Wilderness Information Assistant and Lead Wilderness Information Assistant (Seasonal)

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is for Pacific West Region. Please refer to the "Location" section to see which National Parks are included on this announcement.

You work in a Wilderness Information Center providing resource orientation and information about Olympic National Park. Duties at each grade level include:

GS-05 Wilderness Information Assistant: You spend about 75% of your working hours in a Wilderness Information Center issuing Wilderness Permits, providing Leave No Trace education, dispensing Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) information, and collecting fees. You will also work about 25% of the time conducting uniformed wilderness patrols in Olympic National Park's 876,447 acres of federally designated Wilderness.

GS-06 Lead Wilderness Information Assistant: You spend about 50-75% of your working hours in a Wilderness Information Center issuing Wilderness Permits, providing Leave No Trace education, dispensing Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) information, and collecting fees. You will also work up to 50% of the time conducting uniformed wilderness patrols in Olympic National Park's 876,447 acres of federally designated Wilderness. Lead positions will assist in administrative work in the Wilderness Information Center and provide guidance to less experienced staff regarding the wilderness and backcountry operations.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• 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 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than 10/26/2026).

SELECTIVE FACTOR: In order to provide accurate information regarding trail conditions and assistance to the backcountry staff, you will be expected to perform wilderness patrols of up to 15 miles per day carrying packs weighing up to 40 pounds. You will be hiking over terrain that may be rugged and will likely experience inclement weather conditions. Candidates who do not have prior experience hiking/backpacking that includes completing multiple trips of multiple days duration and having spent at least 20 nights cumulatively in the wilderness backpacking by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.
- AND -
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications: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: 1) working as a cashier; 2) working at an information desk or in a customer service position; and 3) working with computers and record keeping. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 4 years of progressively higher level undergraduate education leading to a bachelor's degree in a field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 semester hours (or equivalent). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include hours per week worked and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications:
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). This experience includes activities such as: 1) working as a cashier; 2) working at an information desk or in a customer service position; 3) working with computers to manage an equipment rental program; and 4) providing training for other employees. You must include hours per week worked.

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.

You must include months/years, hours per week worked and salary to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". No additional credit is given for overtime. In describing the nature of your duties (your experience), please be clear and concise. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. The Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards are available for review at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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 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.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. 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 veterans' 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:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership
• Manages Resources
• Stamina
• Technical Competence
• Technology Application

Current or former displaced Federal employees who are surplus, displaced, or involuntarily separated have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be well-qualified. To meet the definition of well-qualified, you must (1) score at least 85 on the assessment questionnaire; (2) meet the minimum qualification requirements (education, experience or a combination therein), including any selective placement factors; and (3) be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry with reasonable accommodation, when applicable.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Providing false or misleading information on your resume or supporting documentation may result in removal from consideration or other action consistent with applicable federal hiring regulations. Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.

ALL required documentation must be submitted to receive full consideration for eligibilities and veterans' preference selected.The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/26/2026:

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates in month-year format (include month/day/year format if needed for 52 weeks of experience), and indicate hours worked per week (or full-time). Your resume must clearly show how long you have held each grade/rank. 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. 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. Your 2-page resume must contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements. If you have federal experience, you should include series, and grade for each position held, and if experience is part of a career ladder position, you must clearly distinguish the job duties and length of time working for each grade level. More information on how to write a Federal Resume: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include
2. Complete All Required Assessments.
3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
   • Veterans' Preference Documentation:
     • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF-15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
     • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
     • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
4. College transcripts if qualifying based on education.
5. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.

Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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