Wilderness Information Assistant and Lead Wilderness Information Assistant (Seasonal)

Summary The typical anticipated Entry on Duty: April - July 2027 but can be variable during these months due to weather conditions, project needs, or funding. Open to the first 150 applicants or until 10/26/2026 whichever comes first. Responsibilities You work in a Wilderness Information Center providing resource orientation and information about Olympic National Park. Duties at each grade level include: GS-05 Wilderness Information Assistant: You spend about 75% of your working hours in a Wilderness Information Center issuing Wilderness Permits, providing Leave No Trace education, dispensing Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) information, and collecting fees. You will also work about 25% of the time conducting uniformed wilderness patrols in Olympic National Park's 876,447 acres of federally designated Wilderness. GS-06 Lead Wilderness Information Assistant: You spend about 50-75% of your working hours in a Wilderness Information Center issuing Wilderness Permits, providing Leave No Trace education, dispensing Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) information, and collecting fees. You will also work up to 50% of the time conducting uniformed wilderness patrols in Olympic National Park's 876,447 acres of federally designated Wilderness. Lead positions will assist in administrative work in the Wilderness Information Center and provide guidance to less experienced staff regarding the wilderness and backcountry operations. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males. Required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. 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. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Qualifications All qualifications must be met by 11:59 EST when the 'applicant cut-off' is reached (which may be sooner than 10/26/2026). SELECTIVE FACTOR: In order to provide accurate information regarding trail conditions and assistance to the backcountry staff, you will be expected to perform wilderness patrols of up to 15 miles per day carrying packs weighing up to 40 pounds. You will be hiking over terrain that may be rugged and will likely experience inclement weather conditions. Candidates who do not have prior experience hiking/backpacking that includes completing multiple trips of multiple days duration and having spent at least 20 nights cumulatively in the wilderness backpacking 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: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) working as a cashier; 2) working at an information desk or in a customer service position; and 3) working with computers and record keeping. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 4 years of progressively higher level undergraduate education leading to a bachelor's degree in a field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. You must include transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a COMBINATION of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take 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 hours per week worked and transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level, you must possess the following minimum qualifications: 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). This experience includes activities such as: 1) working as a cashier; 2) working at an information desk or in a customer service position; 3) working with computers to manage an equipment rental program; and 4) providing training for other employees. You must include hours per week worked. 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. You must include months/years, hours per week worked and salary to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". No additional credit is given for overtime. In describing the nature of your duties (your experience), please be clear and concise. We will not make assumptions regarding your experience. The Office of Personnel Management Qualification Standards are available for review at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. 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. There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-06 and GS-07 grade level of this announcement. Additional Information A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The salary range on this vacancy does not grant an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Click here for the OPM Salaries and Wages to calculate locality pay. Non-Competitive Rehire Eligibility: Temporary seasonal employees can only maintain their non-competitive rehire eligibility if they work no more than a combined total of Temporary NTE 1039 hours anywhere in the National Park Service (NPS) within their established service year. Accordingly, non-competitive rehire eligibility allows for re-appointment to the same position or another position appropriate for temporary appointment with the same qualification requirements (5 CFR 316.402[b][7]), based on series and grade, anywhere in the major subdivision (NPS). If you have held a temporary seasonal appointment in the past 12 months and have already worked the maximum temporary appointment combined total of 1039 hours during that period, you are still welcome to apply. However, please be aware that exceeding the limit of 1039 hours in your established service year will result in the loss of your non-competitive rehire eligibility. The limit can be exceeded by working multiple temporary seasonal positions that result in a combined total greater than 1039 hours. The limit also can be exceeded by working a single temporary seasonal appointment that exceeds 1039 hours, unless granted an exception by OPM. This position may be filled under a temporary seasonal appointment not-to-exceed 1560 hours rather than 1039 hours depending on the park and program Employment may be terminated at any time due to fluctuations in funding levels, project needs, employee performance, or other considerations. Physical Demands: Standing for long periods of time, walking, bending, lifting of moderately heavy items and sedentary work is required. Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts and the responsibility of dealing with visitors who may ignore safety precautions. Wilderness training patrols involve periods of time away from the comforts of civilization, hiking with heavy backpacks in the steep, rugged environment of the Olympic Wilderness. Wilderness training patrols normally are between 1 and 8 days in duration. Incumbent must be able to hike up to 15 miles per day over rugged terrain carrying a 40 pound pack. Working Conditions: Work is often performed indoors and outdoors in a variety of weather conditions and terrain including but not limited to·snow, steep terrain, stream crossings, heavy rain, cold temperatures and warm temperatures. Includes weekday, weekend, and holiday work and variable shifts. Duties may be performed alone in isolated locations. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are not suitable for telework. All Department of Interior (DOI) employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, https://www.doi.gov/ethics/ethics-prohibitions.