Duties
Major Duties:
Rangers develop and present interpretive and educational programs for visitors of all ages, managing group sizes that range from small family units to large tour groups with diverse backgrounds and accessibility needs. Programs include guided walks, talks, and interactive presentations focused on the park's natural and cultural resources. Rangers lead physically demanding activities, including outdoor work in hot, humid conditions, navigating rugged terrain, and exposure to insects and other environmental elements. Responsibilities include delivering daily interpretive programs, staffing visitor centers, ensuring visitor safety and resource protection, and maintaining interpretive props and supplies.
Rangers also support outreach efforts by representing the park at community events, festivals, and partner programs, both on- and off-site. Outreach activities may include developing and delivering programs for community groups and special interest organizations. Rangers contribute to the creation of interpretive media such as brochures, exhibits, social media content, and signage; assist in planning and executing special events; contribute to visitor use data collection; and report safety and resource concerns. The role requires strong public speaking skills, knowledge of the park's natural and cultural features, and the ability to work independently in variable outdoor conditions. Additional duties include submitting program statistics, driving and maintaining government vehicles, and identifying and reporting safety issues. The role requires knowledge of swimming, paddling, water safety, and natural resource management, as well as the ability to work in physically demanding environments.
Area Descriptions:
These positions are located in Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, and Everglades National Park. These NPS units boast subtropical climates with mild, pleasant winters and hot, rainy, and buggy summers. Winter temperatures seldom drop below 40 degrees and only for short periods.
Big Cypress National Preserve spans 729,000 acres of cypress forests, prairies, pinelands, hammocks and mangroves supporting incredible biodiversity. As one of the nation's first national preserves, it protects vital freshwater resources and traditional and customary uses of the Miccosukee and Seminole, hunting, fishing, and off-road vehicle use. Designated as an International Dark Sky Park, it provides exceptional stargazing and night sky interpretation opportunities. Rangers at the Nathaniel Reed and Oasis Visitor Centers in Ochopee, FL, offer orientation and information, work with volunteers, support our cooperating association, and plan and lead a variety of ranger-guided programs and experiences for audiences of all ages. Programming includes swamp walks, canoe-kayak programs, mountain bike trips, illustrated programs and campground chats. They conduct informal roves and pop-ups along the Preserve's boardwalks and scenic drives, assist with visitor contacts on remote sites, and support special events. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/bicy.
Biscayne National Park preserves a rare blend of aquamarine waters, mangrove shorelines, emerald islands, 10,000 years of cultural heritage, and vibrant coral reefs, all within sight of downtown Miami. The park provides valuable access and opportunities for over 700,000 visitors each year to explore breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, and maritime heritage. Rangers at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead, FL, offer orientation, answer questions, and plan and lead diverse interpretive programs and special events for audiences of all ages. They conduct roving interpretation along jetty trails, assist with visitor contacts on remote islands, lead fishing and paddling clinics, host Park After Dark events, and share safety messages related to boating, snorkeling, and wildlife. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/bisc.
Everglades National Park is a vast, subtropical wilderness home to sawgrass prairies, cypress domes, mangrove forests, and Florida Bay. As a World Heritage Site and Wetland of International Importance, it plays a critical role in protecting the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Rangers at the Flamingo and Gulf Coast Districts connect visitors with the park's biodiversity and cultural heritage through interpretive programs and visitor services. They provide orientation, share safety and resource messages, host Dark Sky Park events, assist with backcountry permits and orientation for the wilderness waterway, and help with roving interpretation on trails and backcountry areas. Rangers also support special events and outreach, working with volunteers and ensuring visitor compliance with park regulations. More information can be found at www.nps.gov/ever.
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 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 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.
- 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.
- Housing may be available
- Applicants will be required to maintain the following skills for the duration of employment:
- Ability to swim and self-rescue
- Canoe and kayak paddling skills
Qualifications
Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/31/2025-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: Incumbents in these positions must be able to swim and self-rescue (re-enter a swamped canoe or kayak without assistance from others or by landing at a dock or beach) while canoeing and kayaking. Candidates who do not meet, and document meeting this requirement in their application, by close of this announcement, will receive no further consideration for these positions.
- AND -
SELECTIVE FACTOR: Incumbents in these positions must be able to paddle canoes and/or kayaks up to and over 5 miles in a single trip and lead visitors on canoe and kayak trips. Candidates who do not meet, and document meeting this requirement in their application, by close of this announcement, will receive no further consideration for these positions.
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience includes activities such as: Park Guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archeological 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; or other similar work. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a 4-year course of study above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related course work in a major study 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, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of experience and education as described above. To combine experience and education, first take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of credits completed above 60 and divide by 60. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. 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.
Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority 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. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).
Additional Information:
The typical seasonal entry-on-duty period for Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park, and Big Cypress National Preserve is October - April, but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Anticipated Entry on Duty: Mid-October through early November depending on location. Seasonal end dates for each park are typically mid-April to early May.
This announcement is to recruit for fourteen GS-0025-05 positions in the following locations:
- 6 GS-0025-05 Seasonal Park Ranger (Interpretation) positions in Ochopee, FL at Big Cypress National Preserve
- 2 GS-0025-05 Seasonal Park Ranger (Interpretation) positions in Homestead, FL at Biscayne National Park
- 3 GS-0025-05 Seasonal Park Ranger (Interpretation) positions in Flamingo, FL at Everglades National Park
- 3 GS-0025-05 Seasonal Park Ranger (Interpretation) position in Everglades City, FL at Everglades National Park
This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Pay Breakdown:
Everglades City/Ochopee, FL. GS-5: $40,332 - $52,426 Per Year ($19.33 - $25.12 Per Hour)
Flamingo/Homestead, FL. GS-5: $42,954 - $55,835 Per Year ($20.58 - $26.75 Per Hour)
Completed applications will be reviewed for referral to the hiring official after the following dates:
- September 8, 2025
- October 6, 2025
- October 31, 2025
Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations.
Benefits
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.
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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 to Apply
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/31/2025. You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. You can only submit one resume; Only the resume submitted under the "Resume" "Document Type" will be used to determine your qualifications and for rating purposes.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
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- You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
- To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
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Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.