Park Ranger (Interpretation)

You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with National Park Service. Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate. Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate of 11.88% is authorized. The incumbent will be an integral part of the interpretive team at Virgin Islands National Park. Staff the Visitor Center rove beaches and make visitors contacts and conduct interpretive programing for the public. All interpretive products produced by VIIS are based on 21st century interpretive skills and encourage audience input, engagement, and participation. Our main programs are Reef Bay Hike, Network to Freedom Trail/Annaberg Sugar Plantation, Cinnamon Bay Loop, Night Sky program, and Ram Head hike. Some additional major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Collaborate, with interpretive team to develop and present interpretive programs to the public based on current research and scholarship from multiple sources. Community engagment and tribal consultation should be incorportated when appropriate; similar methods would be used to develop education programs for schools. Plans and manages volunteer program: Develops and implements recruitment, retention, and recognition programs for volunteers. Assist with planning for special events and programs for community engagement. Assist with planning and leading Youth Summer Programing. Tracks and reports statistics including visitor use, volunteer, and interpretive programs. Mentors and trains volunteers and seasonal visitor services staff. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement • 10/09/2026-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 at the GS-09, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) Developing and presenting a variety of interpretive and/or educational programs including orientation talks, conducting walks, and giving demonstrations to a variety of audiences; 2) Developing interpretive materials, such as brochures, guidebooks, handouts, exhibits; 3) Operating a variety of audiovisual and other media used in connection with interpretive programs; 4) Performing day to day operations of a visitor center, information center, or similar facility; and 5) Leading and/or training an aspect or function of an interpretive or visitor services operation, directing/delegating tasks, offering guidance and feedback to team members, and troubleshooting discrepancies. You must include hours per week worked. • OR- Education: Successful completion of at least two years of graduate level study which is directly related to the work of the position. Examples of related education include but are not limited to; park and recreation management, 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, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. One year of graduate study is considered to be 18 semester hours. You must include transcripts. • OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above. For example, 6 months of specialized experience (50% of the specialized experience) and 18 graduate level semester hours (50% of the education), would qualify an applicant for this position. You must include transcripts. 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. 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 may be required to work, evenings, weekends, holidays and overtime. You may be required to travel overnight occasionally. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. 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. 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