Summary This position serves as the Chief of Interpretation for the Division of Visitor Services and Interpretation located at El Malpais National Monument and El Morro National Monument. Responsibilities The position is one of four division chiefs in the monument recreation area that report directly to the Office of the Superintendent. The Chief plans, Implements, manages, directs, and coordinates a professional program of interpretation and visitor services, natural and cultural resource management, and research. The Incumbent serves as direct report primary staff to the Superintendent, providing professional support, advice and direction on matters related to education and visitor services focused on the stewardship of natural and cultural resources, research, and compliance with federal laws and regulations designed to protect natural and cultural resources. All other rocks in America combined do not hold as much history as the cuesta that dominated the 1,200 acres of New Mexico's El Morro National Monument. Rising 200 feet above the valley floor this massive sandstone bluff with its reliable waterhole hidden at its base welcomed weary travelers and the human history inscribed upon the rock and preserved in the ancient ruins, makes El Morro National Monument a handbook of cultural history of the Southwest. At an elevation of 7,219 feet, temperatures range from 90+ degrees in summer to below zero in winter. http://www.nps.gov/elmo/ El Malpais National Monument consists of 114,748 acres of lava fields, cinder cones, lava tubes, ice caves, sculptured sandstone formations, and ponderosa, pinon and juniper forests. Approximately 85% of the park (97,000 acres) is managed as wilderness. Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 8,372 feet, and temperatures range from 90+ degrees in summer to infrequent winter lows of below zero. http://www.nps.gov/elma/ The administrative headquarters is located in the town of Grants, New Mexico (pop.10,000) within Cibola County (pop. 25,000), affordable housing and all services are available in the local community including the New Mexico State University-Grants Branch and the Cibola General Hospital. Albuquerque, New Mexico is located 75 miles to the east on I-40, while Gallup, New Mexico is situated 65 miles west along I-40 or the 602 from the El Morro area. For further information about the area visit the Grants Chamber of Commerce at http://www.grants.org/. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. 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). 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 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 up to 02 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. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/25/2024-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. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess 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-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: supervising a park education and interpretive program; serving as a lead interpretive ranger, educator or teacher in a park, historic site, recreation, or conservation area; management or program specialist work involving the development and/or implementation of policy related to the education/interpretation programs in park areas or similar operations; or other similar work. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-11 grade level in the federal service. You must include hours per week worked. 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 There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. 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: Incumbent must be able to perform outdoor field work that would include hiking and traversing difficult terrain. Working Conditions: Work is performed in both an office setting and outdoors in all types of weather. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information.