National Forest Ranger Jobs in Florida (NOW HIRING)

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as permanent appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 11.5 months, and you will be in a non-pay status for a minimum of one full pay period per year.

Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Qualifications:

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/27/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.

To receive credit for experience, 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.

Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: 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. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of at least a 4 year course of study above high school 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. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. For example, I have 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (50% of the qualifying education) which included at least 12 semester hours of related coursework as specified in B above (50% of the related coursework required). PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: You must possess one year of specialized experience from the public or private sector, equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. 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 include, but are not limited to, the following: 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. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of one full year of graduate study in one of the following fields: natural resource management, natural sciences, marine biology/sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, wetlands ecology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours). PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
• Superior Academic Achievement: Grade point average of B (a G.P.A. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 years of undergraduate study; A grade-point average of B+ (a G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses you completed in the last two years; Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision; or Membership in National Honor Societies. NOTE: If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate coursework (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail or similar basis, your claim must be based on class standing or membership in an Honor Society. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 18, then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.

Education:

QUALIFICATIONS CONTINUED:
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level:

• Specialized experience requirement: You mustpossess one year of specialized experience from the public or private sector, equivalent in level of difficulty and responsibility to that of at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. 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 include, but are not limited to, the following: 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. Your resume must include hours worked per week to receive credit for your specialized experience, or you will be found not qualified and removed from consideration for this position. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of two years of graduate level study which is directly related to the work of the position. Examples of related education include but are not limited to; natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Two years of graduate study is considered to be 36 semester hours. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying graduate level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed by 36, then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. PLEASE NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of courses with credit hours and grades listed if you are using education to qualify. Official transcripts will be required upon selection.

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:
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualification
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.

Employment Type: OTHER