Park Guide (Field Unit Local Hiring Authority)
Job Location:
West Yellowstone, MT - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
You will serve as a Park Guide (Field Unit Local Hiring Authority) for Yellowstone National Park.
This is a career seasonal appointment for additional information please see the Duties section of this announcement.
This position is also open to status candidates under announcement CAHN-26--IMP-EDL. You must apply to each announcement separately if you wish to be considered under both recruitment methods.
Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as permanent appointments but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 11 months in pay status from January - October and during the month of December and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year during the month of November.
As a uniformed employee of the National Park Service you will serve as a front-line park representative; providing guide services to addition you may give short interpretive walks and tours and provide educational programming to the public.
Major Duties:
- Answering questions on a variety of subjects.
- Guiding small groups and providing services to visitors.
- Presenting limited and repetitive pre-established talks including introductions to films map talks and static exhibit interpretation.
- Orienting hikers to conditions and equipment needs.
- Share information with visitors on a broad variety of subjects related to the park and its resources.
- May guide larger groups (up to 50 people) on longer walks or programs.
- Provide a wide range of services for park visitors.
- Collection of Fees.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
- Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
- Males born aftermust be registered for Selective Service.
- Direct Deposit participation required.
- Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more visit possess and maintain a valid drivers license throughout employment.
- You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
- You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 5 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
- You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
- You must be at least (1) 18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.
- You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
- You may be required to work on-call evenings weekends holidays overtime and shift work.
- Must have and maintain the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
- Must have and maintain the ability to travel by non-traditional modes of transportation including by snowmobile.
Requirements Continued...
As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a one year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.
This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest meet the organization goals and mission of the agency and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the determining if your employment advances the public interest the agency will consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies in writing that the individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period such appointments are terminated.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.
To receive credit for experience 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying 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.
Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position you must meet the following minimum qualifications:
To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level you must provide documentation to support meeting one of the following qualification options:
Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience that involved oral presentation of historical scientific or program information to groups; or developing and/or revising technical historical or scientific information for oral presentation to groups. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to Park Guide or tour leader; naturalist; environmental educator or teacher; 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 hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelors degree with courses related to the occupation such as American history science public speaking parks and recreation education or communications. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Combination of Experience and Education. To combine education and experience first determine the percentage of experience held by dividing the number of months of qualifying full-time experience possessed by 12 and then multiplying by 100. Then determine the percentage of qualifying college level education completed by dividing the number of credits completed beyond the first 60 credit hours by 60 then multiply by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include 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.
You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name school name grades credit hours earned major(s) grade point average or class ranking and date the degree was conferred if applicable. A typed list of courses grades semester/quarter hours GPA etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.
Foreign Education: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications U.S. Department of Education. information This position will be filled under the Field Unit Local Hiring Authority. Eligibility is limited to applicants who reside within the defined local commuting area at the time of application. For this announcement the local commuting area is the area from which individuals can reasonably commute to the duty station under normal conditions. The defined vicinity for this position is the following counties: You must provide proof of residency within the defined vicinity (e.g. mortgage or property deed lease/rental agreement utility bill insurance policy etc.). Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
See the Required Documents section for information on how to verify current residence.
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent temporary or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring from another component bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.
Physical Demands: The work requires standing for long periods of time walking for long distances climbing and descending steep inclines bending and lifting moderately heavy items. Mental stress and physical fatigue occur due to high volume of personal contacts occasional emergency responses and repetitive nature of interpretive programs.
Working Conditions: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions.
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 should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
