Education Specialist [National Park Service, Boston Harbor Islands]

Job Title:Education Technician

Department:Department Of The Interior

Agency:National Park Service

Job Announcement Number:NESHRO-KA-595343-12-28

JOB SUMMARY:

Experience your America and build a fulfilling career by joining the National Park Service. Become a part of our mission to unite our past, our cultures and our special places, to establish important connections to the present and build a rich and lasting legacy for future generations. For more information about the National Park Service, click Boston Harbor Islands NRA Official Website.

WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: Open to all qualified U.S. citizens.

Position Information: This is a TERM position not to exceed 13 months, but may be non-competitively extended up to four years total.  Work schedule is full time; however incumbent may be placed on intermittent status for up to 60 days per year.  Position generally requires working weekdays during standard working hours; however will occasionally require evening or weekend work, including overnight stays on Thompson Island with youth groups.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• U.S. Citizenship Required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• This is a uniformed position.
• Valid state driver’s license required.

DUTIES:

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The Education Technician at Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area works with both the Youth & Visitor Services Program Manager and the Education Program Specialist by assisting with the development of educational materials.  This position may regularly present or assist in the presentation of curriculum-based educational activities to applicable audiences in both classroom and field settings at this full performance level; however, such instructional presentation activities will not exceed 20% of the positions duties if such presentations are performed independently.  In addition, the incumbent assists park staff, through liaison efforts, to establish sound and sustainable educational programming partnerships with outside organizations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Research and writing are sedentary and entail the ability to concentrate and write for extended periods.  Program implementation requires physical exertion; standing for long periods of time while teaching in classrooms, carrying programming supplies and materials to the classroom or outdoor programming area, and facilitating a variety of extended outdoor activities for student groups, including overnight programs.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Work is conducted both in and out of doors and is subject to variables including high humidity, rain, cold, heat, and hazardous plants and animals.

AREA INFORMATION: Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation area was established in 1996 and is located in Boston, Massachusetts.  The Park is located throughout the Boston Harbor area, encompassing both the north and south shore communities around Boston.  Its purpose is to preserve for public use and enjoyment of the 34 islands and waters comprising the Park, which is spread over a 50 square mile area.  Boston Harbor Islands is significant for containing – within close proximity of a major urban population – a complex array of cultural and natural resources and opportunities for a broad range of recreation, from water sports to tours of historic forts. The Park includes three National Historic Landmarks, and contains the only cluster of island drumlins in the North America.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

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All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement, Monday, February 06, 2012.  Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors.

QUALIFICATIONS: To be eligible for this position, you must possess the qualifying specialized experience and/or education as described in the occupational/assessment questionnaire and as outlined below.

A. Experience – one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level in the federal service.  This experience includes presenting curricula-based education programs; the research and development of curricula-based support materials and activities; OR

B. Successful completion of four years of education above high school level from an accredited college or university in any field; OR

C. Combination of education and experience.

Education – if qualifying based on education at all you must provide transcripts with your application. Failure to provide will result in an ineligible rating.

You must possess a 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours.

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Applicants can verify accreditation HERE .

Transcripts do not need to be official but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify then you will need to provide official transcripts before you enter on duty.

You can receive credit for education received outside the United States if you provide evidence that it is comparable to an accredited education institution in the United States when you apply. For further information click HERE.

Requirements

1. Required to serve a one year trial period.

2. National Park Service (NPS) uniformed position. Employee will be required to wear a uniform and comply with NPS uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided to defray the cost of the uniform.

3. You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued drivers license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle. You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued drivers license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State drivers license.

4. Incumbent will be subject to shift rotations (occasionally required to work evenings and weekends including overnight stays on Thompson Island with youth groups.  Term appoint, full-time work schedule; however may be placed in intermittent status for up to 60 days per year.

5. Upon consideration of all qualified applicants, a tentative offer will be made pending the favorable outcome of a background investigation.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your rating will be based on both your responses to the Job Assessment Questionnaire and the information stated in your resume. The assessment questions relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that are required to perform the work of this position. Only education and experience acquired by the closing filing deadline will be considered.

Please Note: All answers provided in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package. Upon review, if it is determined that your work history, KSAs, narrative responses, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified or your score may be modified. Please ensure that your work history and narrative responses provide enough detail to support your answers to the KSAs.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work 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”.

Category rating procedures will be used to rate and rank candidates. Candidates will be ranked into 3 categories:
Category Group I (Best Qualified) – applicants who possess experience and/or education that well exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, including all selective factors and all quality ranking factors. Applicants considered best qualified must be highly proficient in all requirements of the job and be able to perform effectively in the position.
Category Group II (Well Qualified) – applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job.
Category Group III (Qualified) – applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.

VETERANS PREFERENCE: Veterans Preference applies to category rating. Within each quality category, veteran’s preference eligibles are listed first, including CP, CPS, XP, and TP. In addition, veterans who have a 10% or more service-connected compensable disability (CP or CPS) are placed at the top of the highest quality category. Applicants referred are listed on the selection certificate alphabetically (veteran’s preference eligibles before non-veterans) without scores.

For more information, please see the Park Service’s website.