Park Manager (Superintendent)

US National Park Service; Anchorage (AK); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve seeks a Superintendent to lead park operations from one of Alaska’s duty locations: Copper Center, Fairbanks, or Anchorage.

You will provide strategic direction for resource management, policy development, and program delivery across a vast and rugged landscape. This is a high‑level federal leadership role requiring extensive experience and completion of a probationary period.

Qualifications

• At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-14 grade level.
• Park-related or other, similar land management experience in policy, protection, or management.
• Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: policy development, park management, supervision.
• Volunteer experience credit is recognized for qualifying experience.

Skills

Policy development

Park management

Supervision

Alaska Native relations

Tribal land management

Job description

This position serves as the Superintendent for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve and will be duty-stationed in one of the following locations in Alaska: Copper Center, Fairbanks, or Anchorage. Please see "Additional Information" section for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) information.

This position is also open to status candidates under announcement CAHM-26-13055132-ST-MH. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/24/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

To receive credit for experience, 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.

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for this position at the GS-15 grade level you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled.

Park-related or other, similar land management experience may have been in technical, administrative, resource management, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following:

• 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;
• Management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area;
• Tribal land management to include Alaska Native corporations experience;
• Directs programs and work through direct and indirect supervision.

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.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

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.