Summary This position serves as Chief Ranger of Visitor and Resource Protection for both Mesa Verde National Park and Yucca House National Monument and is stationed at Mesa Verde National Park, CO For more information about the duties and/or location of this position, please contact Amanda McCutcheon at 970-529-4609 or amanda_mccutcheon@nps.gov Responsibilities Serves as the primary law enforcement advisor to the superintendent and other division chiefs on resource and visitor protection issues. Park lead for interagency coordination at the Federal, State and Local law enforcement levels. Program and Financial management for the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection including Emergency Services, Dispatch, Wildland Fire, Law Enforcement and Structural Fire Ensures that all supervisory and personnel management responsibilities are carried out including the recruitment, selection, training, counseling and evaluation of permanent and seasonal employees. Complete administrative tasks associated with maintaining compliance for the NPS Law Enforcement and Emergency Service and Fire Programs such as writing and updating the park's compendium, emergency plans, annual reporting, FOIA, etc. Physical Demands: Work involves frequent onsite visits requiring walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items. Employees must have the ability to work long hours, under pressure, tight deadlines, and the reality of constantly shifting priorities and limited fiscal and workforce resources. While much of the work is sedentary in nature, the supervision, planning, and inspection of operations requires transportation via helicopter, four-wheel drive vehicles, and hiking in a climate where temperatures frequently exceed 90 degrees (f) in summer and extend to subfreezing temperatures in the winter. Position is required to mee4t and continuously maintain the physical/medical standards as set forth in the requirements of D.O.#57. Work Environment: The work environment is a combination of indoor and outdoor activity and settings in a medium, complex unit of the National Park system. Field trips are frequent. Out-of-Area travel via automobile and commercial airlines if less frequent. Is exposed to hazardous conditions such as those encountered in search and rescue operations, fire suppressions, aircraft operations, onsite safety inspections in hazardous areas and law enforcement situations. Park Information: Mesa Verde National Park: Located in Southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people. For over 700 years, the Ancestral Pueblo people built thriving communities on the mesas and in the cliffs of Mesa Verde. Today, the park protects the rich cultural heritage of 26 Pueblos and Tribes and offers visitors a spectacular window into the past while also highlighting contemporary connections. This World Heritage Site and International Dark Sky Park is home to over a thousand species, including several that live nowhere else on earth. Nearby Yucca House National Monument is managed under Mesa Verde. It is an undeveloped NPS unit and protects a large unexcavated valley pueblo. On average Mesa Verde hosts 500,000+ visitors per year. Area residents and visitors enjoy world-class outdoor recreational opportunities including skiing, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, camping, hunting, and fishing in the region. Nearby public lands include the San Juan National Forest, Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and other areas in the Tres Rios District of the Bureau of Land Management. The local towns of Cortez, Mancos, Dolores, and Durango provide a range of housing, dining, and shopping opportunities, and both Durango and Cortez have regional airports. Mesa Verde and the nearby communities are great places to work and live. 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. 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. 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. Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency. 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. 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. REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED IN QUALIFICATIONS SECTION - Qualifications REQUIREMENTS CONTINUED - Prior to appointment, the people selected for these positions must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile. 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 may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. 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 3 nights a 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. QUALIFICATIONS - All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/21/2025-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. In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's Federal General Schedule Qualification Standards. Selective Factors: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLERT issued Land Management Police Training (LMPT), full Type 1 Law Enforcement commission or equivalent. This is required by the closing date of the announcement. (You must indicate your commission number and date, location and date of your last 40-hour refresher training, and the date of your last established proficiency in the use of firearms in your resume) Previous Law Enforcement Experience: In addition, for positions covered under 6(c) as secondary-administrative, management has certified that a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE exists -- prior experience in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent experience outside the Federal Government, is a mandatory prerequisite. (Experience must be documented in your Resume.) - AND - GS-13: Applicants must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. This experience includes activities such as: (1) managing or leading law enforcement and resource protection program; (2) evaluating law enforcement program activities based on funding to determine objectives, amount and location of work, as well as type of resources needed for the program; (3) interpreting regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resource protection; (4) reviewing law enforcement case reports to ensure compliance with policy, mutual aid agreements, cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding; and (5) investigating criminal activity, conducting investigations of applicable federal or state laws, and performing training / instructor responsibilities. 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special prior­ity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. 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. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. 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.