This position is located in Blue Ridge Parkway, in the Interpretation and Education Division. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 03/27/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

The primary purpose of this position is to support interpretive staff and volunteers to connect visitors and the surrounding community to the Blue Ridge Parkway. An emphasis on the unique natural and cultural resources. Heritage of Appalachia and their contributions to a wider America. This position will also be a liaison between the other divisions, concessionaires, and partners working within or near the park. Visitor Services: this position will be managing staff at main points along the Parkway. Mabry Mill, "Roots of America Music Center" and Doughton Park are the larger visitor contact points in this district. You will be leading and or advising staff on proper interpretive techniques such as ACE, and TORE. Coordinate stocking of brochures and other literature at visitor centers. Assist in coordinating social media posts or content. Ensure safe operation of visitor centers and make sure staff are informed of any hazards or closures which may affect visitors. Develop daily work schedules that include tour of duty and location of assignments. Monitor visitor services provided by lower graded employees, critique staff performance and provide recommendations for improvements. Assist ANP/EN as necessary and provide lunch breaks and other breaks for our partner. Training: Guide the learning of others though formal and informal methods. You will be a teacher, mentor, coach, and evaluate a wide range of interpretive programs and products. Provide constructive feedback on how to improve the product. Model professional standards and demonstrate how to perform those standards to subordinates. Education and Community Outreach: May develop/ deliver in park/ off park or virtual education programs to grades K-12 in the surrounding area. You may also support outreach events in local communities and colleges. Provide introductions to bus tours or other large groups (scheduled or non-scheduled), including summer camp groups. Facility Operations: Coordinate the operation of a visitor facility and/or information desk in assigned District. Monitors the physical and operational condition of visitor facilities in assigned area. Evaluate and make data-driven recommendations for specific management problems, such as staffing and new exhibits/visitor center features. Volunteers: Recruit, train and assist VIPs as needed for various locations. Volunteers can assist in education programming, enhance our 'trade' demonstrations at various locations and improve the overall visitor experience. You must possess a current driver's license. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-03/27/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. 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 (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. This experience includes, but are not limited to, activities such as: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; 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; or other similar work. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-4 grade level in the federal service. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field. Related fields of study include natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, 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. You must include transcripts. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified in B above (50% of the related coursework required). You must include transcripts. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you 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-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. This experience includes, but are not limited to, activities such as: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; 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; or other similar work. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-5 grade level in the federal service. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate study in one of the following fields: natural resource management, natural sciences, marine biology/sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, wetlands ecology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours). You must include transcripts. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and 7 semester hours of directly related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education). You must include transcripts. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. -OR- Meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) as evidenced by one of the three following methods: I am in the upper third of my graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR I have a GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in my major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR I am a member in one of the national scholastic honor societies. You must include transcripts. A copy of your official transcripts will be required before entrance on duty, if selected. 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 Blue Ridge Parkway 199 Hemphill Knob Road Asheville, NC 28803 US
• Name: Jennifer Lopez
• Email: [email protected]