Recreational Aid and Assistant (Lifeguard) (Seasonal)

U.S. Department of the Interior; Village of Patchogue (NY); On-site; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking dedicated individuals for temporary lifeguard positions. This role offers a chance to work outdoors during the summer, ensuring the safety of swimmers at scenic beach locations. Ideal candidates will have strong lifeguarding skills, valid certifications, and a commitment to maintaining physical fitness. You will be part of a dynamic team, responding to emergencies and providing assistance to visitors. This is a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience while enjoying the beauty of nature and helping others. Join us in making a difference this summer!

Qualifications

• Must possess valid Lifeguard Certification, CPR, and First Aid certifications.
• Experience in lifeguarding or related fields is essential.

Responsibilities

• Monitor swimmers and ensure safety at designated swimming areas.
• Perform rescues and first aid as needed, assist park rangers.

Skills

Lifeguarding

First Aid

CPR

Customer Service

Physical Fitness

Education

High School Diploma

Some Coursework in Recreation or Physical Education

Bachelor's Degree in Any Field

Job description

Temporary positions not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year may be terminated/extended based on management needs. The typical season is April-Sept, but can vary due to weather, project needs, or funding.

Anticipated Entry on Duty: April - May 2025

New York 2024 Pay Table
GS-3: $18.13 to $23.57 per hour
GS-4: $20.36 to $26.46 per hour
GS-5: $22.77 to $29.60 per hour

Duties

This Open-Continuous announcement for temporary seasonal positions has been opened due to an exemption to the 2025 Civilian Hiring Freeze. This is an open continuous announcement. Applicants will be referred throughout the announcement period. Final application disposition will be completed once all positions are filled or announcement reaches the closing date. The first cut-off date is 11:59 pm (EST), March 16, 2025.

The incumbent will perform the full range of lifeguard/rescue swimmer duties including but not limited to maintaining a watch over swimmers in the water at designated NPS swimming areas on Fire Island, rendering direct assistance to swimmers in trouble, performing first aid to visitors commensurate with their level of training, assisting park rangers with crowd control at a rescue scene, responding to neighboring communities to render assistance to the lifeguard staff there or directly assist and perform rescue functions as needed. The incumbent is expected to work outside during the summer months in direct sunlight and is expected to perform rescue duties in the Atlantic Ocean in a variety of surf conditions. The incumbent is expected to pass a physical, urine test as well as a swim and run test. The incumbent is expected to participate in the beach crew workout schedule to maintain their physical conditioning and lifeguard skills. The incumbent is also required to maintain beach count records during their shift as well as submit case incident reports documenting rescues and other related incidents.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level (GS-5).

Requirements

Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 05/31/2025 - 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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-03 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least six (6) months of general experience. General Experience is (1) any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Examples of general experience would be working at a YMCA, at a summer camp, or in customer service, etc. You must include hours per week worked and mm//dd/yy, beginning and ending dates. Part-time employment must have number of hours worked per week.

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one year above high school with some coursework related to the position such as physical education or recreation. You must include transcripts.

COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-04 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: 6 months of general experience AND 6 months of specialized experience. You must include mm/yy beginning and ending dates and hours worked per week for each period of employment or volunteer service.

• General Experience is any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Examples of general experience would be working as a lifeguard at a YMCA, counselor at a summer camp, or work as a leader with Boy Scout/Girl Scout clubs.
• Specialized Experience is experience which is in the occupation of the position to be filled, in a related occupation, or in one of the specialized areas within that occupation, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been at least equivalent to the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two years above high school with some courses in recreation or physical education. You must include transcripts.

COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-05 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-04 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience which is in the occupation of the position to be filled, in a related occupation, or in one of the specialized areas within that occupation, which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade.

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree in any field with a minimum of 24 semester hours in recreation or physical education (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.

COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts.

Applicants must provide a valid Lifeguard Certification from a nationally recognized organization, CPR certification, and First Aid certification prior to entry on duty.

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