Trail Assessment and Inclusive Media Technician (NPS, Zion National Park)

The Great Basin Institute, in cooperation with National Park Service (NPS) - Zion National Park, is recruiting 1 Trail Assessment and Inclusive Media Technician to assist the permanent NPS Interpretation and Facilities Management staff with trail assessment using High Efficiency Trail Assessment Protocol (HETAP) equipment, data collection and processing, park accessibility standards, and interpretive media design. This is a developmental position, and the selectee will gain experience with facilities, trails, interpretation, and visual media projects. Travel will be required as the selectee will gain some training through park site visits.

During this one-year appointment, the selectee will gain hands-on experience working with Zion National Park Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services, Natural Resource Management, and Maintenance staff on a trail assessment project to improve accessibility in the park. During this one-year appointment, the selectee will support Zion National Park by: 

• Hiking front country trails with HETAP equipment to record trail data. This data includes trail length, grade, cross slope, tread width, surface type and quality, and more.  
• Processing data collected by HETAP equipment into usable information. 
• Assisting the Visual Information Specialist in creating graphics to interpret this information for trailhead waysides and digital products. 

Timeline: 

• ~52-week appointment starting in November 2024, pending successful completion and passage of a Department Interior (DOI) Background Investigation
  • Please note a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation may take up to 6 weeks to process and clear.
• Full-time (minimum 40 hours/week)
• Weekend and holiday work may be required

Location: 

The selectee will be based in a shared office at Zion National Park’s Administration Building near Springdale, Utah. Field work will range from the lower elevations of Zion Canyon to high on the plateau of Kolob Terrace and Kolob Canyons.  

Compensation and Benefits: 

• Wage: $17.50/hour
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums available at no cost
• Paid leave and holidays
• Housing stipend: $300 every two weeks
  • Park housing may be available for the selectee to rent pending staffing onboarding and availability
• Uniform and gear reimbursement up to $250  

Qualifications: 

• Individuals working under this agreement may be eligible for Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority upon completion of their term of service.
• Necessary upon entry (at least a base level) 
  • Must be able to pass a DOI Background Investigation;
  • Meet the Public Land Corps (PLC) eligibility requirements—all applicants must be between the ages of 17 and 30 years old, or no greater than 35 years old if they are a veteran, be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident, and have a high school diploma or GED;
  • Experience using Microsoft Excel for data processing; 
  • Ability to work independently on assigned tasks;
  • Hold a clean, valid driver’s license and safe driving record to operate a government vehicle;
  • Ability to communicate clearly and efficiently with the public and coworkers, both orally and in writing, and respond in a professional manner to inquiries from the public regarding work activities;
  • Ability and willingness to interact with visitors in a friendly and helpful way;
  • Motivated, detail-oriented, self-starter who has the flexibility to handle competing and changing priorities and possesses strong organizational skills;
  • Ability to lift up to 40 pounds or 1/3 body weight (whichever is less);
  • Ability to spend sedentary time indoors working on a government computer;
  • Ability to hiking outdoors on uneven terrain in all kinds of weather – sometimes more than 5 miles per day while moving wheeled equipment;
    • Zion temperatures can be over 100 degrees F in the summer at lower elevations and lower than 20 degrees F in the winter especially at higher elevations.

• Preferred, but not necessary upon entry
  • Ability to operate and troubleshoot HETAP equipment and associated software;
  • Skill in using provided software to analyze and interpret gathered data; 
  • Skill in working within the framework of established graphic design standards;
  • Skill in creating accessible documents; 
  • Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, especially InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator