Recreation Assistant (Facilities Operator) NF-02
United States Army Installation Management Command
Posted: April 14, 2026 (0 days ago)
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Military Treatment Facilities under DHA
Department of Defense
Location
San Diego, California
Salary
$85,307 - $110,905
per year
Type
Full-Time
More Healthcare & Medical jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $51,332 - $66,732
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-8. Master's degree or 2 years graduate study.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves leading a recreation therapy program in a military hospital's mental health and substance abuse division, where you'll assess patients, design fun and therapeutic activities to support their recovery, and work with a team to improve care.
It's ideal for someone with a background in therapy who enjoys helping people through creative group sessions and has experience in patient documentation and team coordination.
The role suits compassionate individuals who can handle stressful environments and adapt to multidisciplinary healthcare settings.
About the Position: This position is located at Naval Medical Center, Defense Health Agency, Defense Health Network Pacific Rim, Directorate of Behavioral Health within the Substance Abuse Division in San Diego, California.
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below.
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).
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.
Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
Basic Requirement for Recreation Therapist: Degree: A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in therapeutic recreation, art therapy, drama therapy, dance therapy, or music therapy from an accrediting program recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
OR Degree: A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in a related field involving therapeutic emphasis or concentration from an accrediting program recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained that included at least 36 semester hours in therapeutic courses, as described below:(1) 18 semester hours of therapeutic recreation courses; AND(2) 18 semester hours that include a combination of abnormal psychology, physiology, human anatomy and development, disabilities and general recreation.
Exemption: You are exempt from the basic requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0638 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before.
Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing assessments of patients; planning, directing, or coordinating recreation based treatment programs; and documenting patients progress in medical records.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).
OR Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%.
To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12.
Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.
You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Attention to Detail Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Major Duties:
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