This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection. This is a Merit Promotion Announcement. Open to the first 100 applicants or 02/03/2024whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

This position reports directly to the Deputy Chief Ranger. This position serves as the Law Enforcement Specialist in the Law Enforcement in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM). The position reports to the Deputy Chief Ranger, and is responsible for providing assistance, support, and coordination for a wide range of programs and activities related to protection of persons and resources (law enforcement ) within the park. This position provides expert advice and support on the implementation of law enforcement programs and practices, and serves as a subject matter expert in law enforcement in order to assist management. Serves as the subject matter expert for physical security within the park. Other duties include leading and participating in law enforcement program audits and assessments, conducting and managing internal investigations, participating in boards of review and inquiry, leading accident investigations, and providing advice to others on these and other law enforcement issues. The position supervises the Emergency Communications Center, comprised of 5 dispatchers and a lead dispatcher. Finally, this position serves as the primary court liaison for the AUSA's office on the Tennessee side of the park. This position works independently as a subject matter expert in several fields, providing advice and guidance with little oversight. This position requires some travel (approximately once per month), and is an arduous duty position. Work is mostly office-based, with periodic travel out into parks requiring increased physical demands. Area Description: The Great Smoky Mountains are among the oldest mountains in the world, formed perhaps 200- 300 million years ago and encompassing more than 800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Dominated by plant-covered, gently contoured mountains, the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains forms the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina, bisecting the Park from northeast to southwest in an unbroken chain that rises more than 5,000 feet for more than 36 miles. No other area of equal size in a temperate climate can match the Smokies amazing diversity of plants, animals, and invertebrates. GRSM is designated as an International Biosphere Reserve and listed as a World Heritage Site.

Requirements

Qualifications

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Prior to appointment, the people selected for these positions must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Applicants must be at least 21 years old. 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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/03/2024-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: Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type II (seasonal) or higher National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by entrance on duty or by 02/03/2024. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement. 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. Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by entrance on duty or by 02/03/2024. - AND - Applicants must possess 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/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include: Managing and conducting internal investigations, representing law enforcement cases in a court of law, conducting complex law enforcement investigations, reviewing and writing policies and procedures, interpreting and providing advice on national policy, managing park law enforcement programs, and auditing park law enforcement programs. Park guide or tour leader. Law enforcement or investigative work. Archeological or historical preservation research work. Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area. Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. 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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

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 or by 02/03/2024 a valid Type II (seasonal) or higher level 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.

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.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

Contacts

• Address Great Smoky Mountains National Park DO NOT SEND MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS 107 Park Headquarters Road Gatlinburg, TN 37738 US
• Name: Jessica Armenta
• Email: [email protected]