Park Guide

Summary

You will serve as a Park Guide with National Park Service.

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Southeast Region, Castillo De San Marcos National Monument & Fort Matanzas National Monument, in Saint Augustine, FL.

Pay will be set using the 2026 RUS (Rest of U.S.) Salary Table - GS-05 (Step 1) $40,736 to GS-05 (Step 10) $52,957. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

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Duties

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As a uniformed employee of the National Park Service, the incumbent serves as a front-line park representative. They provide information, give interpretive tours, and educational programming to the public. The primary purpose of this position is to provide guide services to visitors.

Major Duties

• Answering questions on a variety of subjects.
• Guiding small groups and providing services to visitors.
• Present limited and repetitive pre-established talks including introductions to films, map talks, and static exhibit interpretation.
• Orient hikers to conditions and equipment needs.
• Performs duties, including programs, that require application of broad subject-matter knowledge of the park.
• May guide larger groups (up to 50 people) on longer walks or programs.
• Provide a wide range of services for park visitors.
• Operate an electronic cash register, point-of-sale system.
• This position will assist the Captain of the Park passenger ferry boat during emergency operations and medical emergencies, including man-overboard, fire, and engine out operations. Selectee must be certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED within 6 months of start date.

As a Park Guide, you will typically assist with opening and closing duties, present pre-established walks and talks on a variety of interpretive themes, provide visitor services, and make rove contacts, such as Junior Ranger, guided tours, and pop-ups, as well as historic weapons demonstrations. Each pay period, you will also work in the fee booth and Fort Matanzas National Monument operation. This work includes visitor center duties, making sales from the bookstore, and serving as a deckhand on the park ferry.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Must obtain within 6 months of EOD a certification in First Aid, CPR, and AED
• Pre-employment and random drug testing is required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test is received.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You may be required to work weekends.
• You may be required to occasionally travel overnight away from home. 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.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 10/29/2026-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-5 grade level

Experience: To qualify, you must possess At least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized Experience is 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. Your resume must show hours per week worked AND the to/from dates in month/year format for each position.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of at least four years of education above high school (120 semester hour or 180 quarter hours) leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, such as: American history, science, public speaking, parks and recreation, education, or communications. If using education to qualify, you must upload a legible copy of your college transcripts that includes your name, credit hours, and degree awarded.

-OR-

Combination Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. For example, 6 months of the specialized experience described in A above (50% of the experience requirement), and 3 years of college study from an accredited institution (75% of the qualifying education) as specified in B above, equals greater than 100% of the total requirement. If using education to qualify, you must upload a legible copy of your college transcripts that includes your name, courses, and credit hours completed

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.

Probationary Period

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-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 service. In 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 individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In 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.

Education

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. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

EXPLORE Act Veteran Hiring Pilot ProgramThe Department of the Interior has created a two-year Veteran Hiring Pilot as established by the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act that aims to expand employment opportunities for Veterans (and eligible transitioning Service Members). This position has been identified as EXPLORE Act Veteran Hiring Pilot eligible. The pilot supports DOI's conservation and resource management mission by connecting qualified Veterans with career opportunities across the Department. To learn more, visit https://www.doi.gov/veterans/explore-act.

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

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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.

Benefits

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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.

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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.