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Park Ranger (PSAR)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Inflation Reduction Act
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position being advertised is located at Chiricahua National Monument for the National Park Service in Willcox, Arizona.

See the "Duties" section for locations, salary and anticipated Term Not to Exceed (NTE) periods.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
11/27/2023 to 12/01/2023
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$38,311 to - $49,809 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Chiricahua National Monument
Willcox, AZ
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Not To Exceed 13 months, but with possible extensions.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
NPS-IRA-24-12208217-DE
Control number
761898900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

U.S. Citizens; Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)

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Duties

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This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition. Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. The National Park Service retains the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the regulation governing the number of years term appointments may last. This change, which may be made at the agency's sole discretion and without further competition, shall not be construed or interpreted as the granting of a right to a selectee or employee to such an extension. No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action.

The following park location is included in this announcement. See information for the Term period, salary and park location below:

Chiricahua
National Monument (CHIR)-Willcox, AZ-TERM-NTE: 4 years. Salary Range -$38,311 to $49, 809 Per Year
Government housing may be available. A "Wonderland of Rocks" is waiting for you to explore at Chiricahua National Monument. The 8-mile paved scenic drive and 17-miles of day-use hiking trails provide opportunities to discover the beauty, natural sounds, and inhabitants of this 12,025-acre site. Visit the Faraway Ranch Historic District to discover more about the people who have called this area home. Learn more about CHIR at Chiricahua National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Major Duties:

  • Conduct regularly scheduled Preventive Search and Rescue (PSAR) patrols of various park resources, such as backcountry and/or wilderness areas, park trails, campgrounds, parking lots, roads, etc. in accordance with well-established procedures and precedents.
  • Develop and present formal and informal PSAR-related educational programs and/or media using well-defined prescribed outlines, guidelines, and commonly occurring educational practices, techniques, and tools delivered in-person and through educational media and technology.
  • Conduct straightforward research on well-established PSAR-related topics (e.g., frostbite, hiking safety, heat illness, accident prevention, sanitation) and synthesize the knowledge gained from research to develop and deliver educational PSAR experiences based on the direct application of established policies, practices, and criteria.
  • Serve as a member of a Search and Rescue (SAR) Team on events that may require trail response, ground/hasty searches, helicopter evacuations, body recoveries, and/or litter carries. Follow well-defined instructions and clearly established practices and precedents to support the extraction, evacuation, and stabilization of rescued visitors and/or personnel.
  • Rove park areas and provide visitors with information and education to ensure their safety, obtain their cooperation, and facilitate safe visitor use of park resources.
  • Perform basic first aid intervention, basic CPR, and universal precautions for self-protection.
Additional duties include: Resource Monitoring, Outreach Activities, Data Collection, Property inventory/ maintenance, customer service.

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 submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
  • You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties.
  • You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • 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 will be required to complete a one-year trial period.
  • You will be required to possess a basic first aid and CPR certification.
  • Required pre-employment and periodic physical examinations.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties, pass a medical examination, and pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB). The PEB is a fitness test consisting of five different components: 1) agility run - measures the ability to get up from the ground and sprint while changing directions; 2) bench press - measures upper body strength for one repetition; 3) 1.5 mile run - measures cardio/respiratory fitness; 4) sit and reach - measures flexibility in the lower back, legs and shoulders; and 5) body composition - measures body fat. Prior to appointment, selectees will be tested in all five components, and must pass the agility run, bench press and 1.5 mile run in the 25th percentile.
  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-12/01/2023-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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.

Applicants must possess at least 1 of the following minimum qualifications with Experience or Education or Combination as follows:

EXPERIENCE: 1 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), performing work that provided broad knowledge of resource protection, resource education, and public use management. Examples where this experience could have been gained include serving as a park guide or tour leader; conducting law enforcement or investigative work; responding to emergencies, archaeological or historical preservation work; forestry or fire management; daily operations of a recreation site; patrolling areas to ensure compliance requirements; investigating trespassing/damages to property; assisting in performing emergency services such as search and rescue or medical services; providing information to the public pertaining to permits, educational resources, and/or safety information or similar operations.

-OR-

EDUCATION:
4 years of education above H.S (120 semester hours or 180 qtr. hrs) leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hrs of course work 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). See Education section; one year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours. You must include a copy of your transcripts. Must include copy of transcripts.

-OR-

Equivalent combination of education and experience. Must include copy of 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.

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

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.

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

Physical Demands: This position includes a mixture of duties and responsibilities that can be both sedentary as well as extremely physically demanding. Positions assigned responsibility for patrols, all-hazard incident response, search and rescue, etc. may require extended periods of standing, walking, hiking, riding, and carrying of heavy items weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances, to include safety and rescue supplies for injured/ill park visitors. Employees who participate in all-hazard incident operations in certain roles may be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.

Working Conditions: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g., exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.

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 three 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 evaluated on the following competencies:
  • Education and Training
  • First Response
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Leadership
  • Oral Communication
  • Stress Tolerance

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