Summary These positions are located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection. This is a Merit Promotion Announcement. 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. Responsibilities Directly supervise up to three GS-11 Supervisory Park Rangers (P), one Administrative Support Assistant, and indirectly supervise up to fifteen GS-09 Park Rangers (P). Provide guidance and perform the full range of administrative and personnel management functions relative to staff supervised. Formulate and execute a budget and strategic short and long-term plans for complex programs including park-wide law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical services, incident management, and safety. Ensure staff are properly trained and equipped to maintain professional and policy compliant programs with an emphasis on resource protection, public safety, and service. Represent GRSM with NPS internal and external stakeholders, partners, and the public concerning management plans and objectives, cooperative agreements, and mutual aid support. Perform visitor and resource protection functions as necessary, including but not limited to law enforcement, misdemeanor and felony investigations, emergency medical services, and management of special events. Area Information: The Great Smoky Mountains are among the oldest mountains in the world, formed perhaps 200-300 million years ago and encompassing more than 800 square miles in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Dominated by plantcovered, gently contoured mountains, the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains forms the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina, bisecting the Park from northeast to southwest in an unbroken chain that rises more than 5,000 feet for more than 36 miles. No other area of equal size in a temperate climate can match the Smokies amazing diversity of plants, animals, and invertebrates. GRSM is designated as an International Biosphere Reserve and is listed as a World Heritage Site. 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 I 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. 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. 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 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, and overtime 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 1 night per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Qualifications OTHER REQUIREMENTS: You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. 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. 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. 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. All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/22/2025-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. Selective Factors: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type I or higher National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 01/22/2025. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement. Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by 01/22/2025. Must possess experience gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government. This is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE for this position. - AND - Applicants must possess the following minimum qualification by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS/GL-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience could include: Experience may have been in technical, administrative, 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: 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. Managing or leading law enforcement and resource protection program; evaluating law enforcement program activities based on funding to determining objectives, amount and location of work, as well as type of resources needed for the program; interpreting regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resource protection; reviewing law enforcement case reports to ensure compliance with policy, mutual aid agreements, cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding; AND/OR investigating criminal activity, conducting investigations of applicable Federal or state laws, and performing training / instructor responsibilities. 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 Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by 01/22/2025 a valid Type I 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. CTAP/ICTAP 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. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001). 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: The 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. In some assignments, heavy packs may have to be carried long distances over mountainous, desert, or snow-covered terrain. Duties involve performing physically rigorous assignments, oftentimes in isolated outdoor environments, frequently while exposed to severe weather conditions. Dangerous persons, many of whom are known to carry weapons, must be physically confronted, subdued, and apprehended. Prisoners must be kept under physical restraint during transport and processing. Criminal investigations often must be carried out without regard to fixed work schedules, days off, or opportunities for proper rest or nutrition. Duties require manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints. Arms, hands, legs, and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that incumbents may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in both eyes, with or without glasses, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, corrected with glasses, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing without aid, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 ttz levels. Physical fitness requirements must be met prior to and on a continuing basis during employment. There is a high-stress component to much of the incumbent's work assignment. Working Conditions: The work environment ranges from sedentary office work to fieldwork with exposure to severe natural elements. Work is done in temperatures which may range from below freezing to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and may be performed in snow, rain and high winds and at elevations ranging from 800 feet to 6750 feet above sea level. Physical hazards exist in fire control, search and rescue, law enforcement and emergency medical situations. Indoor work includes routine office work and attendance at numerous meetings, both in and out of the park. May deal with long periods of intense visitor related or administrative activities. Managerial demands occasionally require extended hours, both day and night, often with short deadline.