This position is located in Denali National Park and Preserve, in the 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 beginning of July through the end of March, approximately 9 months in pay status, and will be in non-pay status for the remainder of the year.

Duties

This announcement is being advertised concurrently under number AK-1537-DENA-24-12517373-ST, which is open to certain merit promotion and status candidates. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods. As a Park Ranger (Interpretation) (Backcountry - Kennel) incumbent you will be working for the Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310' Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility, and wilderness await. For more information visit: Denali National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)Major Duties will include: Facilitates strong team communication and leadership development within all team members. Delivers daily care, training, and long-term welfare for up to 32 sled dogs. Manages safety of a complex winter patrol operation and a very busy summer dog sled demonstration operation. Provides daily care and maintenance of the kennels campus, facilities and equipment. Facilitates continual training and skill development for staff, interns, and volunteers in winter and summer seasons. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. This is a career-ladder position, however, promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level. Full-performance grade level is GS-09. Incumbent will work with minors and needs a Childcare SAC background investigation. Pay Information: Pay is subject to annual review and adjustment. Pay & Leave : Salaries & Wages - OPM.gov: GS-07 steps 1 to 10: $26.53 to $34.50 per hour + COLA GS-09 steps 1 to 10: $32.46 to $42.19 per hour + COLA An additional 3.21% cost of living allowance (COLA) for "Other Alaska" will be added to the hourly rate above. Pay is subject to annual review and adjustment.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/04/2024-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. SELECTIVE FACTORS: This position performs sled dog and mushing duties, and experience handling and harnessing sled dogs in a dog mushing kennel is required. Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position. - AND - To qualify for this position at the GS-07 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-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes activities such as: researching and conducting interpretative tours to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions; performing resource management tasks and duties supporting the mission of a park or similar area; providing visitor services such as explaining regulations, answering visitor questions and complaints, and providing information about a park or similar recreational area. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of one full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to do the work of the position. Major studies include: natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, 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. You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Must have obtained Superior Academic Achievement through successful completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major study in natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, social sciences, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources which provided me with the knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance to do the work of this position, and meet one of the following requirements for Superior Academic Achievement at the undergraduate level: 1) Class standing -- Graduated in the upper third of the class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision; 2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 scale as recorded on official transcript, or as 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 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society. (Note: A copy of your transcript is required as documented proof of your GPA, class standing, or election to honor society membership.) You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of such education and experience described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours or equivalent earned towards a graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours or equivalent. Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. They must equal 100% to qualify using this option. You must include hours per week worked.and provide transcripts. -OR- To qualify for this position at the GS-09 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-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience includes activities such as: Assisting with planning and programming for the park or similar programs to provide adequate long-term protection for wilderness; Ensuring written communication for project proposals and professional communication are well written and easily understood; Assisting in planning, researching and conducting interpretative tours to point out scientific, historic, and natural features of parks, forests, historic sites, or other attractions; providing visitor services such as explaining regulations, answering visitor questions and complaints, and providing information about a park or similar recreational area. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of two full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or master's or equivalent graduate degree related to the occupation that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to do the work of the position. Major studies include natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, 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. You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of such education and experience described above. To calculate your percentage of qualifying graduate education, divide your number of semester hours in excess of 18 semester hours by 18 or the number your school uses to represent one year of full time graduate academic study. To calculate your percentage of experience, divide your months of qualifying specialized experience by 12. Add the two percentages. They must equal 100% to qualify using this option. You must include hours per week worked and provide transcripts. 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.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution 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 education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Continue from the "Additional Information" section:

Physical Demands: Indoor work conditions include standing or sitting in one place for extended periods of time, answering repetitive questions, and use of shared equipment. Outdoor work can be arduous and hazardous; involving remote, trail-less backcountry travel in interior Alaska in which a high level of physical conditioning is a necessity. Duties include lifting, moving, stacking objects up to 50 lbs, lifting, harnessing, running, or walking with 70-100 lb vigorous sled dogs, and shoveling, scooping, raking, and bending to maintain grounds and equipment. There is frequent running, bending, jumping, and stooping to respond to emergency situations in uneven terrain. Must be able to carry a pack with up to 40 pounds of communications, safety, first-aid, and personal gear and be able to hike on uneven terrain such as river bars, tundra, through brush, and on scree or talus. Camping may be necessary for extended periods of time. Travel may be by foot, dog sled, ATV, non-motorized carts, small vehicles, buses, trains, fixed-wing aircraft, or helicopter. Incumbent will be skiing, snowshoeing, skijoring, and driving a heavily loaded dog sled with a team of dogs over varied terrain including snow, ice, gravel bars, tundra, and forest.

Working Conditions: While extended periods of time may be in an office or visitor center setting, much of the kennels work requires extended time outdoors. Outdoor settings often involve regular and recurring exposure to moderate discomforts and unpleasantness, such as adverse weather conditions. Traveling and camping occurs in a wide range of subarctic winter weather conditions. This environment regularly involves a high level of situational awareness to negotiate exposure to potentially dangerous situations or unusual environmental stress (wildlife, exposure, weather, uneven terrain).

The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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, based on your adjudication decision. 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

Contacts

• Address Denali National Park and Preserve P O Box 9 Denali Park, AK 99755 US
• Name: Tracy Noetzelman
• Phone: 907-644-3336
• Email: [email protected]