State Probation Officer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Summary
The United States Park Police is the law enforcement arm of the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service tasked with investigating and apprehending criminal actors. The agency is committed to deploying precision-based enforcement, intelligence-led operations, and rapid response capabilities to address emerging threats to the homeland.
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Duties
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The major duties of the Police Officer include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Safeguarding the National Park Service icons and symbols of democracy as well as other parks and jurisdictional areas around the Washington Metropolitan Area.
• Prevent, detect, and investigate criminal activity. Pursue and ensure criminal actors are apprehended.
• Cooperate with and assist members of the Force, as well as other law enforcement agencies. United States Park Police officers are expected to regularly work with state, local and federal partners to enhance safety and reduce crime.

Specialty Units are available to officers depending on competitive selection process and completion of training. The United States Park Police offers the following full-time specialized units with enhanced technician pay.

• Motorcycle Unit
• Aviation Unit
• Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.)
• K-9 Unit
• Marine Patrol Unit
• Major Crimes Unit
• Crime Scene Identification Unit-
• Narcotics and Vice Unit
• Traffic Safety Unit
• Horse Mounted Patrol
• Intelligence and Counterterrorism Branch
• Physical Security/ Icon Protection Unit
• Multi-Agency Task Force positions
• Dignitary Protection

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• High School Graduate or earned General Education Development (GED)
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Achieve and maintain a "Secret" level security clearance.
• You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment
• You will be required to pass a pre-employment medical exam. Must meet vision requirements (For distance, corrected 20/20 or better binocularly with at least 20/40 in each eye. Uncorrected distant visual acuity should be 20/100 or better binocularly. For colorblindness: Applicant must be able to pass the Test for Color Deficiency.)
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• A valid driver's license (Real ID) is required at the time of application.
• Must be able to legally possess firearms. You will be required to maintain firearms proficiency. Must not have any Felony Convictions; Must not have any current, pending criminal charges. Must not have any convictions of Domestic Violence
• Multiple misdemeanor conviction's may also be subject to disqualification
• Meet the age requirements outlined above.
• 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.
• Continued Condition of Employment For Probationary Period - See Additional Information

Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/28/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
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 of qualified specialized experience.
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.
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.
Applicants must have reached their 21st birthday, but not have reached their 37th birthday by the date of application to this position. These positions are covered by the special retirement provisions for Federal Law Enforcement officers and have a mandatory retirement age of 57. Two exceptions are allowed:1. An applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or2. An applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the minimum eligibility age is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service. You must submit proof of your status in the Law Enforcement retirement system. To qualify for this position at the SP-01 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one year of progressively responsible experience that demonstrates the ability to learn and apply detailed and complex regulations and procedures that involve making sound judgment based on the application of directions, regulations, or laws. Examples of qualifying examples include, but are not limited to: Work on a police force, service as a military police officer, specialized military experience, security guards, physical security, visitor protection and law enforcement in parks, forest, or other natural resources or recreational environments, and/or criminal investigations; qualifying experience not immediately related to law enforcement may include, but is not limited to supervisory/managerial experience or personal work related experience that demonstrates the ability to independently manage critical tasks.
-OR-EDUCATION: Successful completion of 60 credits hours/2 years of higher education. You must include transcripts
-OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. You must include transcripts.
Note: Suitability determinations for entry or lateral/experience will be determined by the hiring agency.
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
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: The physical demands of this position require that all candidates pass an extensive physical examination, take a physical performance test, and meet the age requirements promulgated under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3307. The incumbent must possess the psychomotor skills required to drive a vehicle in normal and emergency situations; fire a weapon accurately under extremely varied conditions; maintain agility, endurance and strength; and show dexterity in self-defense and apprehension (e.g. safely taking a person into custody with a minimum of force).
Working Conditions: The incumbent will be expected to work alone in areas where there is a probability that a person may be armed while attempting to commit a crime, and in an attempt to evade arrest, the situation may lead to an assault on the officer. The incumbent will be expected to work independently in an arduous duty position in situations where there is inherit risks of injury while fulfilling the essential functions of their position.
Continued Condition of Employment For Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, 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.

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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 designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.