Summary The Interpretation and Education Program Manager position is located in Springfield Armory National Historic Site, in the Visitor Services, Interpretation, and Education Division. Closing date extended to 05/20/2024. Responsibilities Serves as the Interpretation and Education Program Manager for Springfield Armory National Historic Site and Coltsville National Historical Park. The sites are in Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT respectively. The employee is duty stationed at the Springfield Armory NHS, reports to the Superintendent and serves as a key member of the park's leadership team. Serves as principal advisor on all matters related to interpretation, education, volunteers, and youth programs. The employee has broad responsibilities for planning and development in the areas of interpretation, education, public information, publications, and media. Additional responsibilities include supervision and hiring, and managing cooperative agreements and special park uses. Major duties include, put are not limited to the following: Assign, direct and review the work and performance of staff involved in interpretation, education, and outreach activities. Plan, develop, and manage a complex, multi-layered, geographically dispersed interpretive and educational programs, comprehensive interpretive and educational planning, and interpretive projects. Develop, implement and/or evaluate a multi-year budget and operating program involving personnel needs, materials, equipment needs, work projects and yearly work schedule. Build partnerships with internal and external interpretive professionals from other agencies, organizations, and academic institutions as well as local groups, communities, and others. Applies communication skills appropriately to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of others; adjusts approaches to suit different people and situations. Springfield Armory NHS is located in Springfield Massachusetts, which is an urban area with a population of approximately 150,000, Springfield has the usual amenities for a city, i.e. hospital, churches, lodging, stores, transportation, etc. The surrounding area has many developed suburban towns, colleges and universities, and cultural attractions. The area enjoys four distinct seasons and a wide variety of recreation opportunities as part of the Connecticut River Valley and gateway to the Berkshires. Both historically and today, both Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT are situated at a transportation crossroads with easy access to major east coast cities via highway, Amtrak train, and Bradly International Airport. About the Parks Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, MA commemorates the critical role in the development of the nation's military and industrial history. First created as a military storage depot by the fledgling U.S. Army in 1777, Springfield Armory was authorized by Congress and President George Washington in 1794 to develop and manufacture small arms for the nation's defense and remained active until 1968. The site includes historic grounds, buildings, museum, archives, and collections. The site also encompass Springfield Technical Community College, part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts higher education system. The story of technology and innovation is brought to life through exhibits, public programs, education programs, Jr. Ranger activities, community outreach and special events. www.nps.gov/spar Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford, CT is a newly authorized NPS unit working towards establishment. Once established, the park will include NPS and partner organization sites associated with the Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut. The approximately 200-acre historic district includes the former factory buildings, worker housing, a church, the Colt family mansion, and a city park. With a wide variety of community, municipal, and academic partners the park interprets the history, legacy, and impact of Colt firearms on Hartford and the United States. www.nps.gov/colt 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. 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); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. 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 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. 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 complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/20/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: Atleast one full year (52 weeks of full-time work experience) of specialized experience equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is experience effectively leading a complex variety of interpretive and education programs, visual, digital, and social media, budget, public affairs, partnerships, volunteer program, and operations to achieve effective stewardship of park resources and provide a positive visitor experience. You must include hours per week worked. 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. Education There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement. CTAP/ICTAP - Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) 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 eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP. 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 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 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. 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. 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 position may require periods of strenuous physical activity including periods of standing, walking, and climbing. The majority of the work is sedentary. Working Conditions: Most assignments are performed indoors, but some activities require exposure to variances in weather and terrain. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, You must submit ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance consistent with your SF-50s.