National Park Ranger Jobs in Kentucky (NOW HIRING)

Summary
You will serve within National Park Service as a Park Ranger (I) located at Camp Nelson National Monument.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
Help

• Develop and present a wide variety of formal and informal audience and learner-centered interpretive experiences using a variety of fully-developed interpretive skills, techniques, and tools delivered in-person and through interpretive media and technology. Conduct site or topic based research on different scientific and/or historical subjects and critically evaluate many different sources for their relevance, validity, and bias.
• Coordinate the operation of a visitor facility and/or information desk. Develop daily work schedules that include tours of duty and location of assignments for the supervisor's approval. Engage in and monitor visitor services provided by lower graded employees, critique these activities, and recommend improvements.
• Guide the learning of others through formal or informal methods. Train, mentor, coach, and evaluate a broad range of interpretive programs and products conducted by fellow interpreters, critique these activities, and recommend individual or program improvements. Identify training needs; provide constructive feedback; and coach others on how to perform tasks and meet
  professional standards.
• May develop/deliver in-park, off-site, and/or virtual education programs that tie NPS resources to education standards (national, state, and local) and/or are aligned with needs of educational organizations and their students.
• Promote personal, visitor, and co-worker safety by including risk assessments in all operational decisions and actions. Create and foster a culture of safety in the workplace by seeking out and valuing input from others.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
Requirements
Help
Conditions of employment

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to evenings, weekends, holidays and overtime.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.
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 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.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/31/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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.
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level you must possess ONE of the following by close of the announcement:

• Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) developing and presenting independently researched programs; (2) developing material for nonpersonal services and interpretive media; (3) coordinating the operation of a visitor facility and/or information desk; (4) assisting in coordinating special projects. You must include hours per week worked on your resume. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of at least one year of graduate-level education in a related field appropriate to the position, such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Combination of experience and graduate education as described above that when combined equal at least 100% of the minimum qualification requirement. NOTE: Only graduate level education is creditable when combining. You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Superior Academic Achievement: Successfully completion of a bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the duties of this position AND meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement provisions: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision , such as College of Liberal Arts or School of Business Administration, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average: earn a grade-point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum. Note: grade-point averages will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9, and 3.45 = 3.5; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society: elected membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Freshman scholastic honor societies cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. You must provide transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess ONE of the following by close of the announcement:

• EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience MUST include: (1) coordinating, evaluating or directing -interpretive programs; (2) assisting with developing long-range program plans; (3) developing educational programs; (4) coaching/mentoring interpretive, or similar, staff. You must include hours per week worked.
• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education OR a master's/equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation, such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include transcripts.
• Successful completion of a COMBINATION of experience and graduate education as described above that when combined equal at least 100% of the minimum qualification requirement. NOTE: Only progressive graduate education beyond the first year is credible when combining. You must include transcripts.

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
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications
Additional information
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.
Expand Hide additional information
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
Help
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether y