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Park Ranger (River Patrol)

Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management

Summary

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our most precious resource.


This position is located in El Dorado Hills, California. Visit El Dorado Hills, CA for information about the surrounding area.

We expect to fill 1 vacancy, additional vacancies may be filled.

Note: This is not a Law Enforcement positions.

This is a temporary appointment, and will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/12/2026 to 03/26/2026
This job will close when we have received 25 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$45,155 to - $72,716 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
El Dorado Hills, CA
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
Multiple
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
7
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
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CATEMP-26-12904413-JP
Control number
861030000

Duties

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  • Responds to emergency situations, including swift river rescue and administering first aid. Safely row a 15-16 foot raft in whitewater rapids rated on the International Scale from Class III to V.
  • Patrols and inspects facilities ensuring compliance with rules and regulations. Conducts safety inspections and records visitor-related incidents.
  • Advises visitors concerning safety, fire prevention, amenities available, and proper and authorized uses of recreational facilities. Prepares recreation areas/sites for visitor use, to include planning, operation, and required maintenance.
  • Develops interpretive programs, conducting independent and in-depth research of topics. Monitors condition of sites and natural/cultural resources; ensuring protection of property from natural depredation.
  • Works with the public to provide information, conduct permit compliance and safety inspections, and conduct river patrols. Ensures facilities and customer use areas are free of visible safety hazards.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Be sure to read the 'How to Apply' and 'Required Documents' Sections.
  • You cannot hold an active real estate license: nor can you have an interest or hold stocks in firms with interest in Federal Lands.
  • Direct Deposit Required.
  • Appointment will be subject to a favorably adjudicated background/suitability investigation/determination.
  • Your resume must contain enough information to show that you meet the qualification requirements as defined in the announcement. In addition, your responses to the questions must adequately reflect in your resume.
  • You must be 18 years of age or older to be assigned to a hazardous position.
  • An applicant appointed to this position must possess and maintain a valid state driver's license while employed in this position.
  • This is a bargaining unit position.

Qualifications

Selective Placement Factors: This position requires a special qualification that has been determined to be essential to perform the duties and will be used as a screen out element. Those who do not provide evidence they possess the following selective factor(s) will be rated not qualified:

-You must have the skill and expertise to safely row a 15-16 foot raft in whitewater rapids rated on the International Scale from Class III to V. This information must be present in your resume along with the River(s) you safely navigated the 15-16 foot raft and the number of years. Failure to provide this information may result in disqualification.

- You must demonstrate knowledge of whitewater rescue techniques to include swift water swimming, recognition of swift water hazards, knowledge of shallow and deep water crossings, and rescue problems.

- You must demonstrate the ability to lift and move objects weighting over 50 pounds.

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience.

GS-5 Park Ranger River Patrol: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-04 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: explaining regulations to park visitors; providing information and advice on park activities and resources; collecting fees; issuing reservations and permits; conducting guided tour programs; maintaining recreation facilities or trails; or monitoring special recreation permits.. Your experience must include navigating through Class III-V whitewater rapids. OR a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related course work. OR A combination of experience and education to meet total experience.

GS-7 Park Ranger River Patrol: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience at or equivalent to the GS-05 level that is equivalent in difficulty and complexity as indicated by the following examples: experience as park guide or tour leader; archaeological or historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations; planning day to day operation of a recreation area providing such facilities as camping, water sports, picnic areas, or coordinating routine activities with maintenance personnel; advising visitors concerning safety, fire prevention, and proper and authorized uses of recreational facilities. Your experience must include navigating through Class III-V whitewater rapids. OR Successful completion of one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (i.e. related course work). OR A combination of experience and education to meet total experience.

Superior Academic Achievement (See OPM's General Policies, Application of Qualification Standards Section 4.f.) S.A.A. must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled.

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.

You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement.

Physical Demands: The work is performed mostly outdoors in rugged terrain; to include very steep, wet, muddy, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces and requires physical exertion such as, standing for long periods of time, bending, crouching and stooping, digging, hiking, lifting, biking, stretching, reaching, or similar activities. Work may involve early morning hours, night hours, or daytime hours and may require working on holidays. It can require carrying heavy backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads.

Work Environment: Work will be performed outdoors in all types of weather conditions, terrain, and elevations. May take place in extremely remote environment to require camping and living skills for up to two weeks in duration. Indoor duties are performed in a normal office setting.

Education

Applicants may qualify for these positions based on experience, education, or an equivalent combination as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement.

If using education to qualify, you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. See Required Documents section for more information.

Additional information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit E-Verify.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): These programs apply to employees who have been involuntarily separated from a Federal service position within the competitive service or Federal service employees whose positions have been deemed surplus or no longer needed. To receive selection priority, you must: 1) meet CTAP or ICTAP eligibility criteria; 2) be rated well qualified for the position with a score of 85 or above; and 3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your CTAP or ICTAP eligibility. For more information: CTAP or ICTAP

Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered for Selective Service

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee.

This position is not eligible for Telework.

All positions may not be filled or they may be filled at different times depending on budget, hiring needs, and requirements. These positions are temporary and are expected to last for up to 6 months. These positions have no promotion potential, if you want to be considered for a higher grade you must apply for the higher grade.

If selected from this announcement you may be rehired for identical positions without further competition based on work needs, funding, or any other condition of employment.

If selected from this or a similar competitive, seasonal announcement, your appointment may be creditable for consideration under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)?. The Act allows certain individuals, who have or had time-limited appointments at land management agencies, to compete for any permanent position in the competitive service under "internal" merit promotion procedures. For more information, see the section under Eligibility, which starts with Question #15 (Q15. Who is eligible for appointment under these provisions?).

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.

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. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. 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.

Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. Qualified applicants will be placed in one of three predefined categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Candidates placed in the Best Qualified category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview.

Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Stress Tolerance


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of the following additional assessment: USA Hire assessment.

If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements.

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