HPARD seeks Urban Park Ranger

Description Of Duties/Essential Functions

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to building a sustainable community and enhancing the quality of urban life by providing safe well-maintained parks and offering affordable programming for our community. To achieve this mission, HPARD is seeking an Urban Park Ranger to join its Urban Park Ranger team. The potential candidate will play a key role in the following duties:

• Monitors trails, picnic areas, pavilions, and similar park areas (via foot, bicycle, and motorized vehicle) in designated parks to promote public safety and ensure proper use of parks and facilities.
• Interacts effectively with the public; greets park visitors and explains park rules, regulations and city ordinances, provides directions and handles public inquiries and complaints.
• Investigates and resolves designated visitor complaints to provide quality customer assistance.
• Performs basic inspections of mobile vendors to ensure compliance with City health ordinances and park rules and regulations.
• Conducts investigations and may issue citations regarding animal violations and illegal trash dumping.
• Conducts investigations on any relevant event occurring on Department property.
• Completes appropriate reports, such as vehicle accidents, building burglaries and or employee/visitor injuries, criminal activity, city animal ordinance violations, illegal trash dumping, parking violations, and permit disputes.
• Controls activity levels within assigned parks by unlocking and securing gates, checking park use and permits.
• Provides crowd control and parking control at City sponsored events and notifies the public of park operating hours.
• Provides and conducts informative presentations on bicycle safety, child safety, gang/drug awareness, environmental preservation, and other topics.
• Uses radio communication equipment to relay all important information to dispatch and to request assistance from HPD, HFD, or other agencies as required.
• Attends meetings, training sessions, and conferences.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This position occasionally requires lifting of moderately heavy items up to 40 pounds; such as boxes, setting up barricades, traffic cones. This position also occasionally requires, very long periods of walking, standing and/or riding bicycles on rough surfaces. There are routine exposures to outdoor weather conditions, exposure to chemical substances, and physical trauma of a minor nature (cuts, bruises, potential dangers, minor burns, hazards and unsafe conditions). This position requires the ability to make coordinated gross motor movements in response to changing external stimuli within moderately demanding tolerances, or the ability to make coordinated eye/ hand movements on a patterned response space within low tolerance demands with no real speed requirements. Must be able to monitor parks areas via foot, bicycle and motorized vehicle.

Minimum Requirements

Requires a high school diploma or a GED.

Experience Requirements

One year of experience related to law enforcement, emergency response, security guard work, or a related field as applied to public events and gatherings for recreational or other purposes.The following training must be completed within one year of hire or promotion:

• Urban Park Ranger training course and obtain an Emergency Care Attendant certification (40 hour course approved by the State of Texas).
• City of Houston Health Department training on Animal Ordinances, Health Ordinances for mobile vendors and illegal trash dumping (Rat-on-a-Rat Program).
• City of Houston Parking Management training on issuance of parking citations.
• Parks Department-sponsored training on self-defense and crime prevention.
• Houston Police Department training/certification on the use of O.C. Spray (pepper spray), drug and gang member awareness, and bicycle operation.

License Requirements

Valid driver’s license and compliance with the City of Houston’s policy on driving (AP 2-2)

Preference Will Be Given To Applicants Who Have

• Proficient knowledge in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Displayed principles and practices of customer service.
• Exercised controlled discretion, communicated with the public and mediated difficult situations in a professional manner.
• Customer service experience.
• Worked as a team member.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Established and maintained cooperative and effective working relationships with city employees, patrons, and the public.

***Eligible veteran applicants provided such persons possess the qualifications necessary for competent discharge of the duties involved in the position applied for, such persons are among the most qualified candidates for the position, and all other factors in accordance with Executive Order 1-6.

Selection/Skills Tests Required

The selection process will involve application review and/or interview.

• Must be able to ride a bicycle 1 lap around Gragg Park in 4 minutes or less.
• Must be able to climb up and down 1 flight of stairs 3 times in 2 minutes or less.
• Must be able to lift boxes up to 40 pounds and move them a distance of 25 feet.
• Must be able to maintain all abilities outlined above.

This position is subject to random drug testing and if a promotional position, candidate must pass an assignment drug test.

SALARY INFORMATION GRANT FUNDED POSITION

Grants & Special fund positions are dependent upon continued available funds. If funding is no longer available, employee may be laid off or transferred.

Factors used in determining the salary offered include the candidate’s qualifications as well as the pay rates of other employees in this classification.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Only online applications, available here, will be accepted for this City of Houston job and must be received by the Human Resources Department during posting opening and closing dates shown. Applications must be submitted online at: www.houstontx.gov .

To view your detailed application status, please log-in to your online profile by visiting: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/default.cfm or call 832-395-7127, 832-395-7108, or 832-393-0453.

If you need special services or accommodations, call 832-395-7108 or 832-393-0453. (TTY 7-1-1).

If you need login assistance or technical support call 855-524-5627.

Due to the high volume of applications received, the Hiring Department will contact you directly, should you be selected to advance in our recruitment process.