This position is located in the New River Gorge National River (NERI) Resource and Visitor Protection Division. Duties of the position are to promote safe use of the rivers, perform search and rescue operations, aid in emergency medical services, and maintain the park's fleet of watercraft and equipment. The seasonal Entry-on-Duty period for is April/May 2025 but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. The anticipated Entry on Duty: May 2025.

Duties

Position responsibilities include river patrols on all waters and tributaries in the three National Park System areas under the administration of a NERI Superintendent, which include over 90,000 acres and 90+ river miles. The selectee for this position will be responsible for providing whitewater river patrols on the New, Gauley, Meadow and Bluestone Rivers up to Class V+ whitewater river sections. DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: Safety patrols, rescue and recovery, and education in safe boating practices and etiquette. Monitor for compliance of camping regulations, sanitation and refuse, and resource stewardship along remote river shoreline camping and recreation areas accessed only by boat. Involved in extensive contact with heavy commercial boating activities, as well as increasingly numbers of private boaters and overnight boat campers. River equipment utilized includes paddle and oar-powered rafts, motorized catarafts, duckies and kayaks. Will work closely with land-based Visitor Use Assistants & commissioned law enforcement rangers in managing riparian river zone recreation and resource stewardship efforts throughout all river segments of the park. Responsible for training and maintenance of river skills for all Ranger Division personnel assigned collateral river responsibilities. Assists others in safely planning and engaging in potentially high-risk recreational sports. Provides general planning information, safety suggestions and park regulations. Responsible for responding to emergencies either personally or via obtaining appropriate assistance, and for providing basic first aid. Creates bulletin board displays, temporary exhibits, and other non-personal interpretive services. Creates interpretive props, worksheets, and other visual aids and written information. Assists with program administration, including record-keeping and correspondence.

Requirements

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/06/2025-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. SELECTIVE FACTOR: WHITEWATER CERTIFICATION: This position performs the duties of a Park Ranger (Whitewater Rescue) to include protecting visitors and resources in relation to the recreational use of the rivers (i.e., promoting safe use of the rivers, performing search and rescue operations, aiding in emergency medical services, maintaining the park's fleet of watercraft and accessory equipment, and providing NPS presence on the rivers). Incumbent is required to respond to emergency situations related to park and visitor safety during periods outside of scheduled tour of duty, and possession of a certification as a Commercial Whitewater Trip Leader as specified in guidelines established by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, or equivalent certification issued by a recognized public or other accredited institution 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-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). This experience includes activities such as: 1)park guide or tour leader; 2)law enforcement or investigative work; 3)archaeological or historical preservation research work; 4)forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area; 5)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; 6)or other similar work. YOU MUST INCLUDE HOURS PER WEEK WORKED. OR EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least four years of education above high school (120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or 24 semester hours of course work in a related field. Related course work are subjects such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archaeology, 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. YOU MUST INCLUDE TRANSCRIPTS. OR Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a bachelor's degree, in excess of 60 semester hours, and divide by 60 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. You must include transcripts and detail experience in resume. YOU MUST INCLUDE TRANSCRIPTS. QUALITY RANKING FACTORS: Quality ranking factors are knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) identified on the vacancy announcement for the positions to be filled, that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in a position, but unlike selective factors, are not essential for satisfactory performance. Answering these questions on the occupational questionnaire will not screen you out if you do not possess these skills / certifications. The selectee serves as a Park Ranger (Whitewater Rescue). The selectee must possess or be able to possess the ability to navigate and train others in the navigation of hazardous whitewater in the New and Gauley Rivers by oar-powered and motorized watercraft without assistance of supervision. Proficiency in performing technical river rescues is also required of the incumbent. Incumbent will be participating in search and rescue operations and therefore is required to possess or obtain a first responder or advanced first aid certification. MOTORBOAT OPERATOR CERTIFICATION EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE CERTIFICATION 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.

Contacts

• Address New River Gorge National Park and Preserve PO Box 246 Glen Jean, WV 25846-0246 US
• Name: Marcia Mims-Washington
• Phone: 267-638-1570
• Email: [email protected]