Park Ranger (Interpretation)

U.S. Department of the Interior; Annapolis (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform allowance

Uniform provided

Job summary

U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service is seeking a Park Ranger (Interpretation) to serve as the technical expert in visitor services, experiences, and partnerships.

The role focuses on developing and managing internal and external networks, coordinating interpretive activities, and ensuring accuracy of park interpretive themes. You will analyze visitation trends and negotiate agreements with partners to enhance park programming.

Qualifications

• Citizen or National of the United States.
• Background investigation required and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successful pass of the E-Verify employment verification check.
• Valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Uniforms must be worn and uniform standards followed.
• Uniform allowance provided.
• Complete required training and obtain government credit card with travel/purchase authority.
• May be required to work weekends and overtime.
• May travel overnight up to 2 nights per month.
• Probationary period of 1 year may be required with potential continuation based on agency certification.

Responsibilities

• Develops, plans, and manages partnership networks to meet organizational objectives.
• Serves as the technical expert and primary advisor on park network operations.
• Manages a complex network membership intake and management program across governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Coordinates interpretive program activities with internal and external organizations and stakeholders.
• Oversees historical research, accuracy, and relevancy of interpretive themes.
• Analyzes and develops third-party agreements and memoranda of understanding with other agencies and organizations.
• Analyzes visitation trends to evaluate and improve programming.
• Develops, writes, and reviews planning documents including standard operating procedures.

Job description

Summary

You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with National Park Service.The position is the technical expert in the areas of visitor services, experiences, and partnerships.

Major Duties

• Develops, plans, organizes, and manages partnership networks to meet the organizational objectives.
• Serves as the technical expert and primary advisor to the Director of Communications & Visitor Experience on all matters relating to operations of the network.
• Manages a complex network membership intake and management program that along a multitude of governmental and nongovernmental organizations throughout the watershed.
• Coordinate interpretive program activities with other internal and external organizations and stakeholders.
• Oversees historical research, accuracy, and relevancy for the park's nationally significant and diverse interpretive themes.
• Analyzes, evaluates, identifies, and develops third-party agreements, cooperative agreements, and/or memoranda of understanding with other agencies, institutions, and/or organizations.
• Analyzes visitation trends and use patterns to determine effectiveness of current programming, implementing changes or making recommendations.
• Develops, writes, and reviews planning and other documents such as the standard operating procedures.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards.
• A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• You may be required to work on weekends and overtime.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest. 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.

Evaluations

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Communications and Media Customer Service Leadership Partnering Planning and Evaluating To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structured resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best‑qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in your application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well‑qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) -11/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement: Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month‑year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full‑time). Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. Resumes must not exceed 2 single‑sided pages and resumes longer than 2 pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10‑point for all body text. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5‑inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed. Your 2‑page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. Resume Builder: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include Complete All Required Assessment(s). Performance Appraisals and Awards: You must submit your most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor dated within the past 18 months. If unavailable, a written explanation is required (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level). Performance awards dated within the past 5 years may also be submitted for due weight consideration. Eligibility Documentation: Current Federal employees must submit latest SF‑50 (i.e. Promotion, Separation, Within Grade Increase (WGI)) showing tenure 1 or 2 in block 24, grade, and if applicable, an additional SF‑50 showing the highest grade or promotion potential held. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF‑50s. If your SF‑50 showing highest permanent grade held has an effective date within the past year, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one year. Do not submit award SF‑50s. Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA): you must submit ALL Appointment AND Termination SF‑50s for EACH Competitive time‑limited appointment (block 34, code 1); AND Documentation of satisfactory performance for each period of employment claimed, such as, performance evaluations, memorandum of record, whereas the supervisor(s) documented an acceptable performance level for a specified rating/employment period. If not currently employed by agency, you must have been most recently separated by the hiring Bureau. Interagency Career Transition (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): You MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF‑50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well qualified. For more information visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL). Failure to submit any of the above‑mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted. Do not submit photographs with your application package. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.

Other Information

NPS - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for current career and career conditional Bureau employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), and Bureau Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibles. Refer to Required Documents section for more information. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case‑by‑case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive. All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior. Physical Demands/Work Environment: Routine duties require light to moderate physical effort typical of staffing and visiting park facilities and visitor use areas. Field work may require some strenuous activities such as hiking on rough, uneven, hilly, and/or wet terrain and long periods of standing; the incumbent may lift moderately heavy items up to 50 pounds. Primary work environment is an office with some fieldwork. Environmental factors vary often with conditions including mosquito and tick activity, potential exposure to Lyme Disease, high heat and humidity, bright sunlight, thunder, rainstorms, and snow and icy conditions. The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.