Summer Park Ranger Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in the Interpretation Division.
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Duties
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This position leads Interpretation, Education, and Outreach for Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Springfield, IL, and New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Barry, IL. As a key member of the park management team, the incumbent provides expert leadership in planning, developing, and overseeing park-wide interpretive and education programs; manages digital and print media, volunteer services, partnerships, and public affairs; and guides staff and management in delivering high-quality visitor services. The position directs a multifaceted division, supervising personnel, coordinating interagency efforts, and ensuring effective communication of park themes and resources to visitors.
Day-to-Day Duties:
- Provide daily supervision, guidance, and support to interpretive staff, volunteers, and program managers.
- Oversee visitor services operations, including visitor centers, digital information platforms, and public-facing communication.
- Coordinate with partners, agencies, and tribal representatives on interpretive projects and collaborative initiatives.
- Review and develop interpretive content, including social media posts, public information materials, and education programming.
- Monitor ongoing projects, budgets, and planning efforts to ensure program goals and operational needs are met.
Area information: Lincoln Home National Historic Site is located in downtown Springfield, Illinois. Springfield, the state capitol (population 117,000) is located approximately 200 miles south of Chicago and 100 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri. Amenities are typical of a Midwestern city and include a wide variety of educational and cultural opportunities as well as professional, commercial and health services. The climate is cold in the winter and hot and humid in summer. Government housing is not available, but a variety of housing options are available for rent or purchase in the local area. Housing costs are some of the lowest in the country.
Additional information can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/liho and information about the Springfield area can be found at: https://www.springfield.il.us/.
Requirements
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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 be able to obtain and maintain a valid driver's license within 30-days from entry-on-duty.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work occasional evenings, holidays and overtime.
• You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• A financial disclosure report will be required within 30-days of appointment.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...
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 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.
This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/25/2026-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.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications. (Screen-Out)
Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Specialized experience includes performing interpretation, education, and outreach program management, including: planning and coordinating park-wide interpretive and education programs; developing and updating interpretive planning documents; supervising staff and volunteers; managing digital and print media; leading partnerships and collaborative projects; and performing administrative and management duties such as budgeting, operational planning, and establishing program goals. My experience demonstrates competencies in Partnerships, Interpretation, Administration and Management, and Program Management. NOTE: You must include hours worked per week on your resume.
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
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
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.
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.
Physical Demands: Most of the incumbent's duties do not involve unusual physical requirements but may involve hikes up to five miles in duration, boat operations on park waters, snowmobiling, skiing, and being outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. Work requires periods of standing, bending, hiking, walking, and periods of intense concentration so that good physical condition and the ability to adapt are essential. Some lifting may be required on occasion.
Work Environment: Work is both in an office and in the field. Work indoors may be in the interpretative office, in the exhibit room, or in the information or contact station. While in the field, the incumbent will occasionally be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require nominal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, residences, or commercial vehicles/vessels. The work area is adequately lit, heated, and ventilated.
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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.