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Park Ranger (Protection)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Summary

This announcement is intended for applicants who have prior sworn law enforcement experience and who qualify to attend the National Park Service (NPS) Basic Academy Bridge Training Program in lieu of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), Land Management Police Training (see Qualifications section).

This is an excepted service appointment, that confers competitive status after two years and upon meeting all performance and OPM qualification requirements.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
01/12/2026 to 01/16/2026
Salary
$74,116 to - $95,639 per year

An additional 3% cost of living allowance (COLA) will be added to the salary above. Pay is subject to annual review and adjustment.

Pay scale & grade
GL 9
Location
Bartlett Cove, AK
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
50% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - This is a career-seasonal appointment. See the "Qualifications" section for clarification.
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
AK-1537-GLBA-26-12862603-LH
Control number
854126000

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is being filled via the Alaska Nat'l Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), local hire authority (16 USC 3198). Any U.S. Citizen who has acquired special knowledge or expertise regarding the natural or cultural resources of Glacier Bay Nat'l Park & Preserve, by reason of having lived or worked in or near the unit may apply. To be eligible your resume must clearly show periods of time having lived or worked in or near the area of consideration (see qualifications section).

Duties

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Duties of the position include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Enforce Federal laws, regulations and policies; patrol front country and backcountry sites.
  • Emergency response, 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, and historic buildings).
  • 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.
  • Conduct law enforcement investigations into misdemeanor violations; under the supervision of a Type I commissioned personnel, investigate felony violations and fatalities.
  • Conduct law enforcement investigations into misdemeanor, felony violations and fatalities.
  • Provide specialized knowledge of resource protection, resource education, and public use management.

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Additional Requirement:

  • Prior to selection or 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. Learn more about the PEB here.
    • You can look up required scores for your age and gender for PEB here.
    • Learn more about the Medical Standards Program here.
    • Learn more about FLETC Physical Performance Requirements (PPRs) here.

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.
  • Subject to a pre-employment medical exam and drug test; must pass the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB).
  • Required to attend & successfully complete the NPS Basic Academy Bridge Training Program and Field Training and Evaluation Program (see Qualifications section for more information).
  • Must successfully complete agency-sponsored training to obtain an NPS Type I Law Enforcement Commission.
  • Will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
  • Must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
  • 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.
  • Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; also pass a pre-employment medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
  • 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 may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle.
  • You must be able to lift a minimum of 50 pounds.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
*Additional Requirements located under the duties and qualifications sections*

Qualifications

Requirements Continued...

  • You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.
  • Applicants must be at least 21 years old.
  • Must not have reached your 37th birthday prior to employment.
  • Exception to mandatory age requirement: Applicants who have prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57 OR if an applicant is a qualified veteran and is preference eligible, in which case the mandatory entry age is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service.
  • Subject to a respirator fit test. Respirators must be worn in compliance with 29 CFR 1910.134, which requires a good facial seal.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 nights per month.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
  • Within two years of appointment, you must obtain and maintain a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician certification.
  • Within two years of appointment, you must obtain and maintain a Structural Firefighter Level I and II certification.
  • You will be required to operate a small watercraft less than 26 feet in length. Operation includes transport of personnel (including visitors), tools, materials and supplies to job and work sites. In performing this duty, you will be required to have a current Department of Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course (DOI-MOCC) certificate.
  • Eligible for conversion to competitive service after two years and upon meeting all requirements.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a two-year trial period, during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:
  • your performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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 mid-December to mid-November, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year.

Additional Information: NPS Basic Academy Bridge Training Program and Field Training & Evaluation Program (FTEP) Information -If selected, you are required to attend and pass the 4-week Bridge Training at the Albright Training Center, South Rim, Grand Canyon, AZ (location subject to change). Housing and per diem will be provided. You will be employed and paid by your park while attending training. Upon Bridge Training completion, you must complete and pass the required FTEP. FTEP may or may not occur at your employing park. Failure of the Bridge Training or FTEP may result in termination of employment or a requirement to attend a full basic academy.

If your Police Training Program is not eligible for the NPS Basic Academy Bridge Course, you will be required to attend and complete the FLETC, Land Management Police Training.


All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 01/16/2026 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify:
  • This is a primary position covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, and must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Two exceptions are allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; or 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible, in which case the MEA is waived and their corresponding retirement age may be higher than 57 after completing 20 years of service.
  • Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by 01/16/2026.
  • Applicants must have worked in a sworn officer position within the last 3 years AND successfully completed a Police Training Program certified by, sponsored by, or approved by, a local, state, tribal, or Federal agency, or by the military, OR must have successfully completed a Police Training Program certified by, sponsored by, or approved by, a local, state, tribal, or Federal agency, or by the military within the last 3 years.
-AND-

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Special knowledge or expertise concerning the park's or preserve's natural and/or cultural resources and the management thereof is required. Local knowledge of the resources and the typical conditions that affect the work to be accomplished will be applied in the performance of duties.

-AND-

To be eligible your resume must clearly show periods of time having lived or worked in or near the area of consideration. The area of consideration can be found in the below paragraph.

Areas considered "near" Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is the area within the State of Alaska that extends from Dixon Entrance on the south to Icy Bay on the north. (See map of local hire geographic area)

-ALSO-

The following are the competencies identified for this position. Applicants are not required to address these competencies in a separate document but are encouraged to include in their resumes experience related to these competencies.
  1. Knowledge of a full range of advanced law enforcement techniques and procedures: including patrol operations, law enforcement, and criminal investigations.
  2. Knowledge of investigative principals and techniques sufficient to perform investigations, interviews, interrogation, and able to establish probable cause and reasonable suspicion to conduct searches and make arrests and seizures under the various laws and regulations enforced.
  3. Knowledge of the rules of evidence and methods used to maintain the evidence chain of custody (e.g., Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure).
  4. Knowledge of and efficiency in the use of firearms, non-lethal weapons, self-defense techniques, control methods, electronic surveillance, intrusion detection devices, and communication devices.
  5. Knowledge of search and rescue (SAR) activities, techniques and procedures including the organization, theory, planning, and operation of various types of land, sea, lake, river, wilderness mountain, and urban searches or rescues as required.
  6. Skill in dealing effectively and tactfully with a diverse range of people (including distraught and hostile individuals) under stressful emergency situations.

Education

There is no substitution of education for the required special knowledge or expertise concerning the park's or preserve's natural and/or cultural resources and the management thereof as outlined in 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.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position may be suitable for occasional telework with prior supervisory approval and following all rules and regulations.

Physical Demands: Requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as running in pursuits or emergency responses, long periods of standing, walking, driving, bending, stooping, reaching, crawling, and similar activities, on uneven, steep, rough, slippery, and/or rugged terrain. Strenuous exertion is frequently required in search and rescue, medical and related emergency. Lifting or carrying equipment weighing over 50 pounds, such as emergency equipment, or search and rescue equipment is required. In some assignments heavy packs may have to be carried long distances over mountainous, desert, or snow-covered terrain.

Duties involve performing physically rigorous assignments, often in isolated outdoor environments, frequently while exposed to severe weather conditions. Requires common physical characteristics and abilities in agility and dexterity and the strength to pursue, apprehend, and detain uncooperative suspects. Required to meet and continuously maintain the physical/medical standards as set forth in the requirements of D.O. #57. There is a physical, mental and emotional high stress component to much of the incumbent's work assignment.

Working Conditions: The work is performed outdoors in all kinds of weather and climatic conditions for various hours of the day and night and for prolonged periods during emergency situations. Frequently exposed to high-risk and potentially dangerous situations in law enforcement and emergency situations requiring use of a wide range of personal protective gear, adherence to specific safety procedures and other precautions. Long periods of surveillance work may be required in cramped, or unpleasant locations and under unpleasant conditions. Shift work is often required. Required to operate motor vehicles of various types. Emergency law enforcement operations will require entry into hazardous environments, exposure to dangerous persons; animals; and substances, and potential exposure to infectious diseases.

Government housing is not available.

All travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the sole responsibility of the selectee.

Alaska currently does not have a state income tax.

Selectee may be moved between duty stations within park boundaries.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents, responses to the questions in the assessment). If your resume does not reflect having lived / worked within the area of consideration, if your responses to the questions in the assessment do not reflect special knowledge of the natural and/or cultural resources of the park or preserve, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible' or 'not qualified'.

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.

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