Law Enforcement Ranger Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection.
For more information about the position or the park, please contact Alexander_Van_Vechten@nps.gov.
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Duties
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Major Duties:
This position serves as the park Law Enforcement Specialist (LES), supervises several subordinates, and is accountable to the Chief Ranger.

• Conducts investigations and takes law enforcement actions on cases that represent the entire spectrum of CFR, Federal, and State laws. Cases will be complex, of high magnitude, and frequently involve matters of a sensitive nature.
• Serves as legal advisor and law enforcement technical expert to the law enforcement patrol staff, park managers, other NPS divisions, and local agencies. Manages the park's physical and digital evidence programs.
• Serves as division training officer by coordinating all required law enforcement training, scheduling goals and standards, selecting advanced instructorships, and ensuring year end requirements are met. Analyzes law enforcement performance to determine training needs and develops programs to improve performance.
• Serves as the park's primary liaison with 15 local, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies and with the office of the US Attorney's office, Office of the Solicitor and other state and local courts and District Attorney's offices.
• Serves as incident commander or command staff for joint operations with other law enforcement agencies during emergency law enforcement incidents, demonstrations, and large-scale special events. Directs NPS Law Enforcement participating on joint task force special operations for a variety of crimes.

This is a supervisory law enforcement position. As a Commissioned Ranger, you will be responsible for performing law enforcement duties including detection, investigation, apprehension, and prosecution under applicable laws, rules, and regulations enacted to insure the protection and safe use of National Park resources. You will also educate, interpret, and inform visitors about resources, conservation, laws, and regulations. Collateral duties may include field training, emergency medical services, special response, technical rescue, swift water rescue, and helicopter rescue.
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
• Subject to pre-employment physical and drug testing.
• Must possess a Type I or higher Law Enforcement Commission.
• New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty.
• Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service). Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
• Selectee(s) will be required to carry a firearm while performing duties and maintain firearm proficiency.
• Selectee(s) must be free of any domestic violence convictions. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• 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.
• Prior to appointment, you must be determined physically fit by an authorized government physician to perform strenuous and physically demanding duties; and also pass a medical examination (which includes vision, hearing, cardiovascular, and mobility of extremities) given by an authorized government physician. You will also be required to undergo periodic medical examinations throughout employment.
• Must currently possess or be able to obtain a National Registry Emergency Medical Responder or higher certification within 2 years of entrance on duty
• Must have a current, valid State Driver's License by Entry on Duty.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*
Qualifications
Requirements Continued...

• 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.
• 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.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
• Applicants must be at least 21 years old.

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 probation 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-07/04/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.
For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.
Selective Factors: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify:

• Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years) a Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by Entry on Duty. More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement.
• This is a covered secondary law enforcement position under the special retirement provisions of 5 U. S. C. 8336(c) (CSRS) and 8412(d) (FERS). In addition to the qualifying experience and/or education described above, applicants for this position must possess experience gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement position or equivalent.
• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age;

- AND -
Applicants 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-11 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.
• Specialized experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of specialized experience may include directing and supervising a law enforcement and resources protection program; interpreting regulations and policy directives related to law enforcement and natural resource protection that includes evaluating law enforcement program activities based on funding to determine objectives, amount and location of work, as well as the type of resources needed for the program; reviewing law enforcement case reports to ensure compliance with policy, mutual aid agreements, cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding; investigating criminal activity; and conducting investigations of applicable federal or state laws. 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.
Education
There is no substitute of education for experience at the grade level of this announcement.
Law Enforcement Commission: This position requires applicants to possess or be able to possess a valid Type I National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission (or equivalent), which requires completing training from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
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.
A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.
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 majority of the work is performed in an office setting, requiring long hours of concentration on reading, operation of computers, and other desk work. The LES may be required to drive long distances for investigations, training, special operations and meetings. Field work may require hiking, climbing, cross-country travel, and riding in boats and helicopters. Position comes under the scope and requirements of the park's Health and Fitness Program and the incumbent must meet the minimum, requirements as specified in NPS-57.
Working Conditions: The majority of the work is performed in an office setting. The LES office is located at Fort Baker along the shore of San Francisco Bay. The office is surrounded by a visitor lodge complex and children's museum. There is limited noise from events and traffic. Frequent contact with prisoners and criminal defendants as various jails and court is anticipated. Investigations are conducted in a diverse urban environment including business and residential areas and rural areas with limited access. Prosecution required traveling to courts and attorneys' offices in surrounding cities. Some duties will require travel throughout the Park and expos