Park Ranger (Protection)

Full Job Description

This position is located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, in the Visitor and Resource Protection Division. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 01/28/2026 whichever comes first.

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

Requirements Continued: 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 must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.

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 evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 10 nights per month.

You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Applicants must be at least 21 years old.

Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/28/2026-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: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify: Must currently possess, previously held (within the past three years), or be able to obtain a valid Type II (seasonal) or higher National Park Service (NPS) Law Enforcement Commission, or equivalent, by 01/28/2026.

More information can be found in the 'Education' section of this job announcement.

Emergency Medical Responder or higher certificate: Must currently possess or be able to obtain Emergency Medical Responder Certification or higher by 01/28/2026.

- AND - Applicants 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).

Specialized experience includes 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.

You must include hours per week worked.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of a four years of education above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with major study of 24 semester hours of course work in a related field 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.

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.

One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours. You must include transcripts.

-OR- COMBINATION EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: 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 education semester hours of education (that are in excess of 60 semester hours) by 60.

Add the two percentages together; the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

NOTE: 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.

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:

The individuals selected for these positions will perform a variety of resource and visitor protection duties including but not limited to: enforcement of federal and state laws, regulations, and policies, vehicle and foot patrol, front country patrol, back country and wilderness patrol, emergency response, emergency medical services, search and rescue, visitor stewardship and orientation, wilderness management, boundary enforcement, protection of natural and cultural resources (wildlife, plants, archeological sites, historic building) and wild land fire suppression.

Collateral duties may include EMS, UTV, boating, traffic counter, radar coordinators and other duties as assigned.