Summary
These positions are located in Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park, in the Resource Education and Interpretation Division.
The typical seasonal period for these parks is
October - July 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.
Likely entry on duty: October- December 2026.
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Duties
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Please see the "Education" section of this announcement for additional information regarding these positions.
Major Duties:
Rangers deliver curriculum-based education programs for K-12 students from October through April, managing groups of up to 70 participants from diverse backgrounds and learning abilities. Programs include ecological and historical explorations, hands-on scientific data collection, and plant and animal identification. Rangers lead physically demanding activities, which may include walking through knee-to-thigh deep water in swamps, enduring heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and rugged terrain. Responsibilities include presenting pre-trip classroom lessons, ensuring group safety and time management, maintaining educational equipment and supplies, and assisting with teacher workshops. Rangers also develop lesson plans, activities, videos, and web content that align with state and national education standards while working closely with volunteers, interns, and staff.
Rangers also conduct outreach by researching, developing, and presenting interpretive programs for adult special interest groups, both within the parks and in nearby communities. These programs may include wet walks, canoeing and kayaking excursions, biking tours, boardwalk hikes, dark sky programs, snorkeling trips, history talks, field science activities, and multi-day camping experiences. Rangers represent the parks at festivals and events, partner with environmental organizations, create interpretive media such as exhibits and program flyers, and assist in training new staff, interns, and volunteers. Additional duties include handling visitor inquiries, submitting program statistics, assisting visitor centers, maintaining government vehicles, and identifying and reporting safety issues. The role requires knowledge of 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 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.
Biscayne National Park preserves a rare blend of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and vibrant coral reefs, all within sight of downtown Miami. As a gateway to South Florida's natural and cultural history, the park partners with local organizations to provide access for visitors to explore its breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich maritime heritage. Educational programs, based out of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead, FL, feature day trips, classroom visits, distance learning, and overnight camping programs. More information about Biscayne National Park can be found at www.nps.gov/bisc.
Everglades National Park is a vast, subtropical wilderness unlike any other, home to sawgrass prairies, cypress domes, mangrove forests, the Florida Bay, and a stunning array of wildlife. As a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance, it plays a critical role in protecting the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Incumbents provide educational programs at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Homestead and the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Miami, helping visitors connect with the park's rich biodiversity, cultural history, and ongoing conservation efforts through day trips, distance learning, and overnight camping programs. More information about Everglades National Park can be found at www.nps.gov/ever.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement.
- Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
- Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed.
- Use find a park to contact specific parks for more information on government housing.
- You may 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/or shift work.
- You may be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties. Prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year thereafter (or more frequently if management determines such need exists), you will be required to sign an affidavit certifying to your possession of a valid State issued driver's license that is current and has not been revoked, suspended, canceled, or otherwise disqualified in any way to prohibit your operation of a motor vehicle.
- 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.
- Applicants will be required to maintain the following skills for the duration of appointment:
- Spanish language proficiency
- Ability to swim and self-rescue
- Canoe and kayak paddling skills
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-07/01/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. To receive credit for experience,
your 2-page 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. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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.
SELECTIVE FACTOR: These positions must be able to communicate to visitors in the Spanish language, thus Spanish language proficiency is required. 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 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 these positions 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.
To qualify for these positions at the GS-07 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-05 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; 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; environmental education, history and/or cultural resources education, and/or natural sciences education.
Work MUST include independent research AND presentation. You must include hours per week worked.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 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).
(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 graduate level credits completed and divide by 18. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.
You must include transcripts.
Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: Individual Occupational Requirements.
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 the interpretation of foreign education programs and that (1) deemed your education equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program, or (2) given full credit for courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.
ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current
