Summary
This position is located in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection.
Government housing is NOT available.
Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside of the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation.
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Duties
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This position is assigned to the Visitor and Resource Protection branch of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is the 5th most visited unit of the National Park Service. Visitation at Lake Mead exceeds 7.5 million people annually, and recreational activities in Lake Mead include hiking, camping, boating, fishing, diving, waterskiing, and much more. Lake Mead has an incident volume that exceeds 12,000 recorded dispatch events each year. Summer high temperatures average 108° F, while winter highs average 60° F.
Major Duties Include:
- Responsible for organization and effectiveness of emergency services
- Manage and maintain external relations with other agencies
- Oversight and leadership for law enforcement and emergency response operations
- Serve as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer performing duties including detection and investigation of violations of federal criminal laws
You will set work goals and ensure all employees receive required training in a timely manner; identify operational requirements and recommend programming, budgeting, training, administration, and evaluation of operations. You will supervise and lead complex law enforcement, all hazard, emergency medical, and search and rescue operations as well as provide emergency medical services to park visitors and residents. In addition, you will participate in all aspects of employee supervision including performance planning and appraisals, employee recognition, and employee counseling.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
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. 1-year probationary period is replaced with a 2-year trail period, if hired into an excepted position.
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.
Requirements
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
- Subject to pre-employment physical and drug testing.
- Must possess a Type I or higher Law Enforcement Commission.
- New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty.
- Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
- Selectees will be expected to travel in (not pilot) a small single-engine aircraft.
- You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...
- You may be required to serve a 1-year supervisory probationary period.
- Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
- Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
- You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
- Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
- Prior to appointment, the person selected for this position must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile.
- You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle.
- 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 a month. 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.
- Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
- The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/06/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a
non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying 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 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.
Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.
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.
Selective Factors: Applicants must meet
ALL of the following to qualify:
- Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years) a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 07/06/2026. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement;
- This is a covered secondary law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). In addition to the qualifying experience and/or education described above, applicants for this position must possess experience gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent; AND
- Applicants must be at least 21 years of age.
- AND -
- EXPERIENCE: Must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Examples of qualifying experience may include: 1) lead and/or supervise a law enforcement and resources protection program; 2) interpret regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resource protection; 3) provide input to and/or evaluate law enforcement program activities based on funding to determine objectives, amount and location of work, as well as, the type of resources needed for the program; and 4) draft or write mutual aid agreements, cooperative agreements, and memoranda of understanding.
Education
This position does not allow substituting education for experience.
Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLETC issued Land Management Police Training (LMPT), full Type I Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment.
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.
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: Duties and responsibilities require long workdays and extensive travel by all modes of transportation. The incumbent should be in excellent physical and mental condition with considerable stamina to react to frequent emergencies and law enforcement situations that arise. This position comes under the scope and requirements of the park's and the NPS's mandatory Health and Fitness Program and Medical Standards Program. Position is required to meet and continuously maintain the physical/medical standards as set forth in the requirements of D.O. #57.
Working Conditions: The incumbent works in a hot, mountainous terrain with temperature ranging from freezing to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Much of the work is on land, water, or by aviation flying in fixed wing or rotary craft. The emotional environment is most commonly one of high stress and impeding unknowns.
Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
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