Park Ranger (Interpretation)

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/06/2026-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, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level: Specialized 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: Experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work.

Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: 1) developing and/or presenting interpretive programs, curriculum-based education programs, media and/or publications; 2) managing volunteers or other similar work; 3) planning special events and/or projects; and 4) training staff on interpretive and education programs.

You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education OR a master's/equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation.

Examples of major study areas include 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. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience as listed above.

For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement) and one year (18 semester hours or 28 quarter hours) described above that is directly related graduate level college study at an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education). Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week and 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.

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Research, develop, and present interpretive programs, including talks, guided walks, demonstrations, costumed living history, illustrated and/or non-illustrated programs, Junior Ranger programs, and on- and off-site curriculum-based programs. Use audience-centered interpretive techniques as appropriate. Use social media and web to provide orientation, information, and interpretation to the public.

Serve as the park Volunteer Coordinator. Train, mentor, coach, and evaluate a broad range of interpretive programs and products conducted by fellow interpreters, critique these activities, and recommend individual or program improvements. During its forty-year history, from 1851 to 1891, the U.S. Army's Fort Union greatly affected the American Southwest and the lives of the multitude of peoples that call this area home.

Located on the prairie along a historic major trade route between the United States and Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail, the fort existed in three distinct construction phases; a wooden fort, a defensive fieldwork, and an adobe fort of which today represents the largest concentration of adobe ruins in the Southwest.