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Backcountry Visitor Technician

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Grand Canyon National Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Grand Canyon National Park, Lees Ferry duty station, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division.

Overview

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Job canceled
Open & closing dates
07/31/2024 to 08/07/2024
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$44,117 to - $63,733 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 7
Location
Grand Canyon National Park
Lees Ferry, AZ
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Career Seasonal (subject to periods of non-pay)
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
IM-1541-GRCA-24-12496474-EX
Control number
802425800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to applicants who have maintained a permanent and exclusive residence for a minimum of two years within the local commuting area of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ (90 miles from the park boundary excluding Flagstaff, AZ) Appointing Authority Schedule A, 213.3112(a)(1).

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Duties

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Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately January to mid-December, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year. The typical season can vary due to staffing needs and/or weather conditions.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Major Duties:
Promotes visitor safety, enjoyment, and protection of Grand Canyon through providing friendly advice, outstanding service, and permits. Provides visitors with general and detailed information and advice about wilderness river and backcountry travel, remote camping areas, trail specifics, Leave No Trace ethics, river and wilderness regulations, and suggestions for traveling during various and weather conditions and extremes. Responds to requests for permits, collects and remits fees, explains area recreational opportunities, shares expertise regarding permit procedures, discusses day hiking options, assists with trip planning, shares best practices for safely backpacking within the Grand Canyon, and operates a complex computer reservation system to track use. Communications with the public occur by email, in person, and over the telephone.

Lees Ferry Area Information:
The district encompasses approximately 10,000 acres of the Colorado River, Paria River and slick rock country ranging in elevation from 3,100 to 5,000 feet. Lee's Ferry is located 45 miles South of Page, Arizona and 130 miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona, the nearest larger community. Lee's Ferry looks out on beautiful Colorado River which offers boating, associated water sports recreation and fishing. The surrounding land offers beautiful red rock country for hiking and backcountry recreational activity. Lee's Ferry is centrally located to many other National Parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches and Canyonlands to name a few. Page offers normal community amenities such as shopping, medical and dental facilities, schools K-12 and college courses available through local Coconino Community College. The area enjoys typical high desert climate with temperatures ranging from 100 in summer to mid-teens in winter with low humidity and sunshine most days of the year. Elevation in Lee's Ferry is 3100 feet above sea level. Government housing may be available.

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.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/14/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you have the required specialized experience for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

To qualify for the GS-06 level:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector performing the following: (1) maintaining up-to-date knowledge and experience with various trails, camps, routes, or other recreational resources; (2) conducting safely multi-day backpacking trips; (3) assisting the public in planning visits to include recommending activities in the area; (4) reporting hazards to coworkers and supervisors for action.

To qualify for the GS-07 level:
Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-06 grade level or pay band in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector performing the following (1) informing backcountry users to conditions, regulations, and equipment needs; (2) applying best practices for safely and successfully backpacking over rough surfaces or steep inclines; (3) securing and/or denying backcountry or river permits for visitors; (4) teaching "Leave No Trace" principles to others to promote resource protection.

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

There is no substitution of education for experience at the grade level(s) of this announcement.

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.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The work includes both indoor and outdoor work. While indoor work is usually not strenuous, outdoor work regularly involves extensive hiking, often over rough surfaces or steep inclines carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. At times loads can weigh more than 50 pounds and be carried over very long distances.

Working Conditions: While the indoor environment is temperate, involving extended work at a computer or desk, the outdoor work often involves hiking with heavy loads on steep, uneven, and slippery terrain; takes place in extreme hot or cold conditions with tremendous height exposure. Risks, hazards, and common annoyances associated with National Park Service work are common.

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.

Qualified candidates will be issued to the selecting official. Veteran's preference applies and candidates demonstrating preference will be referred in preference order and considered before non-preference eligibles.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Adaptability
  • Customer Service
  • Oral Communication
  • Technical Competence

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