Park Ranger - Public Safety and Law Enforcement - New River Trail

Title: Park Ranger - Public Safety and Law Enforcement - New River Trail

State Role Title: Natural Resource Spec II

Hiring Range: $42,000 - $57,680

Pay Band: 3

Agency: Dept Conservation & Recreation

Location: New River Trail State Park

Agency Website: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is hiring for a Park Ranger - Public Safety and Law Enforcement position. DCR is the state’s lead conservation agency, providing access for outdoor recreation, strengthening communities’ flood resilience, and protecting what Virginians care about: clean water, parks, natural habitat, and open spaces.

Serving a diverse commonwealth rich in nature and culture, DCR touches all Virginians’ lives.

If you have always wanted to work in a beautiful and serene environment, then we have the perfect Park Ranger - Public Safety and Law Enforcement position for you at New River Trail State Park!

The Park Ranger – PS&LE position serves as a sworn, commissioned, and certified law enforcement officer, as defined in the Code of Virginia § 9.1-101, with responsibility for enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth and the regulations of the Department.

As one of Virginia's Law Enforcement Rangers, you will:

• Support New River Trail State Park programs and services with special emphasis on providing public safety, law enforcement, and resource protection by enforcing park rules, regulations, and state laws.
• Ensure the protection of people, property, and resources on land owned, leased, or operated by the Department of Conservation and Recreation through articulated and displayed specialized knowledge of public safety and law enforcement activities.
• Patrol properties in a vehicle, on foot, and by other modes of transportation.
• Assist with special events and search and rescue operations.
• Respond to and conduct initial investigations of incidents, including felonies, crimes, and violations of rules, public use, safety requirements, and motor vehicle accidents, crowd control activities, responding to calls for public safety and law enforcement services, and proactively protecting property resources from all forms of degradation.
• Serve as a public safety resource by interacting with park visitors.

Park Ranger – PS&LE’s will also:

• Assist with natural resource protection, which includes medical services, as well as facilitating stewardship and orientation.
• Assist in wilderness management, boundary enforcement, and protection of natural and cultural resources (e.g., wildlife, plants, archaeological sites, historic buildings)
• Support wildland fire suppression protection, including such duties as wildlife management.
• Maintain Park boundaries and signage, marking forest roads/trails, and completing quarterly written trail inspections as well as other forms of written documentation.
• Facilitate stewardship (e.g., diagnosing basic maintenance issues and ensuring public safety through basic facilities and grounds maintenance) and use of appropriate safety equipment and equipment.
• Supervise and train seasonal and wage staff and volunteers, and other work program participants in the maintenance of grounds, facilities, and equipment as appropriate.

DCR offers paid leave; a minimum of 13 paid state holidays per year; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; retirement plans (including 401a Cash Match and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan for classified positions, and VaLORS for law enforcement positions); and is a federally recognized Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer.

DCR’s Mission is to conserve the natural, scenic, historic, and cultural resources of the Commonwealth. We invite you to learn more about DCR’s efforts to CONSERVE.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience working with the public and/or in customer service.
• Written and verbal skills in public speaking and communications.
• Ability to solve problems and develop solutions.
• Ability to work with teams or independently with minimal supervision.
• Familiarity with 2