Park Ranger Trainee

Position Information

The Sonoma County Regional Parks is hiring several Park Ranger Trainees!

Starting salary $30.93/hour (64,554/year), plus a competitive total compensation package!*

Park Ranger Trainee

As a Park Ranger Trainee, you will learn park rules and use verbal engagement to promote safety, education, a and positive visitor engagement in support to park visitors. This position will, interact with visitors, collect visitor experience. Park Ranger Trainees learn patrol routes, inspect park areas for cleanliness and safety, clean facilities and correct hazardous conditions which may include performing light maintenance. In addition, they will learn dispatch communication protocols, how to administer medical care, and procedures to update and maintain records.

The Park Ranger Trainee position is your first step on the path to becoming a full-fledged Park Ranger with Sonoma County Regional Parks. After successfully completing the requirements, trainees are promoted to Park Ranger. Whether it’s providing first aid, educating visitors, or enforcing park rules, Park Rangers play a vital role in delivering a positive visitor experience - one interaction at a time!

Our Park Rangers are Public Officers and certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). They combine emergency medical response with proactive public service, ensuring our parks are safe, clean, and welcoming .

As an ideal candidate, you will be self-motivated, possess empathy, tact, positivity and have many of the following:

• Experience providing basic first/aid emergency medical care
• Experience handling and reconciling cash transactions
• Excellent customer skills
• Public speaking, writing, and communication skills
• The ability to interact and foster effective relationships with a diverse group of people
• Microsoft Office skills
• The ability to shift gears quickly and thrive working in a fast-paced environment

This position wears a uniform, works evenings, weekends, and holidays. Work is performed outside year-round and in various weather conditions.

Please note: The positions advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Regional Parks

Sonoma County Regional Parks includes 60 parks and beaches from Petaluma to Gualala and Sonoma to Bodega Bay. Many offer wild landscapes and miles of trails. Others feature sports fields, playgrounds, and campgrounds. Regional Parks also manages the county's largest ocean marina and largest extracurricular environmental education center. Sonoma County Regional Parks feature more than 200 year-round campsites on the Sonoma Coast and in the heart of Wine Country.
With something to offer everyone, Sonoma County Regional Parks provides unique opportunities for people to connect with nature.
What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Park Ranger ($35.18 -$42.77/hour)
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory .

This recruitment is being conducted to fill multiple Park Ranger Trainee positions in the Regional Parks Department. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of experience, training, and/or education which directly relates to the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, some experience in management of park operations or maintenance and possession of a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate would provide such opportunity.

License: Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid State of California Class C Driver License is required by date of hire and must be maintained throughout employment in this classification. The positions advertised on this announcement require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
Prior to the expiration of the probationary period, incumbents must also:
Acquire a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation certificate AND an Emergency Medical Response certificate, or equivalent

AND

Successfully complete a PC 832 Arrest course and County of Sonoma Park Ranger Trainee Coursework or equivalent.

Incumbents shall be required to maintain applicable certifications while in the position.

Additional Requirements: Candidates must be willing to work in uniform, and willing to work all shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

Background Requirements: Incumbents shall be required to successfully complete additional background and/or criminal history checks as determined by county, state, and/or federal regulations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of: management of park operations and natural resources; general principles of park and aquatic administration, such as fee collection, park patrol, and park interpretation; basic hand and power tools; principles of supervision; basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Ability to: develop skills in management of park operations, and to achieve compliance of park rules, regulations, and ordinances, through education, interpretation, outreach, and strategic use of Parking and Administrative Citations; perform general building and unskilled maintenance and repair tasks with basic hand and power tools; apply basic first aid to park visitors; communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, using appropriate English grammar and syntax; deal effectively with the public and county employees; understand and accept differences in human behavior; effectively interact with all populations; follow written and oral instructions; perform arithmetic calculations involving United States monetary units and other basic arithmetic calculations; detect safety hazards within a park and aquatic area and take corrective action; tactfully encourages compliance of park and aquatic rules, regulations, and ordinances, and to issue written citations and violations; perform moderately heavy physical labor; safely drive and operate light motorized vehicles.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org . Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: CA

HR Technician: VH

IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

COUNTY OF SONOMA BENEFITS: GENERAL*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off :Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan : Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generousCounty contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement :Fully integrated with Social Security.For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan : Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical :County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief :County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331.Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources/divisions-and-units/employee-relations/labor-agreements-and-salary-resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts go to https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/administrative-support-and-fiscal-services/human-resources or, contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonoma-county.org or (707) 565-2900.

*IMPORTANT NOTES: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 6/30/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

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