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SEASONAL - Park Ranger (Wilderness/Trailhead)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Pacific West Region (Interior Regions 8,9,10 and 12) - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These positions are located in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, in the Visitor, Fire and Resource Protection Division. Open to the first 125 applicants or until 04/22/2025 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/14/2025 to 04/22/2025
This job will close when we have received 125 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$19.42 to - $25.25 per hour
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Locations
4 vacancies in the following locations:
Kings Canyon National Park, CA
Sequoia National Park, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Temporary - Not to exceed 1039 Hours
Work schedule
Multiple Schedules
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
PW-1549-SR-25-12722172-DE
Control number
835072000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

The Pacific West Region is recruiting for TEMPORARY seasonal positions not to exceed 1039 hours work in a service year. Dates of employment will vary depending on funding, weather conditions and visitation. Within regulatory limitations, the length of initial appointment may be shortened or extended depending on work availability and funding.

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Duties

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Multiple positions are being recruited in both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and for the Interagency Visitor Center in Inyo County. Positions include:

  • GS-05 Wilderness Rangers: Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs - stationed in wilderness.
  • GS-05 Trailhead Rangers: Sequoia NP (Ash Mountain, Mineral King, Lodgepole) and Kings Canyon NP (Cedar Grove, Grant Grove) with wilderness patrol.
The Wilderness/Trailhead Ranger conducts multi-night wilderness trail patrols to inform the visiting public about park facilities and resources. Contacts visitors to ensure compliance with permit requirements provides education regarding wilderness use and safety, gains voluntary compliance with regulations and provides assistance to visitors to enhance safety and enjoyment of their park visit.


The Trailhead Rangers write permits and provide informal interpretative education regarding Leave No Trace, minimum impact restrictions, and other pertinent information. Collects and manages government funds in accordance with law and policy. Independently evaluates resource impacts by visitors, commercial use operators and administrative users. Mitigates resource impacts by rehabilitating campsites. Gathers field data to document resources status. Reports on conditions that show wilderness resources deterioration or takes remedial actions. Makes recommendations regarding methods to mitigate more significant resource impacts. Provides emergency medical treatment to visitors and employees at the EMR certification level. Serves as a member of all-risk operations, e.g., search and rescue, wildland fire, etc. Performs emergency transports to medical facilities or arranges for such transportation. Independently provides a full range of non-commissioned visitor and resource protection activities within assigned area and throughout the park. Performs light maintenance of campsites, remote ranger stations, trails, signs, and equipment. Directs and coordinates volunteers, Student Conservation Association employees, interns, community work crew doing park projects, and other non-federal employees whose assignments are seasonal or project in nature. Fee collection may be required for some positions.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks represent an extraordinary continuum of ecosystems (96% designated wilderness) arrayed along the greatest vertical relief (1,370 to 14,505 feet elevation) of any protected area in the lower 48 states. They are the highest, most rugged reaches of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (including Mount Whitney at 14,500 feet elevation) and feature the world's largest trees - Giant Sequoias. Sequoia National Park is the nation's second oldest national park (established September 25, 1890) and encompasses 404,863 acres. Kings Canyon was established on March 4, 1940 and encompasses 458,847 acres. Both parks provide a wealth of recreational opportunities via 835 miles of trails, wild and scenic rivers, alpine lakes, and caves, along with a full range of overnight lodging prospects to choose from that include 14 campgrounds. For area information visit: https://www.nps.gov/seki/getinvolved/workwithus.htm.

Housing: Available rental housing units may include tent cabins, mobile homes, apartments, or traditional houses and housing/rooms will likely be shared with other employees, interns, volunteers, etc. Units may be rustic, located in wilderness areas, with few if any modern conveniences. Pets (other than service pets) and overnight guests are not allowed; units are to house assigned employees only.

Air Quality: Poor air quality afflicts Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, especially during summer months - generally May to October. High ozone levels may be the most harmful pollutant here. In summer months, concentrations often exceed the federal ozone health standards. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/airqualityinfo.htm.

Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is April- May, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: May 2025.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • 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.
  • Travel, transportation & relocation expenses will not be paid. Relocation expenses will be the employee's responsibility.

Qualifications

ll qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST or when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than04/22/2025 ).

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.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: Selectees must possess, or be able to obtain prior to entry on duty, a National Registry Emergency Medical Responder (NREMR) certification or higher (or state equivalent with the ability to obtain an NREMR certification). Certification MUST be reflected in application packet. NOTE: Wilderness First Responder (WFR) does NOT meet this standard.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 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-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; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological or historical preservation research work; forestry 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. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION:
Successful completion of at least four years of progressively higher level undergraduate education leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent undergraduate degree with major study, 24 semester hours of related course work, in natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, 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-

Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 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 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.

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.

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.

Additional information

Questions about this position:
John Phillips, john_phillips@nps.gov

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.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.

Physical Demands: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking, driving, bending, and the incumbent must have the ability to routinely carry backpacks of up to 50 pounds in steep terrain and in adverse weather conditions.

Working Conditions: The work is performed in a setting in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness, e.g., high or low temperatures, confined spaces or adverse weather conditions.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of two categories:

  • Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
  • Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Organizational Awareness, Public Safety and Security, and Technology Application

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