Duties

Summary

These positions are located in Richmond National Battlefield Park, in the Intrepretation and Education Division.

Open to the first 100 applicants or until 11/04/2019 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.
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Responsibilities

This position serves as a Park Guide in the Division of Interpretation and Education at Richmond National Battlefield Park. The incumbent is one of several guides and rangers reporting to the Supervisory Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. The Park Guide is responsible for staffing the front desk at various Civil War and Civil Rights sites in the greater Richmond area, providing excellent customer service to visitors including explaining the history of the Civil War, with emphasis on the Peninsula and Overland Campaigns, and the Reconstruction Era with an emphasis on the Civil Rights movement, offering brochures and maps to identify sites of interest, and providing guided tours and programs at Civil War battlefields.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to occasionally travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males

• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Time-In-Grade: Candidates may be advanced without time restriction, if the position to be filled is no more than 2 grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under the latest non-temporary competitive General Schedule appointment. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
• This is a Career-Seasonal position and subject to release and recall procedures. A permanent career-seasonal position includes all the benefits of permanent employment, but does not provide employment on a full year-round basis. As such, selectee will be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks to 6 months per year based on project requirements or weather conditions. Selectee is guaranteed to work at least 6 months per year but not more than 50 weeks per year, with the work schedule to be determined upon appointment. The typical season for this position is ???????????? mid-February through November ????????????, but can be variable due to park requirements or weather conditions.
• You may 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 may also be required to submit all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• Government housing is not available.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You will be required to work weekends and holidays; you may be required to occasionally work on-call, evenings, or overtime.
• If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience (obtained in either the public or private sectors). General experience is (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience includes activities such as: oral presentation of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; or developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of study above high school in an accredited institution in directly related courses such as American history, science, public speaking, parks and recreation, education, or communications. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the semester hours completed and divide by 60 hours. Then take the number of months of full time experience and divide by 12 months. 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.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Physical Demands: The work requires standing for long periods of time, walking for long distances, climbing and descending steep inclines, bending, and lifting moderately heavy items. Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts, occasional emergency responses, and repetitive nature of interpretive programs.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions.

Position Location: Richmond offers a wealth of amenities not easily found among other East Coast municipalities. Richmond is enhanced by several first class museums and prominent universities, its own symphony and numerous theater companies and art galleries. Summers usually average 85 - 98 degrees with humidity. Winters usually average 35-55 degrees with frigid nights and a couple of snowfalls a year. Schools, malls and medical facilities are available. Mountains, beaches and Washington, D.C. are within a two hour drive.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document that you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application. Click the following link for more information, https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Alternate_Application_Information .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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.

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:

• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing

Required Documents

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/04/2019.

Resume which includes your name and address and a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week . If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade.

A complete Occupational Questionnaire

Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as:

• Federal employees must submit a copy of their latest SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" that reflects career or career-conditional tenure, such as the initial hire, promotion, or reassignment, showing position title, series, grade and tenure (please do not submit an Award SF-50 unless it provides the necessary information) and, if different, an SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held.
• Veterans Preference Documentation (e.g. DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter as appropriate)
• 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 www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 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 or, if one is unavailable, 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.

College transcripts, if qualifying based on education.

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.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.