This position is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. Open to the first 50 applicants or until 04/26/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately 7, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Great Smoky Mountains National Park is May - January, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: ASAP MAJOR DUTIES: This National Park Service (NPS) position is located in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection (VRP) at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) and based in North Carolina. The incumbent serves as a Law Enforcement Commissioned Ranger responsible for performing law enforcement duties including detection, investigation, apprehension, detention, and prosecution under provisions of applicable laws, rules, and regulations enacted to ensure the protection and safe use of National Park resources. Appropriate enforcement to protect park natural, cultural, historical, and human resources, occupies the majority of the Ranger's working time. Prior law enforcement experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position in the Federal government, or equivalent experience outside the Federal government, is a mandatory prerequisite/selective factor of this position. Candidates without this prior law enforcement experience do not qualify for this position. The incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain a Type 1 Law Enforcement Commission and meet the physical and medical qualification requirements for a law enforcement ranger. The incumbent is required to wear a uniform, and the position requires a background investigation and is subject to drug testing. This is a non-supervisory law enforcement position in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. As a Commissioned Ranger, you will be responsible for performing law enforcement duties including detection, investigation, apprehension, and prosecution under applicable laws, rules, and regulations enacted to insure the protection and safe use of National park resources. You will also educate, interpret, and inform visitors about resources, conservation, laws, and regulations. Collateral duties may include: field training, emergency medical services, special response, technical rescue, swift water rescue, and helicopter rescue. AREA/DUTY STATION INFORMATION: At 522,427 acres, GRSM is one of the largest parks in the eastern United States. The Park contains 384 miles of roads; 930 miles of backcountry trails; 104 designated backcountry campsites; over 300 miles of boundary; 66 species of mammals; 200 species of birds; 39 species of reptiles, 43 species of amphibians; 68 species of fish; 730 miles of fishable streams; 342 structures, 97 of them historic; 10 auto campgrounds; and 3 major developed areas with concession operations. The park also manages the Foothills Parkway, used by millions of non-recreational motorists. The park is managed under areas of exclusive and concurrent Federal jurisdiction. The park is located in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina and is surrounded by five counties and National Forest land. Duty station is near Gatlinburg, TN located within an hour drive of Knoxville. The area provides a wide range of residential communities, good schools, and recreational opportunities.

Requirements

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED: 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, overtime and shift 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 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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-04/26/2024-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. 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 04/26/2024. 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 04/26/2024. - AND - Applicants 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). 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 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; or other similar work. You must include hours per week worked. EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of graduate level study in directly-related fields such as 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. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then, take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. 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 04/26/2024 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.

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.

CTAP/ICTAP: 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]