Park Ranger

This is a great opportunity for someone that loves working outdoors, communicates well with park users and is excited to engage in education towards protection of Story County’s parks and natural areas. We are looking for dedicated members to add to our 4 person law enforcement team. This position includes residency in a county park and competitive pay and benefits. Come help us make Story County a great place to live, work and recreate! (ILEA certified officers preferred)

Summary Description
Performs difficult skilled technical work living as a resident in a specific park, providing basic law enforcement and crime prevention, providing specific assistance to public as needed, serving as a representative to general public, responding to on call or emergency situations during atypical business hours, maintaining county conservation lands and facilities, performing maintenance to buildings, structures or property. Park Ranger will perform moderately skilled facilities and grounds operations as directed during seasons which require less law enforcement, and related work as apparent or assigned. Work is performed under the general direction of the Parks Superintendent.

Minimum salary is $51,064 per year plus full-time sick leave, vacation, holiday, and insurance benefits. Position is on a step schedule which includes ten annual steps to maximum pay of $62,192.

Job Duties/Responsibilities
Provides for safety of the public; operates a patrol vehicle and patrols county parks; responds to potential violations and prevents violations; investigates crimes, questions witnesses, and makes arrests when necessary; obtains and preserves evidence; prepares legal papers for arrest warrants and other legal matters; prepares incident reports; meets with the County Attorney to prepare cases and testifies in court; administers first aid for injuries; assists other peace officers when requested; obtains/maintains proper certifications for issued law enforcement equipment; obtains and maintains proper training certifications.

Assists the public by answering questions and providing information; delivers informal and formal talks to people and small groups on subjects such as park history, natural resources, and recreational opportunities; answers general questions from the public; responds to wildlife problems.

Participates in the over-all operations, improvement and maintenance of lands and facilities; conducts periodic inspections of county lands and facilities while performing maintenance work or while on patrol; observes and corrects hazards; performs minor repairs immediately; anticipates and advises supervisors of special problems.

Performs maintenance tasks related to county lands and facilities and provides input to supervisors about subordinate work performance.

Assists and coordinates activities with other law enforcement agencies, county departments, NGOs, and the public.

Supervises specialized services such as swimming, camping, boating, picnicking, and concessions.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Thorough knowledge of the state laws and local ordinances governing park and recreational areas; thorough knowledge of the common practices, tools, terminology and safety precautions of building, park and equipment maintenance; thorough knowledge of the use and characteristics of common building and park equipment and tools including but not limited to trucks, tractors, mowers, brush chippers, chain saws, firefighting equipment, and power tools.
- General knowledge of the geography of the county and locations of important park buildings and structures; general knowledge of natural resource conservation principles and practices.
- Ability to enforce rules and regulations in a firm and courteous manner; ability to follow oral and written directions; ability to prepare detailed reports; ability to operate standard law enforcement tools and equipment; ability to operate standard office equipment and related hardware and software; ability to operate standard maintenance tools and equipment; ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to analyze situations and to adopt quick, effective and responsible courses of action with due regard to surrounding hazards and circumstances; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates and the general public.

Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in animal ecology, biology, forestry, natural resources or related field and moderate experience working in some kind of conservation management or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Law enforcement experience and current certification preferred.
- Possession of a current, valid driver’s license.
- Must comply with the minimum standards for law enforcement officers as specified by the Code of Iowa and the administrative rules of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and become certified by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy within one year of hire.
- Must reside in residence provided by the conservation board.
- A post-offer/pre-employment physical exam must be completed before the first official work day.

E-VERIFY PROCESS:
Story County participates in E-Verify and will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each applicant's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. All candidates who are offered a position with Story County must complete Section 1 of Form I-9 along with the required proof of their right to work in the United States and proof of their identity. Please be prepared to provide required documents on the first day of employment. For additional information regarding acceptable documents for this purpose, please contact Human Resources at 515-382-7200 or go to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services web page at: http://www.uscis.gov.

Physical & Environmental Characteristics
This work requires the regular exertion of up to 25 pounds of force, frequent exertion of up to 50 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 100 pounds of force; work regularly requires standing, walking, sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting, frequently requires climbing or balancing and stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling and occasionally requires tasting or smelling and repetitive motions; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, using of measuring devices, assembly or fabrication of parts within arms length, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work frequently requires working near moving mechanical parts and occasionally requires wet, humid conditions (non-weather), working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to outdoor weather conditions, exposure to extreme heat (nonweather), exposure to vibration and exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).