Park Ranger (Climbing)

This position is located in Rocky Mountain National Park, in the Visitor & Resource Protection Division.

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work from approximately mid-March to mid-November, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year.

For additional information about the position, please contact Mike Lukens at mike_lukens@nps.gov.

• As a Park Ranger (Climbing), you will carry out the duties and responsibilities including various patrols of climbing areas, PSAR messaging on trails, leading and directing a volunteer staff in the winter as well as climbing stewards and interns in the summer. The position primarily is the lead for all-risk and hazardous search and rescue (SAR), emergency medical services (EMS), aviation and preventative search and rescue (PSAR) events within Rocky Mountain National Park.

• You will conduct backcountry and climbing patrols to evaluate trail and climbing route conditions, educate visitors on proper backcountry uses and wilderness ethics, conduct compliance checks on backcountry permits, and assists with upkeep of backcountry cabins and shelters. Maintains technical rope rescue techniques and other skills that support effective search and rescue operations. Assists or provides assistance to aide emergency response when requested.

• You will aid staff ensuring they respond, advise, teach, and motivate visitors to comply with rules and ethics that are in place to minimize negative impacts on the mountain environment. You will be responsible for sharing information with the public to promote climber/backcountry user safety and to accomplish preventative search and rescue objectives as an active member of the park's preventative search and rescue (PSAR) program.

• You will help in the development and coordination of messaging in park publications including the webpages pertaining to climbing stewardship on the Rocky website. Responsible for ensuring staff appropriately conveys information regarding wilderness travel and safety, Leave No Trace (LNT) principles, detailed knowledge of trails/climbing routes/camping-bivy areas, severe weather potentials, route finding, and wilderness regulations.

• You will work with the direct supervisor in creating and executing search and rescue and EMS trainings throughout the year to maintain compliance and certifications for all emergency response staff members. Assists in the development of training techniques related to helicopters and helicopter use during search and rescue. Ensures training and qualification of helicopter personnel is executed safely and efficiently.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also 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 disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.

You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.

Physical Demands: The work regularly includes long periods of standing and hiking, in most cases over rough, rocky surfaces.

Strenuous exertion is frequently required in the firefighting, search and rescue operations, EMS, and similar activities. Lifting and carrying equipment over 50 pounds, such as technical SAR equipment, is required. Individual patrols remote backcountry areas by foot and ski.

Individual must be capable of traveling up to 20 miles per day in rough mountainous terrains at altitudes between 7,000 and 14,259 feet above sea level. Skills and ability in working and surviving in a remote mountain backcountry/wilderness area under extreme environmental conditions throughout all seasons are required. In addition to resource protection and education duties accomplished in this work environment, a broad range of additional duties and responsibilities include mountain search and rescue, technical rock and ice climbing, mountaineering (travel on snow and steep off-trail terrain), resource and facility project work, and general visitor services.

Working Conditions: Much of the work is performed outdoors in all kinds of weather and in a setting in which there is regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness, e.g. temperatures ranging from 90 degrees to

• 40, confined spaces, adverse weather conditions, exposure to loud artificial noise impacts such as helicopters and engines; mitigated through protective equipment, and high altitudes. The work may be performed at various hours of the day and night and for prolonged periods during emergency situations. The individual is frequently exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations in emergency types of situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.

Government housing may be available on a temporary or permanent basis. Housing assignments are made through a bid process.All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/01/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted.

An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs alpine climbing patrols, search and rescue operations, and emergency response.

Both of the selective factors must be met. Candidates who do not meet these requirements by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

• Certification at the National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or higher, and

• Lead traditional climbs of Grade IV, 5.10, A2, and travel safely over steep snow and ice and lead climb WI-3.

• AND -

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following by close of the announcement:

• EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: performing backcountry and/or alpine climbing patrols; performing technical rope rescues in an alpine environment, or performing search and rescue operations in an wilderness or alpine environment, and monitoring backcountry/wilderness use by evaluating and mitigation of potential resource damage, law enforcement/investigative, archeological/historical preservation, or forestry/fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area.
  
  Regularly shares information with the public to promote climber/backcountry user safety and to accomplish preventative search and rescue objectives. Serves as a member in all-risk operations; and perform emergency medical treatment at the Emergency Medical Technician

• Basic, or higher, level of training and responsibility. Experience equivalent to the GS-5 may be professional work at the developmental or trainee level.
  
  Lower graded technician/assistant work alone is not qualifying for this series. You must provide hours/week and from/to dates (mo/yr) on your resume.

• OR-

• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 1 full year of graduate level education that is directly related to the work of the position such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, public administration, 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 provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. One year of graduate education is typically 18 semester (27 quarter) hours. You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

• OR-

• Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, you have 6 months specialized experience at the GS-05 level (50%) and 9 semester (14 quarter) hours of graduate level education (50%) You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

• OR-

• Meet the one of the three criteria for Superior Academic Achievement. (1) Be in the upper third of graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; (2) Have a GPA 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in my major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR (3) Be a member in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. You must provide documentation that supports how you meet this qualification.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following by close of the announcement:

• EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained either in the private or public sectors) performing the following: Performs climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry patrols in technical and non-technical, alpine terrain; Regularly shares information with the public to promote climber/backcountry user safety and to accomplish preventative search and rescue objectives; Serves as field work lead for seasonal climbing staff by providing area and program orientation, promoting wilderness/back country ethics, directing patrol and work assignments, evaluating job-related skills, and providing training; Serves as a member and field leader in all-risk operations; and perform emergency medical treatment at the Emergency Medical Technician

• Basic, or higher, level of training and responsibility. Experience equivalent to the GS-7 may be professional work at the developmental or trainee level.
  
  Lower graded technician/assistant work alone is not qualifying for this series. You must provide hours/week and from/to dates (mo/yr) on your resume.

• OR-

• EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 full years of graduate level education or Master's or equivalent graduate degree with major study in natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, public administration, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resource.
  
  Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. One year of graduate education is typically 18 semester (27 quarter) hours. You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

• OR-

• Successful completion of a combination of education and experience. Only graduate education in excess of the first year is creditable for this combination. For example, you have 6 months specialized experience at the GS-07 level (50%) and 27 semester (41 quarter) hours of graduate level education (50%). You must submit a copy of your transcripts.

• OR-

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.