Park Ranger (Protection) (Seasonal)

About the role

Park Ranger (Protection) (Seasonal) apply laws and regulations to protect both visitors and resources of our public lands and ensure a safe visitor experience through patrols, emergency response, and investigations. You may select up to SEVEN locations. Not all locations may be hiring for all grades.

These are temporary appointments. These positions will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year.

What you will do

• Projected Entry on Duty Dates for Locations: Colorado National Monument, Fruita, Colorado: May 2027 Curecanti National Recreation Area, Gunnison, Colorado: April 2027 Dinosaur National Monument, Dinosaur, Colorado: April 2027 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Montrose, Colorado: April 2027 Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Mosca, Colorado: April 2027 Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Fort Smith, Montana: April 2027 Glacier National Park, Saint Mary, Montana: April 2027 Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana: April 2027 El Malpais National Monument, Grants, New Mexico: April 2027 Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, Utah: April 2027 Dinosaur National Monument, Jensen, Utah: April 2027 Devils Tower National Monument, Devils Tower, Wyoming: April 2027 Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Lovell, Wyoming: April 2027 Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming: May 2027 Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: April 2027 Pay rates vary depending on location.
• Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay.
• If a special rate salary applies, you will receive the higher salary.
• Park Ranger (Protection) Standard Duties: Enforce federal laws, regulations and policies.
• Patrol front country and backcountry sites.
• Emergency response (utilizing Incident Command System) including medical services, search and rescue, and wildland/structural fire suppression.
• Facilitate visitor stewardship and orientation; wilderness management; boundary enforcement; protection of natural and cultural resources (e.g. wildlife, plants, archaeological sites, historic buildings).
• Proactively protects park resources from all forms of degradation.
• Assist with preliminary investigations of felonies, crimes and violations of park rules, public use, safety requirements, and motor vehicle accidents.
• Crowd control activities.
• Proactively protects park resources from all forms of degradation.
• Additional duties for GS-7: The incumbent will independently conduct law enforcement investigations into misdemeanor violations.
• Under the supervision of a Type I commissioned personnel, investigate felony violations and fatalities.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizenship or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• Must possess or be able to obtain a National Park Service Type II Law Enforcement (LE) Commission.
• Must possess a National Registry or State issued EMT certification in order to receive consideration for LE Ranger (EMT).
• Must pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) prior to start date.
• Pre-employment medical exam and drug testing are required.
• You must be at least 21 years old.
• You must be free of any domestic violence convictions.
• Occupancy of government quarters may be required at some locations and you will be notified during the candidate review of the hiring process.
• Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed.
• You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards.
• You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and/or shift work.
• You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties.
• Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle.
• You will also submit a photocopy of your valid State issued driver's license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists.
• Lastly, you may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
• Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver's license.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience.

Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position.

Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.

Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. ***

How you will be evaluated

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. 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. 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: Criminal Law Interpersonal Skills Public Safety and Security Writing

Documents you must provide

• ALL required documentation must be submitted to receive full consideration for eligibilities and veterans' preference selected.
• The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/09/2026: Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format and indicate hours worked per week (or 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.
• 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 Assessments Questionnaire.
• Documentation for required commission and/or certifications.
• All College Transcript(s), if qualifying based on education.
• Please submit both undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, as applicable.
• Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as: Veterans Preference Documentation: If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15.
• If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
• 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.
• If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother 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 *** to establish proof of disability.
• Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan (I/CTAP): If you are applying under I/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 or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
• 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

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging in to your USAJOBS account as we will not be responding to inquiries about the status of applications as long as the system has been updated. Many similar positions are advertised by various offices.

You MUST apply to each announcement for consideration.

Officials may hire at any grade level, location or work schedule. All positions may or may not be filled. Dates and length of employment will vary between sites depending on funding, weather conditions, and visitation.

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.

If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement will be used to fill one or more additional selections at any time without notification.

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 1039 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 1039/1560 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1039/1560 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 1039/1560 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039/1560 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Rigorous field work requires above average physical performance, endurance and superior conditioning.

This includes prolonged standing, walking over uneven ground, and recurring bending, reaching, lifting and carrying of items weighing over 50 pounds and shared lifting and carrying of heavier items, and similar strenuous activities requiring agility and dexterity. Duties often involve working in isolated outdoor environments while exposed to severe weather conditions.

Dangerous persons must be physically confronted, subdued, and apprehended, many of whom are known to carry weapons. There is a high-stress component associated with much of the incumbent's work assignment. WORK ENVIRONMENT: Duties require extended periods of outdoor work and exposure to conditions including temperatures well below freezing to 100+ degrees Fahrenheit.

Investigations are conducted on foot, in four-wheel drive vehicles, or other forms of conveyance in remote backcountry settings. Emergency service and law enforcement work requires entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons, animals, and substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases.

Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions. A wide range of personal protective equipment and clothing is required to be used, some of which may be uncomfortable, hot or inconvenient to wear. Adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions is required.

Backcountry Ranger - Jenny Lake District, Grand Teton National Park Works in rugged mountain wilderness requiring advanced mountaineering skills, including travel on steep snow and ice with an ice axe and crampons. Conducts 3-8-day patrols across elevations up to 12,500 feet, gaining as much as 6,500 feet and carrying packs weighing up to 50 pounds over rough terrain.

Hikes up to 30 miles per day and uses extensive knowledge of the Teton backcountry and current conditions to assist visitors.