Recreation Ranger

THE OUTSIDE IS IN US ALL.

Announcement:

Please remember to attach the required documents listed in this announcement.

• Resume

• Cover Letter

• References

Applications missing the requested documents will be considered incomplete and may not progress further in the process. Documents not requested will not be considered in the recruitment process. The State Application is not a substitute for a Resume. This position closes at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on March 29, 2026. You must apply through the State of Montana Career site.

Special Information:

This position may be eligible for a statutory base pay increase of $1.00 an hour effective July 1, 2026.

Identity of applicants who become finalists may be released to the public if the Department deems it necessary. Employees who exceed 1,040 hours in a calendar year are also provided health, dental and life insurance. Other benefits include retirement, paid vacation, sick and holidays. This position may be covered by a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association).

A successful applicant will be subject to a background investigation.

Women and minorities are under-represented in this job category and are encouraged to apply.

This Recreation Ranger position is located in the Helena Valley, specifically at Black Sandy State Park and occasionally Spring Meadow Lake State Park and the 6 Fishing Access Sites managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in the Helena Valley. Helena is the capitol city (population around 60,000) which is a haven of rich arts, culture, and history and is centrally located to provide ample outdoor opportunities, entertainment, health care, and shopping. Nearly every outdoor activity available in Montana is accessible in or around Helena, including hiking, road and mountain biking, hunting, fishing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife viewing areas. The city offers an extensive hiking and biking trail system including Mount Helena, the largest city owned park in the country.

Black Sandy State Park is an extremely popular weekend boating, fishing, camping, picnicking, and water-skiing location. Black Sandy offers 29 campsites with electricity and 6 tent sites. Spring Meadow Lake State Park is one of the most visited State Parks in Montana and offers hiking trails with exceptional opportunities for wildlife viewing, swimming, fishing, boating, jogging, and many other activities. The site offers a contracted boat rental concession, an extremely popular rentable outdoor pavilion venue, and connects to the community via the Centennial Trail linking East Helena with Fort Harrison.

This is a seasonal worker position with an anticipated season usually lasting from May through mid-October. The schedule for these positions will be full-time daily with midweeks off as weekend staffing is required. Weekend, evening, and holiday work is required. The incumbents will be expected to work independently, often doing heavy physical labor in adverse weather conditions. Good physical condition is essential.

Specific Job Information:

The Park Ranger (Generalist) job purpose is to assist park managers in all daily operations of a unit or units of the State Park System. This work will primarily encompass broad administrative, operational, maintenance, and public relations activities. This position will also be tasked with conducting park rule compliance duties within the scope of their training and providing operational support to the park manager for daily park operations, employees, visitor behavior, facilities, and grounds within the State Park. This position provides essential services and tasks as they arise, such as park rule compliance, fee collection and remittance, interpretation and education, Reservation system administration, light building and grounds maintenance monitoring and cleaning, and other various responsibilities. The Park Ranger position will work under the immediate supervision of the Park Manager and will provide directions for other park staff and volunteers. In the absence of the Manager the incumbent may be assigned acting Manager responsibilities.

This position is focused on running and maintaining the reservation system primarily at Black Sandy State Park for camping reservations in season, but also at Spring Meadow Lake State Park for daily pavilion reservation rentals. Working closely with the rec manager, the seasonal recreation techs at each park, and the maintenance crew, this position accomplishes a wide array of daily tasks, dealing with the public is a daily task so customer service skills are key. Working when the park is busiest is also necessary (weekends and holidays during the summer). and dealing with a fast paced, very busy public area can be challenging, and fun for the right person.

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

The knowledge, skills, and abilities of this position are normally attained through a combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in park and or recreation management, archeology, geology, or related fields. Other combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.