 
Current National Park Service Federal employee with a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service that hold, or have previously held a career or career-conditional position at the same or higher grade level with the same or higher promotion potential as the position being announced.
 
To verify your eligibility as a National Park Service Federal employee, you must provide a copy of your current Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) reflecting your competitive status showing that you are a current National Park Service employee. All required documentation will be outlined in the Job Opportunity Announcement.
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Preferences
1. Select the location(s) you want to be considered for. You must choose at least one location. (limit characters)
2. When you applied to this job, did you have any engagement with a National Park Service (NPS) Recruiter? (limit characters)
Assessment 1
BASIC EXPERIENCE SECTION: THE RESUME OR APPLICATION MATERIALS YOU SUBMIT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MUST SUPPORT ALL RESPONSES. IF NOT, YOUR SCORE WILL BE LOWERED AND/OR YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. (limit characters)
Minimum Qualification Requirements for Park Ranger (Protection), Senior Staff Ranger, GS-0025-13 (limit characters)
1. From the descriptions below, select ONE response that best describes how your background meets the specialized experience and/or education requirements for a Park Ranger (Protection), GS-0025-13. If you select more than one response or leave this question blank, you will be rated ineligible. If you do not meet these minimum qualifications, you will be considered not qualified and will not receive consideration for this position. (limit characters)
Read each question carefully and select the response below that best describes your qualifications in this area. Failure to respond to a question will result in an ineligible rating. (limit characters)
Type I Law Enforcement Commission (Selective Factor) (limit characters)
2. In addition to the requirements in the questions above, selectees must possess a National Park Service Type I Law Enforcement Commission by the closing date of the announcement, which requires successful completion of an approved Law Enforcement Training Program. Please select the response below that best describes your qualifications in this area. If you do not meet the requirements of this selective factor, you will be rated ineligible for these positions. Applicants must document how they meet this requirement, as indicated below, to be considered qualified for this position. (limit characters)
Primary Law Enforcement Experience (Selective Factor) (limit characters)
3. 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. Please select the response below that best describes how you meet this requirement. (limit characters)
Law Enforcement: Serves as a subject matter expert on the law enforcement ranger profession and law enforcement program management. (limit characters)
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
4. Act as a subject matter expert to senior leadership on a variety of contemporary law enforcement issues. (limit characters)
5. Maintain field-readiness for incident response if needed, to include physical fitness and skill training. (limit characters)
6. Maintain a working familiarity with updates to law, policy, and practice, particularly those which affect recruitment and retention. (limit characters)
Recruitment: Coordinates recruiting for law enforcement positions across the National Park Service. (limit characters)
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
7. Collaborate with Human Resources to implement best practices related to identifying, attracting, and selecting individuals and placing them into positions to address changing organizational needs. (limit characters)
8. Coordinate park-level and regional recruitment activites. (limit characters)
9. Develop new and innovative recruitment materials. (limit characters)
Staffing and Hiring: Serves as the subject matter expert in National Park Service law enforcement staffing and hiring. (limit characters)
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
10. Meet or exceed hiring objectives defined by leadership. (limit characters)
11. Continually improve existing hiring processes, to include creating innovative solutions to ongoing problems. (limit characters)
12. Ensure administrative hiring processes are conducted professionally and in compliance with law and policy. (limit characters)
Communication:  Provides written and oral communication to internal staff and external stakeholders. (limit characters)
Select the one statement that most accurately describes your training and experience carrying out each task using the scale provided. (limit characters)
13. Make clear and convincing oral presentations to internal and external audiences. (limit characters)
14. Listen to feedback on program areas, evaluate whether changes are required, implement change and communicate accordingly. (limit characters)
15. Synthesize complex information into readily understandable products in order to improve the transfer of information between leadership and field staff. (limit characters)
QTMATE (Job-related Technical Assessment): Please answer each of the following questions. Read all responses before making your selection and mark only one response. Do not leave any blank. (limit characters)
16. How do you work with multiple organizational needs simultaneously while maintaining a high degree of efficiency? (limit characters)
17. This position requires the ability to navigate conflict effectively. When there is a conflict between meeting an organizational need and making people happy, I generally: (limit characters)
18. When working on complex projects with others who are not in my chain of command, my approach would best be described as: (limit characters)
19. Park Ranger (Protection) positions are primarily law enforcement roles that may have additional collateral duties based on the specific resource and at the direction of park management. (limit characters)
Verification Statement (limit characters)
20. Your ratings in this Occupational Questionnaire are subject to evaluation and verification based on the documents and references you submit. Later steps in the selection process are specifically designed to verify your ratings. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from the position/agency.

Please take this opportunity to review your ratings to ensure their accuracy. By agreeing to the statement below, you are confirming that you: 1) understand this warning, 2) have reviewed your responses to this questionnaire for accuracy, and 3) verify that your responses accurately describe your current level of experience and capability.

Failure to agree to this statement will disqualify you from further consideration for the position.
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