Wayside Exhibit Planner

This Wayside Exhibit Planner position is with National Park Service (Department of the Interior) in Phoenix, AZ. You will serve as a Wayside Exhibit Planner with National Park Service in Harpers Ferry Design Center (HFC), in Media Development. This position is responsible for the planning, development, and contract administration of complex interpretive outdoor exhibit projects. Salary will be based upon duty station/locality pay listed above. If selected, you may be placed at the regional office, field office, current duty station, or other DOI-owned or leased worksite at the discretion of management. Key duties: • Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Advisory Services: Provides technical assistance to parks regarding wayside exhibit planning and development, offering insights including audience evaluation techniques, wayside fabrication and installation, use of contracts, accessibility accommodations and their use within HFC and the NPS, in general. This assistance includes planning, development, and contract administration of interpretive outdoor exhibit projects, which include NPS Wayside Exhibits. It also includes informational signage, accessibility accommodations, current industry and NPS media practices, procedures, and standards, including those related to technical innovations, emerging techniques, accessibility, and sustainability. Wayside Exhibit Planning & Development: Drafts and directs the planning of outdoor wayside exhibit projects, which include but are not limited to NPS Wayside Exhibits, while ensuring standards are maintained regarding the overall creative and technical direction. This requires an active, hands-on approach working with clients to develop user-oriented strategies and visual communications within the built environment; collaborating with other project design teams to assist in the planning, development, and implementation of environmental graphics and other exterior wayside exhibit elements. Contract Administration: Serves as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) or technical reviewer for multiple contracts or Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) task orders. Manages the creative and technical direction of contracted media products and services. Writes contract scope of work statements to ensure interpretive goals and park needs are met and project concerns are addressed. Determines needed modifications to contract documents derived from unanticipated circumstances. Communication & Collaboration: Participates within the collaboration group comprised of park staff, project manager, media professionals, and contractors to develop and implement project scope, schedules, budgets, and staffing needs that best satisfy NPS and park goals and objectives. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 11/05/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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. Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. If you do not provide evidence that you possess the following selective factor(s), you will be rated not qualified. At the GS-09 grade level, direct experience with the planning, and development, of outdoor wayside exhibits to provide interpretation, information, orientation, to outdoor landscapes is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. At the GS-11 grade level, direct experience with the planning, development, and assisting with contract administration of multiple outdoor wayside exhibits that are thematically linked to provide interpretation, information, orientation, to outdoor landscapes is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. At the GS-12 grade level, direct experience with the planning, development and contract administration of multiple outdoor wayside exhibits that are thematically linked to provide interpretation, information, orientation to outdoor landscapes is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. -AND- Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one or all 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all of the following activities:(1) Assists in planning exterior exhibit panels; (2) Ability to communicate verbal concepts in visual form that is understandable by diverse audiences. (3) Understanding of how wayside exhibits are used in a within a natural or historic landscape to enhance a visitor's experience. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work of the position, such as: Graphic design, History, English, Park Planning, Creative Writing, Natural Resource Interpretation, Communications, Museum Studies. You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages. You may combine specialized experience and education to meet the minimum qualifications. (NOTE: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.) To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess at least one or all 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-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all of the following activities: (1) Skill in planning wayside exhibit packages with graphic panel layouts including, photo's illustrations, text, maps, presented at multiple sites throughout a park; (2) Knowledge of how wayside exhibits are used in a park setting to enhance a visitor's experience, complement the other media and work within a natural or historic landscape; (3) Ability to distill and communicate concepts in graphic, tactile, and written form that is understandable by diverse audiences; (4) Experience managing multi-year contracts. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Graphic design, History, English, Park Planning, Creative Writing, Natural Resource Interpretation, Communications, Museum Studies. (NOTE: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.) -OR- Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages. (NOTE: You must submit copies of your college transcripts.) To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess at least one or all 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-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all of the following activities: Skill in planning wayside exhibit packages with complex panel layouts including, photo's, illustrations, text, maps, tactile elements, or audio messages presented at multiple sites throughout a park; (2) Knowledge of how wayside exhibits are used in a park setting to enhance a visitor's experience, complement the other media and work within a natural or historic landscape; (3) Ability to distill and communicate concepts in graphic, tactile, and written form that is understandable by diverse audiences; (4) Experience managing multi-year media contracts. You must include hours per week worked. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For GS-12, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.