Summary This position serves as a full-performance Park Ranger (Interpretation). The purpose of interpretation is to enrich people's 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. Duties Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:
- Preparation and delivery of Interpretive Programming.
- Coaching subordinate staff in Visitor Operations and Interpretive Programming.
- Teaching subordinates the preparation and delivery of Interpretive Programming.
- Advanced management knowledge of social media and park website.
- Serve as a front-line representative of an organization.
Physical Demands: 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. Some employees may engage in firefighting, search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.
Work Environment: 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). The employee may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.
Area Information: Mount Rushmore National Memorial is located three miles west of Keystone, South Dakota, in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota. Housing for purchase or rent, schools, medical and dental facilities, churches of most faiths, and shopping are available in Rapid City, 25 miles northeast of Park Headquarters, and in nearby Hill City and Custer.
For more information, see the parks website: http://www.nps.gov/MOUR
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/16/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
To qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. This experience may have been obtained in either the public or private sector. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate experience in at least two (2) of the following areas: Preparing and presenting formal interpretive programs, including ranger talks, orientation talks; Managing volunteer programs and/or serving as a park guide or tour leader. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
Successful completion of at least two (2) full academic years of graduate education related to the occupation, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, such as natural resource management, natural sciences, ecology, biology, geology, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, social sciences, museum sciences, geography, English or other languages, behavioral sciences, sociology, education, or communication (two years of graduate education is defined as 36 semester hours). You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined. You must include transcripts.
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.
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 may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime.
- You may be required to travel overnight away from home for training. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
- 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 will be required to serve a one (1) year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
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 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. How you will be evaluated Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g. resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessment(s) required for this position. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process.
Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.
You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):
- Communications and Media
- Education and Training
- Interpersonal Skills
- Teamwork
- Technical Competence
- Writing
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessment(s), including a structed resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.
All qualified non-competitive applicants and the best-qualified Merit Promotion applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.
Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration or your score may be lowered. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.How to apply Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, select appropriate hiring eligibilities, and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the 11/16/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement to receive consideration. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
The application process is as follows:
- Click the Apply Online button.
- Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13109515
- Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.
Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Bureaus/Offices within the Department of the Interior (DOI) who have vacancies within the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s), including within the same metro/commuting area. Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.
Eligibilities:
Please ensure you complete the Eligibility section of this application. This section determines the hiring paths under which you may be considered for this position. You will only be considered for the eligibilities you select. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach each eligibility carefully to understand the requirements and select all that apply. For each eligibility selected, you must upload the required supporting documentation. Review the eligibility descriptions to confirm you are providing the correct documents. You may select more than one eligibility, if applicable. If you do not select at least one eligibility, you will not be considered for this vacancy. To learn more about federal hiring paths, visit USAJOBS - Unique Hiring Paths.
To view the announcement status or your application status, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status. Other information Open to the first 40 applicants or the closing date of the announcement, whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
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.
The duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
