Park Manager (Superintendent)

Summary

This position serves as the Superintendent for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve and will be duty-stationed in one of the following locations in Alaska: Copper Center, Fairbanks, or Anchorage. Please see "Additional Information" section for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) information. This position is also open to status candidates under announcement CAHM-26-13055132-ST-MH. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.

Duties

We seek leaders who excel not only at managing parks and public lands, but at leading other leaders. Today's superintendents are expected to lead beyond the boundaries of a single park by investing in, coaching, and empowering senior managers and fellow superintendents, creating the conditions in which accomplished leaders can thrive, exercise sound judgment, and deliver exceptional stewardship and public service. Successful candidates serve as multipliers of leadership capacity-fostering collaboration across organizational boundaries, navigating the complexities of leading experienced executives with diverse perspectives and authorities, and building high-performing organizations grounded in accountability, integrity, and trust. They cultivate enduring partnerships, ensure decisions are lawful and mission-focused, and inspire confidence among employees, partners, gateway communities, Tribal Nations, and the American people. The Superintendent serves as the senior line officer for Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, providing leadership, direction, and oversight for all park operations. Under the general guidance of the Regional Director and direct supervision by the Deputy Regional Director, the incumbent manages planning and development; land acquisition and protection; public relations; and the preservation, interpretation, maintenance, and administration of one of the most complex and expansive parks in the National Park Service. This position requires broad leadership, strategic decision making, and operational expertise to ensure the continued protection, integrity, and accessibility of Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve-one of the largest and most complex parks in the nation. Daily Duties: Lead a multidisciplinary workforce responsible for public use management, resource stewardship, education and interpretation, fiscal and human resources management, visitor services, safety, partnerships, public affairs, and park development. Oversee the protection of nearly 10 million acres of designated wilderness and the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. Represent park's interests across a wide range of governmental, Native Alaskan, community, and land management forums. Direct a major park program that includes administration of roughly $10 million annually and management of permanent, seasonal, and volunteer personnel. Represent the National Park Service on subsistence and ANILCA (Alaska National Lands Interest Conservation Act) related matters. 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 www.dhs.gov/EVerify/. DRIVER'S LICENSE: Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment. DRUG TESTING: Pre-employment and random drug testing are required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received. UNIFORM: You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment. You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority. WORK SCHEDULE: You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime. TRAVEL: You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. PROBATIONARY PERIOD: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information regarding Probationary Periods, please see "Qualifications" section below. Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/24/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-15 grade level you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Park-related or other, similar land management experience may have been in technical, administrative, resource management, 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: 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; Management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; Tribal land management to include Alaska Native corporations experience; Directs programs and work through direct and indirect supervision. 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. _________________________________________________________________________ PROBATIONARY PERIOD: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 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 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.

Education

This position does not allow substituting education for experience. 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 any additional assessment(s) required for this position. 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. Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into the following categories: Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job. You will be assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Administration and Management Leadership Partnering Planning and Evaluating Project Management 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 structured resume review by a subject matter expert (SME) panel. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job. 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. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position. Other Information

Park/Government housing is not available for this position. Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will be paid if the selectee lives outside the local commuting area and is otherwise eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. Employer paid and reimbursed relocation expenses are considered taxable income. The NPS does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. Employees should consult professional tax, legal and accounting advisors regarding concerns about the financial implications of a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). A Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) rate is authorized. COLA is based on location and is subject to annual review and adjustment. The duty locations of Fairbanks, Alaska and Anchorage, Alaska have a COLA rate of 1.49%. The duty location of Copper Center, Alaska has a COLA (Cost-of-Living Allowance) rate as listed under "Other Alaska" of 3.00%. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. First time hires to the federal government normally start at the Step 1 rate. All Department of Interior (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, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions. The duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.