Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Summary

You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with National Park Service. The primary purpose of this position is to plan, develop, coordinate, and execute all aspects of the Park-wide Volunteer Program, the Internship Program, and the associated learning and development program for the Division

Duties

• This position is in the Interpretation and Education Division at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GOGA), which also manages Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historic Site. GOGA's volunteer program is one of the largest volunteer programs in the National Park System and works in close collaboration with our partners at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Presidio Trust to manage both long-term and drop-in volunteers as well as over 150 professional internships each year. The park is a leader in engaging people of all walks of life in stewardship work for the benefit of our parks and the volunteers themselves. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Manages the Volunteers-In-Parks Program for Golden Gate NRA. Plans, develops, implements, and evaluates the park-wide volunteer program including the assessment of needs, recruitment, training, placement, monitoring, overall program-evaluation, and recognition. Provides direction in supervision and motivational techniques and coordinates park-wide recognition events. Work with partners, managers and others to develop strategies and tools to sustain and grow the volunteer and intern program into the future. Serves at the principal liaison with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and Presidio Trust Volunteer Program Managers. Works with key collaborators from GGNPC and The Presidio Trust to regularly assess the effectiveness and relevancy of the tri-agency partnership; make strategic structural and programming improvements when needed; and evaluate opportunities for new program development. Provides supervisory guidance and mentorship to one full-time, permanent GS-09 and one full-time GS-07 program assistant. Works with fellow managers and specialists to identify, develop and implement comprehensive set of training opportunities for interpretation staff, volunteer managers, interconnected park partners, interns and volunteers in order to develop the skills needed to perform their job and will enhance their professional growth. Serves as a member of the leadership of the Division of Interpretation and Education.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/05/2026-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 at the GS-11 grade level: Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience which includes: managing volunteers and youth interns in national parks or similar settings, including managing programs with 100+ volunteers and 20+ interns annually; researching, designing, and conducting a variety of formal and informal interpretive or educational programs; reviewing data and trends and analyzing information to recommend improvements to programs and operations; planning, designing, developing, or improving interpretive or educational materials such as signs, marketing materials, waysides, exhibits, publications, or digital media; training, mentoring, coaching, or evaluating interpretive, educational or volunteer/Intern programs and products; coordinating and managing the development and implementation of special projects or events. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Have successfully completed three full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education, or a Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree at an accredited college or university, in a field of major study that is directly related to the work of the position such as:- natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and specialized experience as described above. To calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education, divide your number of semester hours in excess of 36 semester hours by 18, or the number your school uses to represent one year of full-time graduate academic study. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide your months of qualifying specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages. They must equal at least 100% to qualify using this option. Note: You must include a copy of your academic transcripts with your application if qualifying on education and you must include hours per week worked 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

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

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National. 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. You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. 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.

Grade: GS 11. , You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.. Telework eligible. Apply by 2026-11-05 on USAJOBS.