Summary This position is located in Death Valley National Park, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. Responsibilities The incumbent of this position serves as the Chief of the Visitor and Resource Protection Division for Death Valley National Park. The primary purpose of the position is to provide leadership and strategic direction for the division and serve as program manager and supervisor for the complex operation. The division provides for the protection of both resources and visitors over a 3.4 million acre Park service by over 1,500 miles of roads, an overnight concession facility, a major resort inholding, two paved airstrips, a Tribal Village, and over 1,140 sites in nine campgrounds. The division is responsible for law enforcement, structural fire protection, wildland fire management, search and rescue, emergency medical services, campground management, and Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act fee collection programs. The Chief Ranger is the Park's designated Senior Law Enforcement Official. The position is duty stationed at the park headquarters. Responsible for oversight of law enforcement program involving technical understanding of laws, regulations, and procedures in regards to a variety of criminal violations as they relate to the protection of park staff, visitors and resources. Serves as primary liaison with law enforcement, emergency medical and fire agencies by developing and maintaining external partnerships. Effectively communicate NPS and Park policies and regulations oral and written. Responsible for ensuring equal opportunity for all employees supervised, in the selection of employees for training, promotions, awards, and recognition, and other career development opportunities. Insures fair and unprejudiced employment practices in the recruitment and selection of candidates for appointment. Responsible for supporting programs related to the training and the advancement of employees and employee safety. Responsible for managing the workforce in a manner that provides for the proactive protection of natural and cultural resources. Occupancy of government quarters is required. 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 a few nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. 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. Subject to pre-employment physical exam. Must possess a Type I Law Enforcement Commission. 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. "In employing individuals to perform any construction, maintenance, interpretation, or other service in the park, the Secretary (Selecting Official) shall, in so far as practical, give first preference to qualified members of the Tribe": (Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act, Nov 2000). To receive current preference eligibility, members of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe must submit a copy (not the original) of the letter certifying their tribal membership. 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); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 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. 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. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/28/2024-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. 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 National Park Service Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by closing date. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement. This is covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. You must be at least 21 years of age and must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) you have prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) you are a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the max. entry age is waived and your corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-13 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-12 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as:(1) Investigating alleged violations of laws or regulations; (2) collecting evidence according to established procedures and professional standards; (3) collaborating with other la law enforcement or emergency response agencies on investigations or emergency incidents; (4) writing a variety of investigative and/or legal documents; (5) Providing guidance to other staff on law enforcement policies, procedures or techniques. You must include hours per week worked. CTAP/ICTAP: 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. For information on CTAP and ICTAP visit: USAJOBS Help Center | Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL) 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 or be able to possess a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).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: You 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, you 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, you must: transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND must be continuously employed in a secondary positions 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. There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. Additional Information Questions about this position: Mike Reynolds mikereynolds@nps.gov 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. Physical Demands: Should maintain good physical condition and be able to endure extreme climatic conditions. Periods of sedentary work may be followed by extremely demanding physical or mental work as would be experience in emergency situations such as fires, floods and other natural disasters. Working Conditions: Work is performed primarily in an office by may be performed in a vehicle or outside. Work temperatures may range from below zero at the 11,000 foot level to over 120 degrees (shade temperature) at elevations below sea level. Relative humidity is generally very low but periods of extremely heavy rainfall may cause flash floods which bring hazardous situations for visitors and employees. Travelling in 4X4 high clearance vehicles on minimally improved roads, flying in fixed or rotary-wing aircraft, hiking, and exposure to poisonous snakes, insects and plants are all within the scope of the physical environment encountered in this job. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF50s.