Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Summary

This Park Ranger (Interpretation) position is located at George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, MO. Please visit find a park for additional park information. This is a Permanent, Full-time, Competitive appointment. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 06/21/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Duties

• The incumbent is responsible for carrying out resource education and interpretation programs, visitor services, and Volunteers In Parks program initiatives; supports and carries out objectives established by park management; collaborates with other park divisions and team members, park partners and external groups; serves as a key member of the Interpretation, Education and Volunteers division.
• Interpretation: Develop and present wide variety of formal and informal audience and learner-centered interpretive experiences using a variety of fully-developed interpretive skills, techniques, and tools.
• Education: Develop and evaluate curriculum-based education programs based on Director’s Order-6; establish partnerships with education partners.
• Volunteers In Parks: Manage VIP program according to Director’s Order-7 and Reference Manual-7, including recruiting from broad audiences.
• Visitor Services Operations: Ensure positive visitor experiences that come from smooth park operations.
• Special Events: Coordinate a variety of special events.
• Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• 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 upon selection to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator’s License and Driving Record.
• 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.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• You will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
• 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.

Education

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated ‘ineligible’, ‘not qualified’, or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may affect your rating. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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 evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration.

Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran’s preference above non-preference eligibles within each category.

Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher.

Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories: Best Qualified – applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position Well Qualified – applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job Qualified – applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/21/2026:

• Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and, indicate hours worked per week.
• If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible.
• 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 to determine your eligibility/qualifications A complete Occupational Questionnaire Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as: Veterans Preference Documentation:
• If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15.
• If you don’t have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
• If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
• If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15.
• You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.
• College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.
• Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area.
• You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, 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 rated well-qualified or above on the rating criteria for this position.
• Do not submit photographs with your application package.
• Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials – you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc. Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.
• Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency’s staffing offices.