FUL- Park Guide

Summary

This is a full-time GS-0090-04 Park Guide position located at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Dover, TN. This is a TERM position with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended one (1) additional year. This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local (FUL) Hiring Authority - Limited to applicants who live within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. Please see the "Additional Information" section for more details.

Duties

A Park Guide is a uniformed employee of the National Park Service who serves as a front-line park representative. They provide information, give interpretive tours, and educational programming to the public. The primary purpose of this position is to provide guide services to visitors. Major Duties: Give interpretive talks to small groups about geology, history, and other environmental topics. Lead small groups of visitors on interpretive programs that focus on earth history and paleontological topics. Disseminate complex information in accessible ways to diverse audience groups and encourage protection and preservation of park resources. Answer a variety of formal and informal visitor questions and requests for guidance. Staff an information desk and operate a cash register. Provide excellent customer service to all visitors. Assist with visiting school groups, including guiding hikes. Assist with development of new interpretive material and social media for the park. Participate in special events hosted by the park. Physical Demands: The work required 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. Work Environment: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-11/09/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements. 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 AND date ranges in month/year format 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. ** Please refer to the "Required Documents" section for Resume requirements. ** 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 (6) months of General Experience and six (6) months of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the GS-03 level for a total of one year of 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 is experience that involved 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. Examples of specialized experience may include, but are not limited to: Park Guide or tour leader; docent; museum or observatory guide; teaching assistant; or other similar work. (Note: Excess specialized experience can be substituted for general experience; but excess general experience cannot be substituted for required specialized experience.) -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years of education above high school (60 semester hour or 90 quarter hours) which included at least 12 semester hours of directly related courses, such as in American history, science, public speaking, parks & recreation, education, or communications. You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. 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. Note: To receive credit for volunteer experience please follow the same required resume format and information as paid experience (i.e., hours per week worked, dates in month/year format, etc.). _____________________________________________________________________ PROBATIONARY PERIOD: 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

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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification