Park Operations Ranger (Central Lakes Area) - Internal Only

Washington Department of Natural Resources; Washington; On-site; USD 65,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking a Park Operations Ranger (Central Lakes Area), based at Alta Lake State Park in Pateros, WA. This full-time, permanent role serves as principal assistant/operations manager for the Central Lakes Area, ensuring parks are functional and welcoming and aligned with the agency’s mission.

Responsibilities include supervising park personnel, overseeing facilities and public services, and guiding daily operations and planning.

Qualifications

• Professional park experience and supervisory experience are required.
• Legal ability to operate a motor vehicle in Washington and a valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Implement area strategies and oversee day-to-day park operations and staff.
• Supervise staff, facilities, and public services within the park area.
• Coordinate with Area Manager on planning, budgeting, and risk management.
• Ensure safety, compliance with agency policies, and public accountability.

Skills

Park operations

Supervisory experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree with 24 qtr./18 sem hrs in parks and recreation, history, or natural resource field

Job description

Description

Job Title: Park Operations Ranger (Central Lakes Area)

Location: Pateros, WA

Compensation: $64,512 - $86,688 annually

Closes: October 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific.

This opportunity is internal only and limited to current permanent and current non-permanent/temporary Washington State Parks employees only.

This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) full-time permanent Park Operations Ranger position in the Central Lakes Area.

The newly created Park Operations Ranger position will serve as the principal assistant/operations manager for the Central Lakes Area Parks and will be based at Alta Lake State Park. This position is critical in ensuring area parks are functional, welcoming, and aligned with the agency’s mission to preserve natural and cultural resources while supporting public recreation. This administratively commissioned (non-law enforcement) Park Operations Ranger position will provide oversight for day-to-day operations, operations staff, facilities, and public services for the Central Lakes Area, under the direct supervision of the Area Manager. They also assist in the development and control of program activities for the park area.
This Park Operations Ranger position includes supervisory responsibilities and will directly supervise Park Ranger 1’s, Senior Park Aide’s, and other park personnel as assigned. This position will not supervise journey-level Construction and Maintenance staff or fully commissioned law enforcement staff.
This position is not eligible to telework, as physical in-office presence is required to perform essential functions.

Alta Lake State Park and the Central Lakes Area

• Alta Lake State Park is a camping and day-use park where mountainous pine forests meet the desert, offering a wide variety of family friendly activities including camping, swimming, hiking, volleyball, horseshoe pits and picnicking. The 2-mile-long lake offers trout fishing, water skiing and windsurfing during the summer months. Spring months bring a wide variety of wildflowers to enjoy as well as birdwatching. Alta Lake features a seasonal concession stand with snacks, beverages, groceries and camping items, as well as kayaks and stand-up paddle board rentals.
• The Central Lakes Area parks feature dramatic landscapes created by Ice-Age floods. Freshwater lakes and rivers provide ample opportunities for visitors to launch a watercraft, paddle board, or SUP to swim, paddle, fish, water ski, windsurf or even scuba dive. The area's recreational opportunities also include playgrounds, sports courts, biking and hiking trails, and a variety of camping opportunities. The Central Lakes Area also includes one of Washington State’s most popular state parks: Lake Chelan. Generations of families continue to enjoy the 50-mile-long Lake Chelan every year, as will first-timers.

Park Housing is available for this position at a subsidized cost. The residence is a 3-bedroom, 2 bath rambler with an attached one car garage located at Bridgeport State Park.

Duties

These positions serve as a Park Operations Ranger for their area, implementing area strategies based on the mission and goals as defined by the Area Manager.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Perform administrative duties as the Park Operations Ranger for park area, implementing area strategies based on mission and goals as defined by Area Manager.
  • Assess operational needs of park area; raise issues with Area Manager.
  • Provide oversight for day-to-day operations of park/park area.
  • Staff schedules; utilizes data driven evidence when determining proper use of staff time and classifications.
  • Oversee and inform fee collection processes. Ensure operating funds are used effectively and in compliance with guidelines under the direction of the Area Manager.
  • Assist Area Manager with development and maintenance of Operational Planning & Reports, such as but not limited to, Staffing and Overtime Plan.
  • Independently operate Parks vehicles to perform the essential functions of the position.
• Supervise staff and volunteers following all applicable Agency policies and procedures; statewide rules and regulations; and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
  • Provide instruction and oversight to permanent and seasonal staff.
  • Timely complete Position Description form, as necessary.
  • Timely complete PDPs on an annual basis.
  • Ensure staff accountability for achieving expectations for success; raise issues of significance with Area Manager.
  • Monitor and ensure staff meet training requirements for their position.
• Facilities and infrastructure oversight within park area.
  • Assign, schedule, and complete lower level (custodial) grounds maintenance and cleaning of all park facilities within a Park or park area, where journey level skills are not required.
  • Coordinates with the area Construction & Maintenance Supervisor on lower level maintenance and repair tasks in accordance with park areas established maintenance and repair processes.
  • Ensure all safety requirements are met within a park/park area in coordination with C&M Supervisor and Park Ranger 3.
• Public Safety, customer service, and incident response.
  • Detect and report unlawful activities such as vandalism, unauthorized camping and resource and facility damage to the full-commission law enforcement rangers.
  • Serve as a first responder by assessing medical and emergency management situations. Assess situations to ensure public and staff safety and initiate communication with emergency responders as needed.
  • Provide education to the public about resource impact and park rules and notify full-commissioned law enforcement rangers as needed
  • Coordinate with full-commission law enforcement rangers within the park area.
• Leadership to area staff as defined by Area Manager.
  • Understand and support mission and vision of Agency, Division and area.
  • Proactively communicate with staff in a positive and supportive manner.
  • Create an environment of collaborative teamwork and respect for all employees. Address concerns in a timely and effective manner.
  • Provide appropriate mentorship opportunities in order to improve skills and abilities for all staff under your purview.
• Oversee Public Use Permits within park area.
• Agency and Community Engagement.
  • Coordinate with intra-agency divisions and programs to ensure operational concerns or impacts are addressed and other area needs are met, as assigned by Area Manager.
  • Represent the agency in meetings with local stakeholders, and community partners, as assigned by Area Manager.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Professional experience as a park ranger, in parks and recreation or a natural resources field
  AND
  Previous supervisory experience.

Note: This position requires the legal ability to operate a motor vehicle in the state of Washington. Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license at the time of appointment and maintain it as a condition of employment. This position also requires obtaining basic CPR/First Aid/AED certification within 12 months of hire.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree with 24 qtr. /18 semester hours in parks and recreation, history, or natural resource field.
• Previous project planning experience.

REQUIRED OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Staff Management - Manages staff in ways that improves their ability to succeed on the job. Ensures staff have the skills and resources to perform tasks. Provides staff with coaching, training, and opportunities for growth to improve their skills. Sets clear, meaningful, challenging, and attainable goals and expectations that are aligned with those of the organization and holds staff accountable to those expectations. Address problems and issues in an open, constructive, and respectful manner that maintains the dignity of all.

• Workload Management – Organize, prioritize, and effectively delegate work, focusing on results and desired outcomes and how best to achieve them. Effectively handle competing priorities and urgent situations, making sound decisions within short timeframes, and taking appropriate action. Remain acutely aware of timeframes and ensure deadlines are successfully met. Successfully motivate others to achieve goals within stated timeframes.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Accountability - Accepts personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of their work. Can be relied upon to achieve excellent results.
• Communication Effectiveness – Conveys clear, timely and persuasive messages that positively influence the thoughts and actions of others.
• Customer Focus - Builds and maintains internal and external customer satisfaction with the services offered by the organization.
• Ethics and Integrity - Earns the trust, respect and confidence of coworkers and customers through consistent honesty, forthrightness and professionalism in all interactions.
• Inclusiveness - Actively contributes to a work environment that embraces building relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders, recognizing the value of cultural, ethnic, gender and other individual differences, to enhance the attainment of organizational goals.

WORK CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Works in a park setting which includes all types of terrain. Must be able to traverse uneven terrain.
• Must be able to move boxes and other material weighing up to 40 pounds on a daily basis.
• Willing to work weekends, holidays and long and/or irregular hours.
• Willing to work in inclement weather conditions.
• Must not have a driving record that indicates a disregard for rules and regulations.

Supplemental Information

SPECIAL NOTES:

Applicants will be required to successfully complete a background investigation which may include, but is not limited to, driving record, fingerprints, and criminal and employment history. Applicants will be required to sign releases of information and shall not have access to any investigative materials and files. Background investigations are part of the pre-employment selection process and are not a commitment to employment.

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). For more information: https://wfse.org/

About Parks:

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission provides policy direction for one of the largest, most diverse, and beautiful state parks systems in the country. The state park system is comprised of 124 state parks and properties covering over 138,000 acres throughout the state. The park system includes marine parks, heritage sites, historic parks, interpretive centers, retreat centers, ocean beaches and hundreds of miles of trails. The agency is also responsible for the state’s winter recreation program, boating safety and vessel pump out program and numerous contracted concession operations. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission cares for Washington's most treasured lands, waters, and historic places. Want to join a great organization? State parks connect all Washingtonians to their diverse natural and cultural heritage and provide memorable recreational and educational experiences that enhance their lives, this is a mission like no other state agency. For more information on Washington State Parks, click here.

Note: This position is covered by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). Once the listed position(s) is (are) filled, this recruitment announcement may also be used to fill additional position(s) for up to sixty (60) days.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to build a workplace culture that is welcoming and inclusive in which all employees feel respected and empowered to bring their unique ideas to the agency. At State Parks, we believe that embracing diverse backgrounds and experiences is essential to growing a strong workforce. We encourage applicants underrepresented in natural resources and outdoor recreation fields to apply, including but not limited to women, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), individuals with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, disabled and Vietnam era veterans, persons over 40 years of age, and individuals who identify as a part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resources office at [phone]. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at [phone] or [e-mail].

For information or questions about the recruitment, qualifications, or the application process, please contact Nikki Williams at [e-mail].

For information about this position, please contact Sharon Soelter at [e-mail] or [phone].

All applicants with a legal right to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.

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