Park Guide (Traffic Control) (Seasonal)

About the role

The typical seasonal period is May to November but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Seasonal Staffing Office-Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is April-May. Open to the first 150 applicants or until 11/23/2026 whichever comes first.

All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

What you will do

• These positions are located at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the Division of Interpretation, Education and Partnerships, and are supervised by the parks' Transportation Specialist.
• These parks receive significant visitation (~1.7 million annually) and administratively are among the most complex units of the National Park Service.
• These parks include some 550 permanent and temporary federal employees as well as over 1,000 volunteers who provide a wide range of public service and support operations which are similar to operations more typically found in a municipal city.
• These are five major divisions, each of which is further subdivided into functional branches.
• Duties: Monitors vehicular traffic levels against pedestrian traffic and controls intersections with regards to safety and smooth flow of vehicles.
• Monitors parking lots, directing vehicles including buses and recreational vehicles to appropriate parking stalls.
• Answers a variety of visitor questions.
• Explains regulations to park visitors and provides information and advice on park activities and cultural, historic, and/or natural resources history and location.
• Provides public orientation and explanations of current park events and informs visitors of potential safety hazards.
• Provides a wide range of services to visitors, including assistance with lost articles, lost parties, car trouble, and first aid (within parameters of current certification); and provides information about weather conditions, highway routes, park and concessioner facilities, and prices.
• Reports to supervisor public use/recreation/traffic violations or individual visitor use problems or problematic trends, describes extent of problem and makes on the spot corrections whenever appropriate, reports names of witnesses and/or involved persons when possible.
• Anticipates traffic/parking management problems and suggestions to immediate supervisor.
• Physical Demands: The work demands long periods of standing in a fixed stations or walking-sometimes in extreme weather conditions.
• Occasional climbing and descending steep inclines, bending, and lifting moderately heavy items in a repetitive motion are required.
• Occasionally, light to moderate hiking is required on developed and primitive park trails, up to six miles in length and elevation gains of up to 600 feet.
• Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts, occasional emergency responses, and repetitive nature of interpretive programs.
• Intense concentration is required during stressful situations and working at full effort for several hours at a time.
• May be required to perform these duties for long periods without rest or relief.
• Incumbent must be able to speak clearly and use a handheld radio.
• Work typically requires the daily operation of a motor vehicle on steep mountainous roads.
• Working Conditions: The outdoor work will be performed at elevations from approximately 1,300 feet to 8,000 feet resulting in exposure to rain, snow, wind and direct sunlight.
• Traffic Control work will be performed primarily on blacktop and pavement.
• Field work includes exposure to extreme weather conditions, steep and uneven terrain, pesticides, poisonous plants, biting insects, and wild animals.
• 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: ***
• The person(s) in this position work(s) closely with staff in the 0025 - Park Ranger series.
• There may be opportunities for the person(s) in this position to provide interpretive programming (such as interpretive talks, evening campfire programs, and guided walks), to the public, depending on interest and ability.
• 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: ***

Requirements

• 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.
• Must be able to lift 30 pounds.
• Travel, transportation & relocation expenses will not be paid.
• Relocation expenses will be the employee's responsibility.
• 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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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 lowered and/or adjusted accordingly.

If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. 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. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, 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.

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 the following categories: Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position.

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 assessed in the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Customer Service Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Technical Competence If fewer than three eligible and available candidates per vacancy result, the agency will expand the group of candidates in accordance with the pre-announced supplement strategy and 5 CFR 332.402(f).

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

Documents you must provide

• Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time).
• Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank.
• Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted.
• The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text.
• All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression.
• Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
• Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements.
• If you have federal experience, you should include series, and grade for each position held, and if experience is part of a career ladder position, you must clearly distinguish the job duties and length of time working for each grade level.
• More information on how to write a Federal Resume: *** Complete All Required Assessment.
• All college transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
• Please submit both undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, as applicable.
• Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable.
• Veterans must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (member 4 copy) or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15.
• If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Parent or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15.
• You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from *** or call ***.
• If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active-duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
• Interagency Career Transition (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP): You MUST submit proof of eligibility including 1) copy of the agency notice, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc.; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal.
• To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be well qualified.
• For more information visit: USAJOBS Help Center - Career Transition Programs (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL).
• Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.
• It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
• Do not submit photographs with your application package.
• Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from all documents.
• Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents.
• Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

What to expect next

Please refer to your USAJOBS account for application status; the Human Resources Office cannot respond to individual status inquiries. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position.

After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application. You can find your path with the Department of Interior at *** Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.

We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background checks, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the Human Resources Office posting this announcement. Applicants will get a response from this announcement by approximately December 2026 - January 2027.

Additional information

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. Government Housing is available.

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

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP).

To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified, score at least 85 (i.e., meet the minimum qualification requirements, including any selective placement factors; education, and experience requirements), and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry.