Park Ranger (General) (Seasonal)
What you'd do
You will perform various "generalist' duties" as a Park Ranger to facilitate visitor understanding and enjoyment of park resources, collect park fees, facilitate and induce visitor behavior consistent with resource protection and to gain friendly compliance with the laws and rules for safe use of park. Likely entry on duty: October 2026 - March 2027. Open to the first 300 applicants. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 (EST) on 07/20/2026 to be considered.
Major duties
You will perform a variety of generalist Park Ranger duties including, but not limited to: Making contact with visitors to greet, answer questions, provide information, and share safety messages. Collect park fees and may issue field permits for camping. Patrols of the park may be performed on foot, canoe, kayak, horseback or motor vehicle. Conduct educational programs to aid visitors (i.e. preventative search and rescue, preservation of natural and cultural resources, leave no trace, wildlife safety etc.) May conduct safety inspections/compliance and/or assist with trip planning May perform minor maintenance tasks and/or other administrative duties. Duties will be more complex at the GS-07 level.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/20/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience, your 2-page 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. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed. To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications: 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: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations; or other similar work. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four (4) years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of coursework in a related field, (Related fields of study include natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources.) You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience. For example, I have six months of specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and three years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) that equals 100% of the total requirement. You must include hours per week worked and include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications: 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). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include researching and conducting interpretative tours to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions, performing routine patrol operations; performing resource management tasks and duties supporting the mission of a park or area; providing visitor services such as explaining regulations, answering visitor questions and complaints and providing information about the weather conditions, trip planning, or leave no trace principles; assisting with car trouble, first aid or lost articles; or checking special use permits, commercial use authorizations, camping permits, filming permits or similar. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of one (1) full year of graduate level education in a related field, (Related fields of study include natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources.) One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours. You must include transcripts. -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of graduate education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then 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 hours per week worked and include transcripts. Note: This position includes money handling preference for optional consideration. Money handling requires a higher background check. Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: OPM Qualification Standards. 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: 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 rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies.
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