Duties
- Provide technical and administrative supervision and oversight to 70+ volunteers tasked with performing PSAR related duties.
- Research, compile, and analyze data on park-level PSAR operations. Establish measurable benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of specific PSAR operations.
- Monitor risk in organizations PSAR program, work with supervisor to implement changes or needed adjustments to internal controls.
- Work with higher-graded employees to design, print and distribute PSAR materials, draft project proposals to address PSAR program needs, and identify potential opportunities for third party agreements benefiting the program.
- Develop and deliver a wide variety of training activities for new staff, volunteers, and park partners.
Term projects:
- Emergency response (EMS and SAR).
- Assist with cyclical training.
- PSAR Volunteer management (specifically getting us moved to vol.gov in 2026, helping to enhance GRCA's PSAR volunteer team via engagement and training, and help plan for a 30-year PSAR retrospective in 2027).
- Help to revamp trail head safety signage and address park-wide PSAR messaging.
- Help schedule, manage, and oversee the rotation of PSAR staff that will cycle over on rotations to the north rim to support their 2026 operation.
Area Information:
This position is stationed at Grand Canyon National Park at the South Rim located in Northern Arizona. The South Rim is located approximately 60 miles north of Williams and 82 miles Northwest of Flagstaff at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Temperatures range from approximately 90 degrees in the summer to 0 degrees in the winter. Annual precipitation averages around 13 inches.
Grand Canyon Village has schools K-12, a daycare center, post office, general store, churches, a recreation center with gym, a public library, a clinic with resident physicians, and several restaurants. The park community consists of some 2,500 people, including employees of the NPS and concessionaires and their family members. There are often employment opportunities for family members in the park and surrounding areas. The park community is small enough that many employees choose to walk or bike from their homes to work. Complete shopping, educational, medical and professional services are available in Williams and Flagstaff. Flagstaff has a population of about 75,000 and has multiple K-12 public and private schools, Northern Arizona University, and diverse community, medical and other support services. Recreational opportunities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, cross-country and downhill skiing, and golfing in nearby communities.
South Rim Housing: Permanent and Term employees with a Full Performance Level (FPL) of a GS-09 or WG-8 and above will be provided the option of accepting assigned housing, participating in the normal bid system, or accepting shared housing. Permanent and Term employees with an FPL of GS-08 or WG-7 and below may be provided the option of participating in the normal bid system or accepting shared housing. Any employee assigned to shared housing may continue to bid into non-shared housing.
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 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.
- 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.
- Occupancy of government quarters is required.
- 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.
- Medical and fitness standards are a condition of employment.
- 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.
- You will be required to possess a current National Registry Emergency Medical Technician or higher certification.
- 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.
*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-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.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/11/2026-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.
SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs emergency medical services, and a National Registry EMT certification or higher is required.
National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Please include the NREMT certification number and the date of expiration in your resume, or preferably, upload the certification document into your application documents. If you are working toward obtaining your certification, include a copy of your course registration that shows the expected completion date. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.
- AND -
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: 1) Working in Emergency Medical Services, Search and Rescue, or Law Enforcement or investigative work, 2) Park Ranger or providing education and outreach, 3) Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area, 4) and 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 such as volunteer administrative support. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree or successfully completed at least two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree such as 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, emergency management, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources, OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, I have six months of the specialized experience described above (50% of the experience requirement), and 27 semester hours or 41 quarter hours of directly-related graduate level college study in an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education). NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 18 hours of graduate-level education is credible. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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.
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.
Physical Demands: The work requires considerable and strenuous physical exertion such as climbing, hiking, and lifting heavy objects. Work may be performed on uneven, steep, rough, slippery, and/or rugged terrain. EMS and search and rescue involve walking long distances over rough terrain, carrying heavy loads, and using technical rescue equipment. Going without sleep for long periods of time is a common occurrence.
Working Conditions: Work is performed in an office setting, classroom, in the field, on trails, and in remote backcountry or wilderness settings. Search and Rescue and EMS work involves frequent exposure to potentially dangerous situations and/or hazardous environments to include hazardous flight landings and takeoffs, extreme outdoor weather conditions, and/or exposure to communicable diseases. Various levels of personal protective clothing are required to perform functions safely.
The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.
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.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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.
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.
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.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies:
- First Response
- Leadership
- Oral Communication
- Risk Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Written Communication
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 additional assessments, including a subject matter expert resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.