Summary
Visitor Services Specialist GS-0025-7/9 at J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, recruit, schedule, and train volunteers across Southwest Florida refuges. Located on Sanibel Island, this refuge draws over 800,000 annual visitors and features a visitor center, auto tour, hiking, and waterway trails. You play a key role in delivering excellent customer service and ensuring a quality wildlife recreation experience.
You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
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Duties
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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:
- Leads the development and implementation of most complex refuge specific products, special events, facilities, and cross-program training for volunteers.
- Identifies potential partnership activities with community organizations and corporations (Scouts, service organizations, local governments and businesses)
- Recruits and trains volunteers to fulfill the refuges visitor services, facility maintenance and habitat management objectives.
- Develops and implements interpretive and environmental education programs and products. Programs and products reach a wide range of audiences, and employ a variety of media methods and materials such as brochures, fact sheets, signs and panels. Provides relevant materials to local educational institutions for their use in environmental education programs that further the mission and goals of the Fish and Wildlife Service and individual refuges.
- Assists Refuge staff in the analysis of the refuge's visitor services program for gaps and in developing and implementing appropriate policies, procedures, and standards to be used by all affected groups (park rangers, concessionaires, other refuge staff, partners, etc.)
- Recognize and institute correct procedures for collection of fees in the field and train/lead others to accomplish that task in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Review, develop and implement fee collection Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that ensure the integrity and accountability of the fee collection program.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
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 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.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/07/2026-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 GS-7:
One year of specialized experience that was equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level meeting one or more of the following: 1) Participating in developing and presenting interpretive programs; 2) Preparing and conducting environmental education/interpretive programs; 3) Assisting with the training of volunteers in a natural resources setting; 4) Assisting with the management of recreation opportunities; 5) Assisting with the development of interpretive materials, such as brochures, guidebooks, handouts, and exhibits.
OR
Two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a major field of study in 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, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
OR
A combination of experience and education, which when combined, equals 100% of the requirement. (To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours. Then, take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
OR
Completed all the requirements for a bachelors degree and possess Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). I meet one of the following: I had a 3.0 average (on a scale of 4.0) based on the average of all completed college courses at the time of application or courses completed during the final 2 years of undergraduate curriculum OR I had a 3.5 average or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of all completed college courses at the time of application or course completed during the final 2 years of undergraduate curriculum OR I was elected to a national scholastic honor society. If qualifying for SAA based on grade point average no more than 10% of course work may be graded on a pass/fail or non-traditional grade basis. I will submit copies of my college transcripts.
Minimum Qualification GS-9:
One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level meeting one or more of the following: 1)Developing environmental education curricula or programs; 2)developing and managing partnerships with community organizations and corporations; 3)utilizing knowledge of natural resources and public use related laws, regulations, policies, standards, or procedures to lead a visitor services program.
OR
Two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a major field of study in 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, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. You must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
OR
A combination of experience and education, which when combined, equals 100% of the requirement. (To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 18 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours. Then, take the number of months of experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must submit a copy of your college 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.
If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.
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.
Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
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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.
