Supervisory Park Ranger

Summary The incumbent is responsible for managing all personnel, funds, and assets to ensure that Park resources, visitors, and employees are protected and served. The Division provides resource protection, resource education, and public use management services through law enforcement, structural fire protection, search and rescue, emergency medical, concessions management, fee collections, special park use management and other related activities. Responsibilities This position serves as the Chief of the Division of Resource and Visitor Protection at Indiana Dunes National Park. They are responsible for managing all personnel, funds, and assets to ensure that park resources, visitors, and employees are protected and served. The division provides resource protection, resource education and public use management services through law enforcement, structural fire protection, search and rescue, emergency medical, and other related activities. Oversees a 24-hour emergency dispatch operation that serves 6 other national parks around the Great Lakes. The incumbent oversees the law enforcement activities within the 15,000 acres of the national park including over 500 structures, both private and federally owned. This includes the Indiana State Park. Two state Nature Preserves, and over 300 parcels of land under various Reservation of Use (ROU) agreements. This position will regularly represent Park Management with numerous Federal, state, and private partners. The incumbent will represent the Park and Region as they serve as part of the senior leadership of the National Park Service Visitor and Resource Protection Program. For more information about the park please visit the park website at Indiana Dunes National Park. For more information about the position please contact Christopher Pergiel, chrispergiel@nps.gov, 219-395-1680. Secondary Administrative Position: This is a secondary-administrative law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary position. REQUIREMENTS: U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Subject to pre-employment physical and drug testing. Requirements Conditions of Employment REQUIREMENTS Cont: Direct Deposit: New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty. Time-in-Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Firearm Proficiency: Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. Security Investigation: Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicants successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. Physical Fitness: Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment. Uniform: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. Probationary Period: If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. Minimum Age Requirement: Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Financial File Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/21/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying 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 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Selective Factors: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, be entrance on duty. More information can be found in the Education section of this job announcement. Maximum Entry Age (MEA): This is a primary position covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, and must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. 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. Valid State Drivers License: Must have a current, valid State Drivers License by entrance on duty. – AND – Applicants must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: Have at least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of qualifying experience include knowledge of regulations, techniques, policies, and practices of law enforcement; managing and integrating law enforcement program requirements for protecting nationally significant resources; analyzing situations, problems, and causes; researching and securing information and designing a course of action for communicating with all levels inside and outside of the agency. You must include hours worked per week in your resume. 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. Education Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by entrance on duty a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from an accredited institution, which currently consists of over 650 class hours and lasts on average 17 weeks. Please visit the Association of National Park Rangers Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP) for additional information on approved training courses and equivalency for commissioning. To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work. There is no education component that will meet the qualification requirements. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. Physical Demands: Work requires sitting at a desk or table and conducting business in an office environment. There are frequent interruptions that interfere with concentration. Walking, bending, stooping, climbing, crawling, and hiking are occasionally required to personally check on problems or management effectiveness. Because of the complexity of the work, the incumbent must be capable of thinking and remembering details of numerous programs, projects, and situations over any given workday. The work often requires the endurance of long hours and stressful situations during emergency operations. The incumbent is occasionally required to perform physically rigorous assignments. Mandatory physical fitness and medical standards apply to the incumbent of this position. Some travel to locations within the United States is required in the conduct of business. Working Conditions: The majority of the work is performed in an office setting. The remaining work is performed outdoors in oftentimes inclement weather. Occasionally, emergencies require exposure to harsh conditions including snow, ice, sleet, heavy surf, extreme heat or cold (-20″F to 1000F), high humidity, and high winds. Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.