Park Ranger (Interpretation)
Job Location:
Wilton, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with the National Park Service Weir Farm National Historical Park located in Wilton CT. The purpose of interpretation is to enrich peoples lives through meaningful experiences and enjoyable recreation; preserve and protect natural and cultural resources through broad collaboration and shared stewardship; and inspire social and environmental consciousness to build community and sustain the health of the planet.
As a Park Ranger (Interpretation) you will perform the following duties:
- Develops and presents a wide variety of audience and learner-centered interpretive experiences (e.g. walks talks tours presentations demonstrations events and virtual interactions) and informal contacts/conversations with the public.
- Coordinates the operation of a visitor facility and/or information desk by regularly conducting assessments regarding the physical and operational condition of visitor facility assets.
- Develops and delivers in-park off-site and/or virtual education programs.
- Monitors and identifies park resource issues or potential problems that can be corrected or mitigated by immediate attention.
- Creates and fosters a culture of safety promote personal visitor and co-worker safety by including risk assessments in all operational decisions and actions.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
- Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service.
- Direct Deposit participation required.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit possess and maintain a valid drivers license throughout employment.
- You are required to complete training obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
- You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- 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 1 night per month.
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 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 individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be 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.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 09/25/2026-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:
GS-05:
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement.
A. EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in: technical administrative or scientific work fish and wildlife management recreation management law enforcement or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to the following: Park guide or tour leader; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park recreation or conservation area; management assistant or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection conservation or management of park areas or similar operations. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
B. EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelors degree with 24 semester hours of related course work in a major study such as: 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 behavioral sciences sociology or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
C. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience first divide the total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide the number of completed education above high-school semester hours (that are in excess of 36 semester hours) by 36. Add the two percentages together; the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: Only education above high-school in excess of two-years may be used to qualify for this position. You must include transcripts.
GS-07:
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
A. EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience may have been in technical administrative or scientific work fish and wildlife management recreation management law enforcement or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to the following: Park guide or tour leader; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park recreation or conservation area; management assistant or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection conservation or management of park areas or similar operations. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
B. EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate study in one of the following fields: 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 behavioral sciences sociology or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
C. Meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.): Successfully completed a bachelors degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college university or major subdivision based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) based on 4 years of education or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (B or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to the one decimal place for example 2.95 3.0 2.94 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society.
-OR-
D. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 18 then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.
Qualifications continued in Education section.
QUALIFICATIONS (continued) This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Bureau employees Career Transition eligibles (CTAP) Current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e. physical or mental) covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position after notification of the adjudication of your request you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. ( 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. 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.
GS-09:
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
A. EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience may have been in technical administrative or scientific work fish and wildlife management recreation management law enforcement or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to the following: Park guide or tour leader; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park recreation or conservation area; management assistant or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection conservation or management of park areas or similar operations. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
B. EDUCATION: Possess two full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education or a masters or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation. Directly-related fields include 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 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. (Two years of graduate study is considered to be 36 semester hours.) You must include transcripts.
-OR-
C. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 36 then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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: 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 positions supervisor.
Physical Demands/Work Environment: The work requires some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves and carrying backpacks tools rescue equipment or other loads. The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g. exposure to extreme temperatures climates rough terrain wild animals pests and/or insects). May be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks boots gloves
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.
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.
