Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection)
National Park Service
Summary The primary responsibilities include overseeing and conducting visitor and resource protection operations, performing and managing complex emergency service operations in law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, wildland fire, and structural fire, and supervising seasonal /career seasonal law enforcement rangers, general rangers, and VIPs. Permanent Full-Time appointment. This position is required to live in the Houghton/Hancock area in the winter. Responsibilities GS-11 As a Supervisory Park Ranger you will lead daily operations and direct the completion of collateral duties related to training and leadership. You will supervise GL-9 permanent and seasonal law enforcement rangers as well as non-commissioned staff and park volunteers. You will conduct and supervise the detection of criminal activity, investigation of criminal violations, and custodial arrests. You may prepare and execute warrants, interview witnesses, and detain suspects. You will ensure the completion of comprehensive written reports. You will conduct and/or supervise gathering of law enforcement, security, and intelligence information relating to the park, its facilities, events, mission, or visitors. You will set work goals and ensure all employees receive required training in a timely manner; identify operational requirements and make recommendations to your supervisor regarding programming, budgeting, training, administration, and evaluation of operations; and schedule patrols to maximize visitor contact with special consideration to problem areas. You will supervise and lead complex law enforcement, all hazard, emergency medical, and search and rescue operations as well as provide emergency medical services to park visitors and residents. In addition, you will participate in all aspects of employee supervision including performance planning and appraisals, employee recognition, and employee counseling. Major duties may include, but are not limited to the following: Serve as a first level emergency services supervisor and supervisory law enforcement officer excising supervisory responsibility for up to six employees and VIPs. Assign and review work. Serve as incident commander in all hazard operations. Assure National Park Service requirements are met. Ensure that the acquisition use and control of federally owned property conform to established property management policies. Support and inform subordinates about policy programs, including labor and employee regulations, and programs. May be required to respond to emergency situations and other work assignments at any time and is thus subject to call out. As a commissioned NPS law enforcement officer, incumbent is required to abide by the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics found in DO-9 and RM-9. May be called at any time to serve as the Acting Senior Law Enforcement Officer, to serve on committees as a collateral duty, to represent the park at public and private meetings. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Subject to pre-employment physical and drug testing. Must possess a Type II or higher Law Enforcement Commission. New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty. Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment. 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. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications* Qualifications Requirements Continued... Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. 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. Occupancy of government quarters is required during the operating season. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 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. Must currently possess or be able to obtain a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician-Basic certification Entrance of Duty. May maintain Wildland Fire Fighter red Card (training provided). (S130/S190). Provide a copy of your Red Card with your application if you currently possess this certification. Selectee will travel by motorized and non-motorized boats; and must be able to successfully complete the Department of the Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course. Other licenses or certification: Emergency Medical Technician, or higher, must obtain MOCC boat operator certification (training provided). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/18/2026-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: Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or be able to obtain a National Park Service, Type I, Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent by entrance on duty date. Carry Firearms: Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. - 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/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Qualifying experience includes three of the four following: (1) Exercising law enforcement, illegal immigrant smuggling, and anti-poaching, (2) directing emergency medical services, criminal and tort claim investigations, and fire and emergency management; (3) Experience in maintaining a detention facility; by ensuring care of those held are in compliance with federal, state and local regulations; and (4) performing surveillance operations of significantly varying complexities. 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. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least three full years of graduate level study leading to a Doctorate, Ph.D., or equivalent degree at an accredited college or university in directly-related fields such as 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, or sociology. 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 36 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 This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by 02/18/2026 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. This is a secondary-administrative law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U. S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS). PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position. To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause). It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions). You must let this office know if you are in a Primary position. Additional Information 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. Physical Demands: This work regularly includes long periods of standing, hiking and/or climbing, in many cases on uneven, steep, rough, slippery, and/or rugged terrain. Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, medical and related emergency activities. Lifting or carrying equipment weighing over 50 pounds such as firefighting or search and rescue equipment is required. Duties involve performing physically rigorous assignments, often in isolated outdoor environments, frequently exposed to severe weather conditions. Physical fitness requirements must be met on a continuing basis. Position is required to meet and continuously maintain the physical /medical standard as set for the in the requirement of D.O.#57. There are physical, mental, and emotional high stress components to much of the incumbents' work assignments. Working Conditions: While extended periods of time may be in an office setting, most of the worked is performed outdoors in extremes of weather and climatic conditions. Long periods of boat operation and travel in adverse lake conditions such as fog, and challenging waves are required. The work is performed at various hours of the day and night for prolonged periods during emergency situations. The incumbent is frequently exposed to high-risk and potentially dangerous situations in law enforcement and emergency situations requiring use of a wide range of personal protective gear, adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions. Shift work is often required. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped, or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions. Incumbent is required to operate motor vehicles of various types, may be required to fly in small fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, and may be required to operate and/or ride in small watercraft. Emergency law enforcement operations will require entry into hazardous environments; exposure to dangerous persons, animals, and substances; and potential exposure to infectious diseases.
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