This position serves as a visual information specialist who supports visitor services through the design of park exhibits, waysides, publications, and a variety of online offerings. This position is located in Big Bend National Park, within the Division of Interpretation & Visitor Services. The position is a RE Advertisement announcement with previous Job Opportunity Announcement Number: IRA-NPS-23-11989285-IMP.

Duties

The major duties of this position include the following: Works directly with park staff, resource experts, and partners to identify and develop interpretive media that conveys important interpretive themes and visitor safety and orientation information. Develops and maintains the park's interpretive media portfolio, including website, the NPS App, videos, waysides, exhibits, signs and publications. Selects visual materials (photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, diagrams, video, etc.) to support text and enhance aesthetic appeal of publications and presentations (ideas and concepts). Using digital images, video, and graphics created electronically, is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the media project components of the park website. Serves as a leader in championing new ways of communicating with visitors through interpretive media. Big Bend National Park Area Information Big Bend National Park is a spectacular and very remote national park, situated on the US-Mexico border. Encompassing 800,000 acres, Big Bend along with Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River protects the finest and most extensive expanse of Chihuahuan desert and mountain topography in the United States. This is a land of dramatic contrasts - of lofty, wooded peaks and river-swept floodplains - dominated by great expanses of Chihuahuan Desert, containing spectacular geologic features and other impressive landforms. Average visitation is 500,000 and growing! Big Bend NP is beloved as one of the few large public lands in Texas. Major activities include camping, backpacking, hiking, birdwatching, river trips, enjoying the spring cactus bloom, exploring backcountry roads, and simply getting away from it all. Open year-round, Big Bend is primarily a winter park. The main visitor season runs from November through April. The climate is generally dry and pleasant with beautiful mild winters (40-70 degrees F.) and hot summers (90-110+ degrees F.). Visitor facilities include five visitor centers, post office, two gas stations, three camper stores, three NPS campgrounds, concession-operated lodge, restaurant and RV park.). A port of entry provides pedestrian access to the small village of Boquillas, Mexico. Although remote, Big Bend has an active residential community. The Park community consists of ~250 people, including employees of the NPS, Concession, Cooperating Association, U.S. Border Patrol, Postal Service, San Vicente School personnel, and their families living in four housing areas: Panther Junction, Chisos Basin, Castolon, and Rio Grande Village. The park's employee association, Casa Grande, provides a variety of social events, potlucks, and community get togethers throughout the year. A state-accredited elementary school (K-8) is located at Panther Junction. Day care may be available. Cellular phone service is spotty throughout the park area. Satellite radio and television, as well as DSL internet service, are available for purchase. Terlingua (30 miles away) has a state-accredited High School (no bus service), lodging, restaurants, hardware store, small grocery, churches, and a bank. Alpine, Texas (100 miles away) has most necessities, including supermarkets, a variety of stores, hospital, pharmacies, churches, movie theater, and university. The nearest larger cities are Midland/Odessa (225 miles away) and El Paso (325 miles away). For additional information about living/working in Big Bend, please visit: https://go.nps.gov/bigbendareainfo To learn more about the wonders of Big Bend National Park, please visit: www.nps.gov/bibe.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/28/2023-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 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 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. 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. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. - AND- 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). To qualify, applicants must demonstrate experience using at least two of the following specialized skills (In your resume, clearly indicate the amount of time spent using these skills (i.e.; if a collateral duty, indicate the percentage of time over the course of the year that you spend doing publications, social media, producing web content, etc.): Producing digital media such as web pages, app content, videos, or social media posts. Laying out publications (with industry standard design software) such as site bulletins, newspapers, booklets, pamphlets, posters or interpretive exhibits; AND Developing original graphics, charts, designs, or logos. -OR- EDUCATION: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Master's degree must be in major studies - commercial art, fine arts, art history, industrial design, architecture, drafting, interior design, photography, visual communication, or other fields related to the position. Some positions may also require subject-matter knowledge of medicine, science, or technical equipment. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then add the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. 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.

Education

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.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Contacts

• Address NPS Inflation Reduction Act 1849 C St. NW Washington, DC 20240 US
• Name: Sirinya Dixon
• Email: [email protected]