Park Ranger (Preventative Search and Rescue)

Full Job Description

This position is located in Everglades National Park, in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection.

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of four years.

Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 02/09/2026 whichever comes first.

All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Requirements Continued...

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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a one-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This trial 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 trial 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-02/09/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.

To receive credit for experience, your 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.

SELECTIVE FACTORs: This position performs emergency medical and search and rescue response which requires applicants to provide documentation of possessing the following licenses and certifications in order to receive further consideration for the position of GS-0025-11 Park Ranger (Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR)).

Candidates who do not meet these requirements, and provide documentation to support such claims, by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

DO NOT SUBMIT DOCUMENTS WITH PHOTOGRAPHS. Photographs may not be included with application packages. Please be sure photographs are redacted prior to submitting supporting documentation.

Submission of photographs on supporting documentation will result in disqualification from further consideration for the position of GS-0025-11 Park Ranger (Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR)).

Applicants must provide documentation to support holding a current, valid state issued driver's license which has not been suspended or revoked.

Applicants must provide documentation to support holding a current, valid National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or higher-level certification OR equivalent through a State Emergency Medical Service Organization with the ability to obtain a National Registry Certification.

Applicants must provide documentation to support holding a current, valid Basic Life Support certification. Applicants must provide documentation to support holding a current, valid CPR certification.

- AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-11 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-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

Experience may have been technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work.

Examples of qualifying specialized experience include but are not limited to the following: 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.

Additionally, experience must include: planning, coordinating, and conducting search and rescue (SAR) and preventative search and rescue (PSAR) operations in remote or high-risk environments; responding to emergency incidents involving lost, injured, or overdue visitors; assessing risk, terrain, weather, and visitor behavior to prevent incidents; coordinating multi-agency responses with local, state, tribal and federal partners; operating emergency communication systems and tracking resources; preparing incident documentation and after-action reports; and providing visitor education and outreach focused on safety, risk management and resource protection.

You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree related to the occupation.

Related fields of study include but are not limited to: park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, emergency management, behavioral sciences, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the field of search and rescue.

Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled.

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 months.

Then take the number of semester hours, or equivalent, earned towards a graduate degree, in excess of 36 semester hours, and divide by 18 semester hours, or equivalent. Add the percentages together.

The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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. Major Duties:

As a Park Ranger (Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR)) you will: Conduct substantial analysis regarding PSAR related educational strategies and program offerings.

Educate, interpret, and inform visitors about resources, conservation, laws, and regulations. Provide administrative, operational, and logistic support to PSAR related outreach activities.

Provide operational supervision over small to complex search and rescue incidents utilizing the Incident Command System.

Area/Duty Station Information: At 1.5 million acres in size, Everglades National Park contains a vast ecosystem, with wetland sloughs and prairies, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine rocklands, extensive mangrove estuaries, and Florida Bay with its expansive seagrass meadows.

This vast ecosystem is the largest subtropical wilderness area in North America and the largest legislated wilderness area east of the Rocky Mountains.

More than 5 million people live on the edge of the park in the communities of Miami, Homestead, Naples and the Florida Keys. Park headquarters is located in Homestead, Fl.

South Florida has two distinct seasons (rainy and dry). The rainy season occurs from mid-April to mid-November and the dry season is from mid-November to mid-April.

Heavy downpours, tropical storms and hurricanes are frequent in the rainy season, and temperatures can exceed 90'F for extended periods of time.

During the dry season the skies are clear and sunny, and temperatures vary from mid 60's to mid 70's. Occasional cold fronts can cause temperatures to dip into the 40's and 50's.

South Florida offers a wide variety of recreational activities including diving, paddling, fishing, bicycling etc.

Urban communities adjacent to the park offer a wide variety of sporting events, performances and concerts, museums, festivals and more!

The vibrant diversity of South Florida offers unique opportunities for an immersive cultural living experience.

For more information about the local area, please visit: Everglades National Park official website: http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm Monroe County and the Florida Keys: Monroe County, FL - Official Website | Official Website Miami Dade County Chamber of Commerce: http://www.m-dcc.org/