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Summary

These permanent GS-0090-05 Park Guide positions are located at the parks listed below.
*Please see "Duties" section for more information about Career-Seasonal appointments.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Posted this week · Apply by 06/25/26
Due by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 25, 2026
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$40,736 - $52,957 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
NPS-SHARED-26-12976965-DE
Control number
872812000

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Duties

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As a uniformed employee of the National Park Service, the incumbent serves as a front-line park representative. They provide information, give interpretive tours, and educational programming to the public. The primary purpose of this position is to provide guide services to visitors.

Major Duties:

  • Answering questions on a variety of subjects.
  • Guiding small groups and providing services to visitors.
  • Present limited and repetitive pre-established talks including introductions to films, map talks, and static exhibit interpretation.
  • Orient hikers to conditions and equipment needs.
  • Performs duties, including programs, that require application of broad subject-matter knowledge of the park.
  • May guide larger groups (up to 50 people) on longer walks or programs.
  • Provide a wide range of services for park visitors.
  • Collection of Fees will be an additional duty for both Golden Spike National Historical Park & Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

Career Seasonal Information:

The parks listed as "Career-Seasonal" appointments are permanent positions subject to scheduled periods of non-pay each year. Career-Seasonal appointments include the same benefits as year-round Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. The following are the Career Seasonal schedules:

  • Golden Spike National Historical Park
    • Selectee can expect to be in non-pay status for a maximum of 8 pay periods (16 weeks) each year, scheduled between early November and late February.
  • Vicksburg National Military Park
    • Selectee can expect to be in non-pay status for a maximum of 2 pay periods (4 weeks) each year, scheduled sometime in February.


Physical Demands: The work requires standing for long periods of time, walking for long distances, climbing and descending steep inclines, bending, and lifting moderately heavy items. Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts, occasional emergency responses, and repetitive nature of interpretive programs.

Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions.

The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster, with supervisory approval.

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.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
  • DIRECT DEPOSIT: Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • DRIVER'S LICENSE: 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.
  • UNIFORM: You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • WORK SCHEDULE: You may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime. As a Park Guide, your tour of duty will include working weekends.
  • TRAVEL: You may be required to travel overnight away from home rarely to occasionally, depending on location. You may be required to obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • Government/Park housing is not available.
  • 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.
  • PROBATIONARY PERIOD: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period. For more information regarding Probationary Periods, please see "Qualifications" section below.
*Additional Requirements located under Qualifications*

Qualifications

Requirements Continued...

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated. This probationary 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 probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
______________________________________________________________________

QUALIFICATIONS:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-06/25/2026-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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-5 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized Experience is experience that involved oral presentation of historical, scientific, or program information to groups; or developing and/or revising technical, historical, or scientific information for oral presentation to groups. Your resume must show hours per week worked AND the to/from dates in month/year format for each position.

Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Park Guide or tour leader; naturalist; environmental educator or teacher; or other similar work.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, such as: American history, science, public speaking, parks and recreation, education, or communications. If using education to qualify, you must upload a legible copy of your college transcripts that includes your name, credit hours, and degree awarded.

-OR-

COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (75% of the qualifying education) as specified in B above, equals greater than 100% of the total requirement. If using education to qualify, you must upload a legible copy of your college transcripts that includes your name, courses, and credit hours completed.

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.


AREA INFOMATION:

Golden Spike National Historical Park: commemorates the completion of the nation's first Transcontinental railroad and honors the stories that resulted in one of the most significant historical events to shape the destiny of the United States, located at Promontory Summit, approximately 32 miles west of Brigham City, Utah. Annual precipitation averages 8 to 12 inches, mostly in the form of snow. Daytime temperatures range from the 20s and 30s in winter to an occasional 100+ in the summer. A variety of housing options are available in the surrounding communities approximately 30 miles from the site, as well as medical facilities, shopping, movie theaters, banks, churches, elementary and high schools.

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site: is in rural Eads, CO. The park comprises approximately 7,000 acres of tallgrass prairie centered on the 1864 site of the Cheyenne and Arapaho village on Sand Creek. The story that the site preserves is of the massacre of a peaceful village by Colorado Cavalry on November 29, 1864. The site remains a place of great significance to the descendants of the victims of the massacre and their representative tribes, and for the commemoration of their ancestors. The canyons and plains area of Southeastern Colorado features open vistas, beautiful sunsets, and warm-to-hot summers, which are normally breezy and not too humid. Rainfall may be spotty, but brief summer downpours occasionally occur. Thunderstorms and more severe weather, while rare, can happen between spring and fall. Winter temps in SW Colorado can range from cool to cold, with rare but possible sub-zero temps. Winter storms, with blowing and drifting snow may occur between late October and mid-April. The nearest community is the Town of Eads (pop. 650). Rental housing can be limited but moderately priced. The City of Lamar is approx. 36 miles away (pop. 7,656) with additional amenities.

Vicksburg National Military Park preserves and tells the story of the Civil War Campaign for Vicksburg, the history of Vicksburg from 1862 through Reconstruction, and Vicksburg National Cemetery. This turning point in American history helped determine the outcome of the Civil War, and its impacts continue to be relevant today. Both Union and Confederate governments saw extreme importance in Vicksburg and its role in protecting the Mississippi River. Victory here gave the Union Army control of the Mississippi River. The Military Park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, making it one of the largest collections of outdoor art in the world. The Military Park is in the vibrant city of Vicksburg, MS (pop. 40,000 people living in the city and surrounding area) offering plenty of amenities including restaurants, grocery stores, doctors, hospital, daycare, and robust housing market. The closest airport is located in Jackson, MS (40 mi. east), with New Orleans and Memphis approximately 3 hours away.

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.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Occupational Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions may 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.

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

  • Occupational Reading Assessment
  • Occupational Interaction Assessment

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

National Park Service

Please visit find a park for additional park information.

Agency contact information

Meredith Hanson
Email
meredith_hanson@ios.doi.gov
Address
National Park Service - Shared Recruitment
1849 C. Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
US

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https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm

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