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State Park Ranger Jobs in Pennsylvania (NOW HIRING)

Ranger

Manheim, PA · On-site

$16 - $19.75/hr

The Campground Ranger position may include walking or patrol of the grounds of the campground ... state and federal law. Your job will include: * Monitor the property with a keen eye for any ...

Ranger

Manheim, PA · On-site

$16 - $19.75/hr

ELS is hiring for the position of Ranger in Manheim, Pennsylvania. What you'll do: The Campground ... state and federal law. Your job will include: * Monitor the property with a keen eye for any ...

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State Park Ranger information

What is a state park ranger?

State Park Rangers are professionals responsible for protecting and managing state parks and natural resources. Their duties often include enforcing park rules, educating visitors, ensuring public safety, conducting search and rescue operations, maintaining park facilities, and protecting wildlife and habitats. They may also lead tours, provide information about the park's history and ecology, and respond to emergencies. State Park Rangers play a vital role in preserving natural and cultural resources while making parks enjoyable and safe for visitors.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a state park ranger?

To thrive as a State Park Ranger, you need knowledge of natural resource management, law enforcement, and emergency response, usually supported by a degree in environmental science or a related field. Familiarity with GIS mapping tools, two-way radios, and certifications like CPR/First Aid are typically required. Strong communication, problem-solving, and public relations skills set outstanding rangers apart. These skills ensure visitor safety, resource protection, and positive public engagement within the park environment.

What are some common challenges faced by state park rangers during peak visitor seasons?

During peak visitor seasons, State Park Rangers often manage increased foot traffic, ensuring visitor safety while protecting natural resources. This can involve crowd control, educating the public about park rules, responding to emergencies, and enforcing regulations. Rangers must balance hospitality with enforcement, all while working long hours outdoors and sometimes dealing with unpredictable weather. Strong communication and problem-solving skills are essential to handle conflicts and maintain a positive park experience for everyone.

What is the difference between State Park Ranger vs Forest Ranger?

AspectState Park RangerForest Ranger
CredentialsHigh school diploma or GED, sometimes required certificationsHigh school diploma or GED, often with forestry or environmental certifications
Work EnvironmentState parks, recreational areas, visitor centersForests, national forests, wilderness areas
Employer & IndustryState government agencies managing parksFederal or state agencies managing forests and public lands
Job FocusVisitor safety, park maintenance, educational programsForest conservation, fire prevention, resource management

While both roles involve outdoor work and public interaction, State Park Rangers primarily focus on managing state parks and ensuring visitor safety, whereas Forest Rangers concentrate on forest conservation and resource management in forested areas. The credentials and work environments overlap, but their specific responsibilities differ based on the setting.

What are popular job titles related to State Park Ranger jobs in Pennsylvania?

For State Park Ranger jobs in Pennsylvania, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching State Park Ranger jobs in Pennsylvania look for?

The top searched job categories for State Park Ranger jobs in Pennsylvania are:

What cities in Pennsylvania are hiring for State Park Ranger jobs?

Cities in Pennsylvania with the most State Park Ranger job openings:

Infographic showing various State Park Ranger job openings in Pennsylvania as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 78% Full Time, 19% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution.

Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Scranton, PA • On-site, Remote


National Park Service
Public Administration • 10K+ employees

7.6

Company rating: 7.6 out of 10

Based on 98 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

130th of 294 rated public sector bodies

People enjoy working here

Good employer

Recommended by students


$50K - $80K/yr

Full-time

Posted 5 days ago


Job description

Summary
You will serve as a Park Ranger (Interpretation) with the National Park Service.
This is a career-seasonal position. Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. In this position, you will work from approximately February 21, 2027 -February 5, 2028 and you will be in a non-pay status for one pay period of the year.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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As a Park Ranger (Interpretation), you will perform the following duties:
  • Develops and conducts interpretive programs.
  • Guides visitors on established tours and design new tour options.
  • Coordinates special events and interpretive programming.
  • Produces content for social media channels and website.
  • Provides public orientation of surrounding areas of interest and local events.
  • Assists the public in planning visits to and recommends activities in the area.
  • Provides visitors information related to the cultural, historical, and/or natural resources of interest of the park, area, facility, etc.
  • Guides both small and large groups during train rides and throughout the museum complex, providing an engaging and informative experience.
  • Trains staff and volunteers in interpretive principles and park operations to ensure a cohesive and knowledgeable team.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
  • Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • Direct Deposit participation required.
  • Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
  • You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
  • You may be required to work, weekends, holidays, and/or overtime.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period
This 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 - 08/31/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.
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 periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications:
To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications:
Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience that 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 could include 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/or implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operationsYou must include hours per week worked in your resume.
-OR-
Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate education 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. (One year of graduate education is 18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours, or the number your school uses to represent one year.) You must include a copy of your transcripts.
-OR-
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To compute this percentage, first divide the total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide the number of completed post high school semester hours of education (that are in excess of 120 semester hours) by 120. Add the two percentages together; the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: Only post high school education in excess of more than four-years may be used to qualify for this position and must include 24 semester hours of related course work such as those listed above. You must include a copy of your transcripts.
To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications:
Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience that 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 could include 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/or implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations You must include hours per week worked in your resume.
-OR-
Education: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or have successfully completed 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education with major field of study in 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.
-OR-
Combination of education and experience: Combinations of successfully completed education and specialized experience may be used to meet total experience requirements. To compute this percentage, first divide the total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide the number of completed graduate education semester hours of education (that are in excess of 18 semester hours) by 36. Add the two percentages together; the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: Only graduate education in excess of more than one-year may be used to qualify for this position and must be in a major subject such as those listed above. You must include a copy of your transcripts.
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. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications
Additional information
NPS-Wide - This is a Merit Promotion announcement for career and career conditional Bureau employees, Career Transition eligibles (CTAP), Current or former time-limited employees eligible under Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) and those who are eligible under the hiring paths listed above. Refer to Required Documents section for more information.
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport-usastaffing.opm.gov/hc/en-us/sections/45063131363475-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
Related non-federal experience or related experience as retired members of the uniformed services may be credited towards computing entitlement to leave accrual, at manageri


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