Mount Rainier National Park employs approximately 90 permanent employees. Between May and September, the peak visitation season, up to an additional 150 temporary employees are hired. Temporary positions include laborers, maintenance workers, biological technicians, visitor use assistants who handle fees at entrance station and campgrounds, and park rangers. There are also a limited number of openings for clerical staff and trades and crafts professionals. United States citizenship is required for all positions.
Current permanent and temporary job openings at Mount Rainier are listed below. This information is also available by phone: dial (360) 569-2211, then choose "park business offices" (#5), and "recorded employment information" (#1).
PLEASE NOTE: The park does not have authority to accept applications for positions at all times. Applications can be accepted only in response to a specific vacancy announcement.
Permanent Employment
Permanent positions are filled in one of two ways.
1. Internal merit promotion announcements are open only to eligible federal service candidates. Those applying to merit promotion announcements must have permanent federal employment status as a career or career-conditional employee, reinstatement eligibility based on former permanent status, or be eligible for special appointing authorities as specified in the vacancy announcement. Special appointing authorities include 30% or more disabled veterans, individuals eligible under the Veteran’s Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA), or those who meet the criteria as severely handicapped. If applicants can be considered from other sources, this will be clearly indicated on the vacancy announcement.
2. The park issues public job announcements through the , maintained by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM has delegated authority to Mount Rainier to conduct recruitment for some vacant positions. All qualified applicants from outside the federal service will be considered for these vacancies.
Permanent positions at Mount Rainier for which applications are currently being accepted:
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Open Period Ends
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Term Employment
A term job is an appointment to a position that will last more than one year but not more than four years and that is of a project nature where the job will terminate upon completion of the project.
Term positions at Mount Rainier for which applications are currently being accepted:
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Open Period Ends
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Temporary Employment
At Mount Rainier, the summer season extends from late May through the end of September. Most temporary positions correspond to this season, although a limited number of openings may occur at other times of the year. Temporary jobs are usually announced and applications accepted from late October to late February each year. Announcements are open for periods ranging from five days to two weeks.
All temporary positions are announced through , a nationwide federal announcement system operated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Eligibility criteria for employment under the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) is at the .
Temporary positions at Mount Rainier for which applications are currently being accepted:
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Position
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Grade & Salary
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Open Period Ends
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| Electrician |
WG-10, $25.60 - $29.94/hr
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December 1, 2009
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Other Employment Opportunities within the Park
The National Park Inn, Paradise Inn, and other guest facilities in the park, are operated under contract with a private concessioner, Mount Rainier Guest Services, Inc. For more information on job openings, contact .
Three commercial climbing and mountaineering guide services operate at Mount Rainier. Contact these companies directly for information about employment opportunities:
, , .
Volunteer Opportunities at Mount Rainier
Those interested in volunteer work or unpaid internships can contact the park Volunteer Coordinator, Kevin Bacher, by
email or by phone at (360) 569-2211, x3385. The citizenship requirement does NOT apply to volunteers. More information on volunteering at Mount Rainier is available .
Student Conservation Association interns assist with a full range of natural and cultural resource management and conservation-related tasks in both field and office settings, and are compensated with a small stipend and shared housing. For information contact .