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Nps Park Ranger Jobs (NOW HIRING)

$77K - $100K/yr

Summary You will serve as a Park Ranger (Preventative Search & Rescue (PSAR)) for Point Reyes ... For additional information, please visit: www.nps.gov/pore Requirements Help Conditions of ...

$104K - $135K/yr

The park is accessible largely by bush planes and boats only. Aniakchak National Monument and ... www.nps.gov/katm Requirements Help Conditions of employment * U.S. Citizenship required.

Unarmed Security Guard

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$18.75 - $22/hr

Only leave the site if a qualified replacement (another contractor security officer or an on-duty park ranger) provides relief. Radio Operation: Carry and operate an NPS-supplied two-way radio for ...

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Nps Park Ranger information

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$12

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$39

How much do nps park ranger jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for nps park ranger in the United States is $20.66, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.31 and $21.39 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How much do US National Park Rangers get paid?

U.S. National Park Rangers typically earn a median annual salary of around $40,000 to $50,000, depending on experience, location, and level of responsibility. Entry-level rangers may start at lower wages, while those with advanced certifications or supervisory roles can earn higher salaries. Benefits often include health insurance, retirement plans, and opportunities for training and advancement.

Can you be a park ranger without being a cop?

Yes, many park rangers are not law enforcement officers and do not carry weapons or have police authority. They focus on conservation, visitor education, and resource management, often requiring knowledge of environmental science and communication skills. Law enforcement duties are typically handled by specialized rangers with additional training and certification.

Do NPS rangers carry guns?

National Park Service (NPS) park rangers typically do not carry firearms as part of their standard duties, focusing instead on education, visitor assistance, and resource protection. However, some law enforcement rangers or special agents are authorized to carry guns and have law enforcement authority within parks. These officers undergo specialized training and carry firearms as part of their law enforcement responsibilities.

What is the difference between Nps Park Ranger vs Park Naturalist?

AspectNps Park RangerPark Naturalist
Required CredentialsHigh school diploma or GED; some roles require certifications in first aid, CPR, or law enforcementDegree in environmental science, biology, or related field; often requires interpretive certification
Work EnvironmentNational parks, outdoor settings, enforcement, visitor assistanceEducational programs, visitor centers, outdoor settings, interpretive activities
Employer & Industry UsageU.S. National Park Service, federal governmentNational parks, nature centers, environmental organizations
Common Search & Comparison IntentYesYes

While Nps Park Rangers focus on enforcement, safety, and visitor assistance within national parks, Park Naturalists primarily engage in educational and interpretive activities to inform visitors about natural and cultural resources. Both roles often require knowledge of environmental topics, but their daily duties and certifications differ.

How hard is it to get a job as a national park ranger?

Getting a job as a national park ranger can be competitive, often requiring relevant education, such as a degree in natural resources or environmental science, and experience in outdoor or law enforcement roles. Candidates typically need strong communication skills, physical fitness, and sometimes certifications like CPR or first aid; hiring processes may include interviews and background checks.
More about Nps Park Ranger jobs
What job categories do people searching Nps Park Ranger jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Nps Park Ranger jobs are:
Infographic showing various Nps Park Ranger job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% Locum Tenens, 2% As Needed, 68% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 94% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $42,977 per year, or $20.7 per hour.
Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Park Ranger (Interpretation)

National Park Service

Crow Agency, MT • On-site, Remote

$61K - $80K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago


National Park Service rating

7.6

Company rating: 7.6 out of 10

Based on 98 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

123rd of 283 rated public sector bodies


Job description

Summary
The primary purpose of this position is to interpret resources to convey national significance; connect visitors to personal relevance; facilitate shared learning; support specific learning objectives to meet educator and community needs; inform the public for compliance and safety.
Open to the first 100 applicants or until 07/22/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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The major duties of the Park Ranger (Interpretation) position include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Develop and present audience and learner-centered intepretive experiences using a variety of interpretive skills, techniques, and tools delivered in-person and through interpretive media and technology.
  • Connect with various audiences through digital content (e.g., the web, social media, mobile technology, live broadcast or distance programming, podcasts, virtual tours)
  • Develop and deliver in-park, off-site, and virtual education programs that tie NPS resources to education standards and are aligned with needs of educational organizations and their students.
  • Effectively leads and coordinates across various branches and with leadership teams in the absence of a supervisor, ensuring seamless communication and operational continuity.

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.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • 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); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • 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 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 up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • 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...
This probationary 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 your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Condition of Employment (Requirement):
  1. Driver's License: The incumbent of this position must have and maintain a valid Driver's License. Those that do not possess this requirement by entrance on duty will be terminated effective immediately.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/22/2026-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 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized 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.
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.
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). Specialized experience demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Park Ranger (Interpretation). This experience includes activities such as: environmental educator or teacher; interpretive work involving developing and delivering interpretive programs using basic and more advanced interpretive techniques; work that involves mentoring others in the development and execution of basic interpretative skills; work that involves interpretive writing and layout design for publication online, in print or for social media; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and/or 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 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate
education or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation Related fields of study include 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: If you are qualifying for the position based on your education, you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
-OR-
COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. PLEASE NOTE: If you are qualifying for the position based on your education, you must submit a copy of your transcripts.
You must include months, years and hours per week worked 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". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.

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.
ICTAP/CTAP statement: 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).
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.
Career Seasonal: This is a Career-Seasonal position and subject to release and recall procedures. A permanent career-seasonal position includes all the benefits of permanent employment but does not provide employment on a full year-round basis. As such, selectee will work a minimum of 24 pay periods to a maximum of 25 pay periods and be in a non-pay/non-duty status for at least 2 weeks per year based on project requirements or weather conditions.
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 some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking, in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves, and carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. Some employees may engage in firefighting, search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.
Working Conditions: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g.,
exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.

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