Department of the Interior

Park Ranger (Visitor Use)

Helena, Montana, Wolf Creek, Montana Full time

Park Ranger (Visitor Use)

Department: Department of the Interior

Location(s): Helena, Montana, Wolf Creek, Montana

Salary Range: $40332 - $64952 Per Year

Job Summary: Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. We expect to fill many vacancies. Note: These are not Law Enforcement positions. This is a temporary appointment. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1039 hours in a service year.

Major Duties:

  • Work with the public to provide and explain information, conduct permit compliance, and safety inspections, and ensure facilities and customer use areas are free of visible safety hazards.
  • Incumbent responds to emergency situations, participates in evaluating visitor use patterns, preparing and maintaining recreation sites, and monitoring condition of sites and natural and cultural resources.
  • May aid higher level employees in ensuring protection of property from natural depredation.
  • They may collect fees, assist with general facility maintenance, staff information desks, or give talks and lead nature hikes. If leading hikes, duties include guiding a variety of age groups on interactive, interpretive hikes.
  • Advises visitors concerning safety, fire prevention, amenities available, and proper and authorized uses of recreation facilities.
  • Patrols and inspects facilities ensuring compliance with rules and regulations pertaining to a variety of issues in campgrounds, picnic areas, and other recreational areas.
  • Provide applicants information on issuance of permits; takes initial application for permit and informs permit holder of action required to correct minor violations.
  • Observes, monitors, and evaluates onsite programs to determine if visitor needs are met.
  • Programs include orientation talks, interpretive programs, environmental education, conducted walks, demonstrations, and campfire programs interacting with a variety of age groups.
  • Incumbent assists with educational displays, curriculum, and staff various educational events in the area.

Qualifications: In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirements - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-5: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 level. Examples of specialized experience may include explaining regulations to park visitors; providing information and advice on park activities and resources; collecting fees; issuing reservations and permits; conducting guided tour programs; maintaining recreation facilities or trails; or monitoring special recreation permits. -OR- Successful completion of four year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with at least 24 semester hours of related course work. -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience. GS-7: One (1) year of specialized work experience equivalent to GS-6 level. Examples of specialized experience may include being a park guide or tour leader; 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; planning day to day operation of a recreation area providing such facilities as camping, water sports, picnic areas, or coordinating routine activities with maintenance personnel; advising visitors concerning safety, fire prevention, and proper and authorized uses of recreational facilities. -OR- Successful completion of one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation (i.e., related course work) or superior academic achievement. -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience. Related Course Work -- natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science related to the protection of public lands, social sciences, museum sciences, 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 relates to the duties performed by a Park Ranger. 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. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands/Work Environments: Work may be performed indoors or outdoors. Work may occur in steep, wet and muddy terrain, in campgrounds, recreation sites, visitor centers, offices, fee booths, bathrooms, trails or remote areas requiring extended camping. Positions may require physical exertions such as extended walking/standing, driving, stooping/crouching, digging, or lifting/carrying. Individuals should be able to work alone or with people; during day/night/weekend/holiday hours.

How to Apply: THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by the closing date of the announcement. If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office, Deena Huckabee at dhuckabee@blm.gov or Jacqueline Hodson at jcochrane@blm.gov. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e., you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process: YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-02