Supervisory Park Ranger (Protection) (Chief Ranger)

About the role

This position is located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, in the Protection Division. This is an open continuous vacancy announcement. Applicants will be referred periodically throughout the announcement period.

Final application disposition will be completed once all positions have been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. The first cut-off date is 11:59 pm (est), April 28th, 2026.

What you will do

• Supervise and mentor field law enforcement staff, both permanent and seasonal Detect, investigate, apprehend, and prosecute under applicable laws, rules, and regulations enacted to ensure the protection and safe use of national park resources Educate, interpret, and inform visitors about resources, conservation, laws, and regulations Provide training in law enforcement disciplines, both formal and informal This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
• 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.
• Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
• Occupancy: Government housing is available Katmai National Park and Preserve lies on the Alaska Peninsula 290 miles southwest of Anchorage, there is no connection to the road system.
• Katmai is known for recent volcanism, large freshwater lakes, pristine drainages, wilderness coastline and biodiversity, including abundant salmon runs and the highest density of protected brown bears in the world.
• The park is accessible largely by bush planes and boats only.
• Aniakchak National Monument and Alagnak Wild and Scenic River are also managed by Katmai.
• King Salmon (park headquarters) is a small community with basic amenities (about 150 residents).
• There is a small convenience store and a couple of restaurants.
• The town has seasonal lodges and there is a small clinic for minor medical treatment located in Naknek (15 miles away); major medical and dental facilities are available in Anchorage, AK.
• The cost of living in King Salmon is considered high due to its remoteness and the cost of bringing goods in.
• Daily commercial flights connect Anchorage with King Salmon, there is no connection to the road system.
• The area is remote with limited social amenities.
• Accessing a map on Google Earth is recommended for a detailed look at the area.
• Government housing may be available.
• Katmai is a truly magical place that will give you the "real" Alaska experience.
• Katmai has 4.7 million acres of wilderness, 500 miles of coastline, endless opportunities for boating and the largest concentration of Brown Bears in the world. ***

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.
• 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 operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.
• You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record.
• You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards.
• A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
• Occupancy of government quarters may be available.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 15 nights per 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. *Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to possess by closing date of this announcement a valid Type I or higher level National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from an accredited institution, which currently consists of over 650 class hours and lasts on average 17 weeks.

Please visit the Association of National Park Rangers' Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program (SLETP) for additional information on approved training courses and equivalency for commissioning. Secondary Positions: This is a secondary-administrative law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U.S. C. 8336 (c) (CSRS) and 5 U.

S. C. 8412 (d) (FERS).

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants may meet qualification requirements but may not be eligible for special retirement coverage. If such an applicant is selected, they will be placed in the regular retirement system.

To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under CSRS, an employee must transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position.

To be eligible for Secondary retirement coverage under FERS, an employee must: 1) transfer directly (without a break in service exceeding 3 days) from a primary position to a secondary position, AND 2) complete 3 years of service in a primary rigorous position including any such service during which no FERS deductions were withheld, AND 3) must be continuously employed in a secondary position(s) since moving from a primary rigorous position, except for any break in employment from a secondary position that began with involuntary separation (not for cause).

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure this office has enough information to determine your special retirement status to ensure you do not lose benefits (normally through submission of your work history or other documentation that demonstrates work history of approved covered positions).

You must let this office know if you are in a Primary position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. 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 assessments required for this position.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job.

If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume.

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.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies: Leadership Criminal Law Resource Protection Computer Skills Oral Communication Teaching Others In order 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 assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official.

The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Documents you must provide

• The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/06/2026.
• Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect either full-time or 40 hours per week.
• If a part-time work schedule is reflected, the hours must be annotated to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.
• If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.
• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible.
• All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
• Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
• Complete All Required Assessments.
• Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as: Current and former federal employees must submit a copy of their latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" reflecting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service (Tenure 1 or 2), position title, series, grade and an additional SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held, if not reflected on your latest SF-50.
• Examples of acceptable SF-50s include: Promotion, Within Rate Increases (WRI/WGI), or Appointment SF-50s.
• Do not submit an Award SF-50 as it does not provide the needed information.
• Veterans Preference Documentation (e.g. DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter as appropriate) LMWFA Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
• Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as: Veterans Preference Documentation: If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15.
• If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
• If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
• If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15.
• You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from *** or call *** to establish proof of disability.
• Performance Appraisals and Awards: All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor.
• If submitting a performance appraisal not dated within the last18 months, a statement as to why it is the most recent must be submitted.
• If no performance appraisal is available, applicants must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
• Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• Documentation to support selective placement factors.
• Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area.
• You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal.
• To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
• Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority.
• Applicants who are eligible to be considered based on a Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority (i.e. former PLC member, certain Military Spouses, etc.) must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.

What to expect next

Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview.

You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.

ICTAP/CTAP- Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection.

Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.

Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location.

Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.

Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

Additional information

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. Physical Demands: A variety of physical demands occur in this position. Work includes long periods standing, hiking and climbing in uneven, steep, rough, slippery and rugged terrain.

Strenuous exertion is frequently required in law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue and emergency medical situations. Lifting or carrying equipment weighing over 50 pounds, such as search and rescue equipment is required. The work may require the pursuit and physical apprehension of dangerous suspects.

Incumbent is required to work outside in all types of weather conditions. There may be many days of primarily sedentary work in an office, but the incumbent may be required at very short notice to participate in strenuous physical activity. There is a physical; mental and emotional high-stress component to the incumbent's work assignments.

This position comes under the scope and requirements of the park's Health and Fitness program. Physical requirements for law enforcement and emergency services as specified in RM-57 must be met on a regular basis and incumbent must keep self drug free. Working Conditions: The majority of the time is spent in an office environment.

However, field inspections, evaluations, consultations and emergency situations frequently involve outdoor work. Incumbent may be subjected to extreme arctic weather including cold (to -40 F), snow, high winds, high altitudes, blizzards, rain and dust. The work may be performed at various hours of the day and night for prolonged periods of time during emergency situations.

The incumbent is frequently exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations in law enforcement and emergency operations requiring adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped or unpleasant locations and under stressful conditions. Shift work is often required.

Travel often occurs in government aircraft, including small fixed wing and helicopters or in various forms of float and motor-powered vessels, which may affect the employee's private life insurance policies. Exposure to Law enforcement and other dangerous persons, animals, substances and potential exposure to infectious diseases are standard expectations of daily work.

Incumbent may be subject to hazards such as intense concentrations of insects, bears, and other dangerous or noxious pests.