Education Technician
Duties
This purpose of this temporary Education Technician position is to work with schools, educators, and students to develop curriculum-based educational programs. Duties will include:
- Develop and present in-park and offsite environmental and curriculum-based education programs for kindergarten through high school students following established themes, learning objectives, curriculum requirements, and guidelines and utilizing teaching methods appropriate to each grade level.
- Develop and present learning activities that encourage critical thinking and problem solving and connect students with the park resources.
- Conduct basic research and assist in the writing, review, and evaluation of education program learning objectives, lesson plans, and resource materials.
- Contacts park visitors through Informal roving assignments and at visitor centers and responds to visitor questions, emergencies, or other needs by phone, email, or in person.
POSITION LOCATION: Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park is a relatively new and developing park unit that is managed in partnership with five Key Partner organizations, identified in the park's enabling legislation. The park is also located within the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, which is a national heritage area. Park headquarters is located in Middletown, Virginia; a small, rural community located in the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley with a population of about 1,300. Medical care, schools and colleges are located in the area, and housing and outdoor recreational opportunities are plentiful. Nearby towns and cities including Winchester, 15 miles; Harrisonburg, 60 miles; Washington, DC, 80 miles; and Charlottesville, 100 miles.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
- Direct Deposit: Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
- Incidental Driving: 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 driver's 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 driver's 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 driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.
- Government Housing: Government housing is not available.
- Uniform: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- Work Schedule: You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
- 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-08/06/2024.
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.
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: planning, development and presentation of environmental and curriculum-based education programs for K-12 students following established themes, learning objectives, curriculum requirements and guidelines, and utilizing teaching methods appropriate to each grade level; development and implementation of internet-based distance learning education programs such as webcasts and virtual field trips, videos, and student activities; research develop and present a variety of place-based educational programs on natural resource and/or cultural resource topics for diverse audiences. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year (18 semester hours) of graduate level education; OR have Superior Academic Achievement in an undergraduate degree. Major study must have been in courses directly related to the position such as education, teaching, or training and development. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, for example, six months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement) and 9 graduate semester hours in related courses (50% of the education requirement) as described above. 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.
Education
To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.