Park Ranger (Interpretation-Language)

National Park Service; Remote; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A federal agency for land management is seeking a Park Ranger specializing in interpretation to develop and present varied educational programs for park visitors. Applicants must possess experience in public speaking and fluency in at least one foreign language. Responsibilities include conducting guided tours, ensuring visitor safety, and delivering talks both indoor and outdoor in varying conditions. This position offers the chance to work in the scenic environment of national parks, contributing to visitor engagement and natural resource stewardship.

Benefits

Government housing may be available

Uniform allowance provided

Comprehensive benefits package

Qualifications

• Experience in environmental education or visitor services.
• Ability to conduct guided tours and present programs.
• Exceptional communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop programs for park visitors in a creative manner.
• Provide informal interpretation and orientation.
• Ensure visitor safety and resource stewardship.

Skills

Fluency in foreign languages (e.g., Spanish, French)

Customer service skills

Public speaking

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

4-year course of study above high school

Job description

Duties

Duties (Park Ranger - Interpretation-Language) Standard Duties:

• Develop and present a variety of programs including guided walks, illustrated talks (PowerPoint amphitheater and campfire programs) and demonstrations.
• Develop programs using principles of the NPS thematic interpretation model through topic research, familiarity with and creative use of delivery techniques.
• Provide informal interpretation and orientation for park guests in visitor centers, ranger stations and while roving in the field.
• Perform cashier duties and assist with a variety of special projects to support park goals.
• Actively promote the safety of park visitors and stewardship of park resources in all interactions, and potentially serve as the initial contact for accident reporting and emergency assistance.

Additional duties for GS-5:

• You will present informal and formal talks.
• Lead guided tours, and
• respond to visitor inquiries for information, direction and guidance.

Additional duties for GS-7:

• You will perform duties listed at the GS-5 level as well as provide on-the-job training and assistance to team members.

Work is performed both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather from snow, wind, and rain to sun and heat. Work involves standing for long periods of time, walking over rough and uneven terrain and living in close quarters with co-workers.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Area of Consideration for this position refers to the hiring authority/eligibility and not the physical location of the position.
• 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.
• Occupancy of government quarters may be required.
• Government housing may be available but is not guaranteed.
• 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. You will also submit a photocopy of their valid State issued driver\'s license prior to your first official motor vehicle operation, and again every year, or more frequently if management determines such need exists. Lastly, selectee may be required to 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 discloses all valid driver\'s licenses, whether current or past, possessed by selectee. Please indicate in your application whether you possess a valid State driver\'s license.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-02/15/2026-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.

Foreign Language Requirement: In addition to standard interpretation qualifications listed below, the applicant must be conversationally fluent in at least one of the following (21) languages:

• American Sign Language
• Apache
• Cantonese
• French
• German
• Havasupai
• Hopi
• Hualapai
• Japanese
• Lakota
• Mandarin
• Navajo
• Paiute
• Russian
• Spanish
• Tagalog
• Tewa
• Vietnamese
• Hawaiian
• Yavapai
• Zuni

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess one of the following :

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience 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 include, but are not limited to: park guide or tour leader; environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archaeological 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.
-OR-
B. A 4 year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor\'s degree with 24 semester hours of related coursework (one year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours).

-OR-
C. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess one of the following :

A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the federal service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: park guide or tour leader, work in a park, recreation or conservation area, environmental education, history and/or cultural resources education, and natural sciences education. Work will include independent research and presentation.
-OR-
B. You must possess one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (one year of full-time graduate education is defined as 18 semester hours).

-OR-
C. Equivalent combination of experience and education that, together, equal 100% of the qualification standards listed above when combined.

Note: Money handling requires a higher background check.

Qualifying experience may be obtained in the private or public sectors. The OPM Qualification Standards Handbook is available for review at: ..

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.

ICTAP/CTAP Statement: Current surplus and current or former displaced Federal individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to receive consideration for special priority selection. Well qualified means that the applicant meets the following: OPM qualification standards for the position; all selective placement factors, where applicable; special qualifying conditions that OPM has approved for the position, where applicable; is physically qualified with reasonable accommodation, where appropriate to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry; and is rated by the organization at least at the well qualified level on all competencies. Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirements of 5 CFR 330.605(2) for CTAP and 5 CFR 330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating, and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP/ICTAP eligible. If you are selected for Federal employment, you will be required to fill out a Declaration of Federal Employment, OF-306, prior to being appointed to determine your suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. Failing to answer all questions truthfully and completely or providing false statements on your application may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, Title 18, section 1001).

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an 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 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.

Additional information

Please use the to calculate locality pay.

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations 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. 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 Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here:

Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE less than 1560 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS).

If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment less than 1560 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1560 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility.

The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions or by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1560 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The work involves extensive periods of standing and walking, and in some cases, over rough surfaces or inclines carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, etc.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is performed in settings in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness (e.g. high or low temperatures, confined spaces or adverse weather conditions).

COLA Statement: COLA pay varies by location. See official notice for details. The salary annotated on this announcement includes locality but does not include the cost-of-living allowance.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated \"ineligible\", \"not qualified\", or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

ICTAP Eligibles: View information about ICTAP eligibility on OPM\'s Career Transition Resources website. To be considered well qualified under ICTAP, you must be rated at a minimum score of 85.0 for this position. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement.

Area of Consideration for this position refers to the hiring authority/eligibility and not the physical location of the position.

An interview may be required for this position. If an interview is required, failure to complete the interview may result in removal from further consideration.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpretation
• Technology Application
• Reading
• Reasoning

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

ALL required documentation must be submitted to receive full consideration for eligibilities and veterans\' preference selected.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 02/15/2026:

1. Your 2-page resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, dates specified in month and year format, and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked. If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. If you do not include hours worked per week (or indicate full-time status), you will not be given credit for that experience.
2. Complete All Questionnaires.
3. Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
   • If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the . If you don\'t have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the .
   • If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
   • If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or , you must submit all additional proof required by the , and if applicable, a completed . You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
4. Performance Appraisals and Awards:
   • All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor or, if one is unavailable, a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
   • Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.
5. College transcripts if qualifying based on education.
6. Documentation for consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include:
   • Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc;
   • SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and
   • Most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
7. Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.

Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency\'s staffing offices.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.