Park Ranger Interpretation Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Park Service, Midwest Region, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, in Empire, Michigan.
For more information on the position, please contact Merrith Baughman at merrith_baughman@nps.gov.
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Duties
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• Prepare and present a variety of formal and informal interpretive programs.
• Oversee and monitor a park wide volunteer program that is in line with Department of Interior Volunteer Policy.
• Serve as a liaison with volunteer-based park partners; and communicating across park divisions in all aspects of volunteer supervision.
• Implement a park wide volunteer program by recruiting volunteers and interns, creating and maintaining VIP training and orientation program, managing the program's budgetary process, preparing annual reports, monitor program effectiveness, coordinate the recognition of volunteers.

As a Park Ranger (Interpretation), the responsibilities of this position include researching, planning, and presenting a variety of interpretive programs related to Lakeshore history, environmental education, and natural and cultural resources; coordinating special events; and assisting with the training of seasonal interpretive staff.
This position also serves as the park's Volunteer (VIP) Coordinator, overseeing and monitoring a dynamic program that aligns with Department of the Interior Volunteer Policy; serving as a liaison with volunteer-based park partners; and communicating across park divisions on all aspects of volunteer supervision. Responsibilities include recruiting park volunteers and interns; creating and maintaining multiple VIP training and orientation programs (including new VIP orientation, VIP refresher training, and training for VIP supervisors); managing the program's budget processes; preparing annual reports; developing and maintaining a program monitoring system to track and analyze VIP program effectiveness; and coordinating volunteer recognition efforts.
Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately 10.5 months in pay status, and you will be in a non-pay status (about a 1.5 months - Mid-November to Late-December) for the remainder of the year.
Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking, in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves, and carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. Some employees may engage in firefighting, search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.
Work Environment: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g., exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.
Area Information: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore include the scenic and recreational assets of over 64 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan and the nearby North and South Manitou Islands. Park features include massive sand dunes; pristine, undeveloped beaches; forested hills; quiet rivers, and secluded inland lakes; the geological history of continental glaciation; and the stories of American Indian, maritime, agriculture, and recreation history. Cultural resources include nationally recognized maritime structures and artifacts from the U.S. Lighthouse and Life-Saving Services era and a variety of cultural landscapes. The Lakeshore contains outstanding examples of ancient glacial landforms, along with diverse natural resources in various ecosystems. High dunes form the background for some of the best examples of mature beech/maple hardwood forests in the National Park Service.
Government housing is NOT available.
For more information, see the parks website: www.nps.gov/SLBE
Requirements
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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.
• 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 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.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home for training. 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.

Additional Requirements located under Qualifications -
Qualifications
Requirements Continued -
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one (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.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-06/05/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
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.
To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must possess at least one of 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-07 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 qualifying specialized experience includes but is not limited to volunteer program management; park guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archaeological 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/or implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations; or other similar work.
-OR-
Successful completion of at least two (2) full academic years of graduate education related to the occupation, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, such as natural resource management, natural sciences, ecology, biology, geology, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, social sciences, museum sciences, geography, English or other languages, behavioral sciences, sociology, education, or communication (two years of graduate education is defined as 36 semester hours). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined. You must include transcripts.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount qualified specialized experience.
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
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.
Additional information
FIELD UNIT LOCAL ELIGIBILITY: This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Eligibility is limited to applicants who reside within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. For this announcement, the local commuting area is the area from which individuals can reasonably commute to the duty station under normal conditions. The defined vicinity for this position is: 65 miles or less from the official duty station of Empire, Michigan. See the Required Documents section for information on how to verify current residence.
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 employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.
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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
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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...