Department of the Interior

(Seasonal) Park Guide

Natchez, Mississippi Full time

(Seasonal) Park Guide

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Natchez, Mississippi

Salary Range: $40332 - $52426 Per Year

Job Summary: 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. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period is April - October, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April 2026 with a NTE October 2026.

Major Duties:

  • Giving Talks: Provides talks where the features are largely self-explanatory and are easily observed and understood as to origin, development, form and significance, and the interpretive service required by the guide is of a repetitive nature. In addition, the talks provide general information about other sites of public interest; facilities for public use; pertinent rules and regulations; and other matters designed to stimulate a sense of appreciation and thus encourage protection and preservation of the scenic, scientific or historic features. The talks may be given in conjunction with live demonstrations, the use of electronic maps, photographic slides, and other audio-visual devices. Answering Questions: Answers a variety of visitor questions. The questions encountered recur repeatedly and usually require use of a limited variety of facts, events, circumstances, personalities, and natural characteristics identified with the park unit, or closely associated with the origin, growth, or development of the feature of interest. Guiding Parties: Guides parties that can easily be accommodated within the physical limitations of the area or facility being explained, and on a trip of short duration. Talks may tell an entire story at a given location or incumbent may be stationed at one of several points of visitor interest and give talks covering only a portion of the story. If guiding a group of people along a fixed route the guide must keep the group together; maintain a pace which the group can keep up with and still conform to prescribed schedules; know the routes and any shortcuts which can be taken if necessary or desirable. If stationed at a point of visitor concentration, the guide must show visitors through the building/site, telling the story of the events which took place there, and how those events related to the particular historic situation. When the need arises, the guide must take measures to maintain order in the parties, prevent crowding or damage to historic sites, and take appropriate action in case of emergency until relieved. Providing Services to Visitors: Provides a wide range of services to visitors, including assistance with lost articles, car trouble, and first aid; and provides information about weather conditions, highway routes, park and concessioner facilities, and prices. In performing this duty the guide is responsible for providing current, accurate information concerning the National Park Service (NPS) and other surrounding areas of interest, explaining the area's recreational opportunities, including NPS interpretive services, concession-operated facilities and services, campground availability and hiking trails. Additionally, provides public orientation and explanations of current park events, and informs visitors of potential safety hazards. Miscellaneous Duties.

Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/08/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time). If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. At the GS-05: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 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 experience could include but are not limited to Park Guide or tour leader; docent; museum or observatory guide; teaching assistant; or other similar work. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of four years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, 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 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. Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) 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 considered by the organization as well qualified. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. 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/ICTAP 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).

How to Apply: To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 12/08/2025. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES. Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account. Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application." Click here for USAJobs Help with "How to create an application" To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12838553 Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS. Select documents you want included in this application. Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed. Select if you want to include your demographic information. After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site." Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application. Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown. Upload any missing required documents or optional documents. Review and Submit Application. While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position. You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement. To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job. Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-08