Park Guide
Job Location:
West Yellowstone, MT - USA
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
Job Summary
You will serve as a Park Guide at Yellowstone National Park with National Park Service.
This is a career seasonal appointment for additional information please see the Duties section of this announcement.
Open to the first 75 applicants or until 09/22/2026 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.
Please see the Duties section of this announcement for additional information.
This position is also open to public in the local vicinity under announcement CAHN-26--FUL-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 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 are required to complete training obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
- 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 may be required to serve a one year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.
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. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300 Subpart F.
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 periods of time that reflect military service the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. 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.
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:
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. Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement. Candidates 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.
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. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated visit: information
First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
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. ( otherwise eligible and qualified you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS) recruitment or relocation incentive.
All 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 DOI Ethics Prohibitions U.S. Department of the Interior.
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.
Work Environment: Work is performed both indoors and outdoors resulting in exposure to a variety of weather conditions.
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.
