Virgin Islands National Park interprets centuries of Caribbean history, including the dark days of the sugar plantations/NPS

Looking for a job in paradise? The National Park Service has opened the search for a superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument to the general public.

“The national parks on St. John and St. Thomas inspire awe with their stunning beauty and natural resources, compelling cultural heritage, and deeply engaged network of partners and stakeholders,” said Mark Foust, regional director for the agency's Southeast region. “We’re hoping to net a qualified pool of candidates whose experience and values complement the parks’ missions, strengths and future opportunities.”

The NPS has posted concurrent job announcements on USAjobs.gov that are, respectively, open to the public and candidates with federal experience meeting established criteria.

The position requires candidates to have strong skills to oversee the full suite of park management responsibilities, including resource management, operations, public affairs and engagement, visitor and resource protection, interpretation and visitor services, facilities management, and administrative functions.

At Virgin Islands National Park, coral reefs, quiet coves, blue-green waters and white sandy beaches fringed by green hills help frame more than 3,000 years of human history spanning the archaic period through European colonialism and post-colonial emancipation.

During the mid-1600s the island's history took on a darker tone, as Europeans arrived and enslaved islanders to toil in sugar cane plantations and rum distilleries. By 1733, there were 109 cane and cotton plantations covering the island. As the plantation economy grew, so did the demand for slaves, who were essential to sugar production. 

Under the auspices of the Danish West India Company, St. Thomas became the center of the slave trade with Africa.  But the slaves soon revolted, killing all the whites on the island in 1733. French troops from Martinique, not Danish troops, subdued the slaves.

Sugar production continued for more than a century, effectively ending with the emancipation of the slaves in 1848.

Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument abuts submerged lands that are part of Virgin Islands National Park. This tropical marine ecosystem includes mangroves, sea grass beds, coral reefs, octocoral hardbottom, sand communities, and algal plains, along with threatened and endangered species, like green and leatherback sea turtles, reef fish, dolphins, and sea birds.

Together, the two parks drew nearly 200,000 visitors in 2022 contributing more than $31 million to local economies.