Job Information
National Park Service Park Ranger (Climbing) in Estes Park, Colorado
Summary These positions may be filled for a six-month seasonal period, but can vary due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: April-May 2025. For more information about these positions, please contact Mike_Lukens@nps.gov. For more park(s) information, select "Learn more about this agency" below: Responsibilities Be a successful applicant. Watch this 5 minute video to learn how to create a federal resume. Incumbents will be working in an Alpine environment where traditional climbing skills are required. Applicants must be able to lead climb Grade IV,5.9, A2. Incumbents will be required to provide a current National Registry EMT-B/EMT EMS certification (or higher) for GS-07 positions by entrance on duty date. Incumbents will perform backcountry/climbing patrols, search and rescue response throughout the East District of Rocky Mountain National Park. In addition to search and rescue and emergency medical services, the individuals will also patrol the backcountry to monitor trail and campsite conditions, share information with the public to promote climber/backcountry user safety, and staff visitor contact stations to provide information to park users. Individuals will perform a variety of resource/backcountry/wilderness management duties including site cleanup and restoration, hazard tree identification and/or removal, trail and sign maintenance, and visitor impact monitoring. Area Information: Established on January 29, 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park is a living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The park embraces 415 square miles of pristine, uninhabited mountains in north-central Colorado and, as such, is one of the most spectacular, yet easily accessible high mountain areas in North America. With elevations ranging from 7,800 feet at park headquarters to 14,259 feet at the summit of Longs Peak, the park has glacier-sculptured valleys, rugged gorges, alpine lakes, and vast areas of alpine tundra. Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous road in the United States, stays above tree line for 11 miles and reaches 12,183 feet in elevation. Elk, deer, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and smaller animals are found throughout the park, as well as threatened and endangered species, such as the Greenback Cutthroat Trout and Boreal Toad. Due to the park's easy accessibility to the Front Range communities of Colorado, Rocky experiences over 4 million visitors annually. This position will be filled on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The nearest community is Estes Park, CO, which has K-12 schools, a post office, restaurants, medical facilities, and grocery stores. Denver, CO which has a major airport, cultural events, and several professional sports teams is a two-hour drive away. Limited government housing may be available. Requirements 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 may 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/or shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home occasionally. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. 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. If selected for a position/location 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. These positions require National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification or higher to perform emergency medical response. 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-12/06/2024-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. SELECTIVE FACTOR: These positions perform alpine climbing patrols, search and rescue, and emergency response, and both selective factors must be met. You must provide documentation supporting EMT or higher certification and climbing experience. Candidates who do not meet these requirements will receive no further consideration for this position. Certification at the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or higher and Climbing experience of leading traditional alpine climbs at Grade IV, 5.9, A2 - AND - MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 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 of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Examples of specialized experience include: performing backcountry and/or alpine climbing patrols; performing technical rope rescues in an alpine environment or performing search and rescue operations in a wilderness or alpine environment, and monitoring backcountry/wilderness use by the evaluation and mitigation of potential resource damage, law enforcement/investigative, archeological/historical preservation, or forestry/fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area. You must include hours per week in your resume. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate level education that is related to the position. For example: natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, 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. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. One year of graduate education is typically 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours. You must provide transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience (50% of the experience requirement), and one semester (9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours) of related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education). You must provide 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. ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priorÂity selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. 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. Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay. This job opportunity announcement will be used to fill one or more additional selections at anytime without notification. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1040 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1040 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1040 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1040 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1040 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. Physical Demands: The incumbent must be in excellent physical condition, able to carry loads in excess of 50 pounds at the rate of 1,000 vertical feet per hour at elevations ranging up to 14,256 feet, and hike for distances of up to 20 miles/day. Work Environment: Most work is performed outdoors, at high altitudes, in a wide range of weather conditions (from 90 degrees to -40.) Regular and recurring exposure to moderate and sometimes severe discomfort is experienced. Work may be performed at various hours of the day and night and for prolonged periods during emergency situations. The incumbent is frequently exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations, with the possibility of serious injury or accidental death. The National Park Service has determined that most temporary positions are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. However, some positions may be able to telework based on the nature of the work.