Visitor Experience Ranger

Who we are  

Australia’s natural and cultural heritage is unique. Our land and seascapes are distinctive, home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, and to some of the oldest living cultures on earth. These environments and cultures are an essential part of our national identity, and visitors travel from across the country and the world to experience them. The Director of National Parks (the Director) is responsible for six national parks, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, 58 Australian Marine Parks and the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 

Parks Australia is the federal park agency that supports the Director, and they are a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department). We work to showcase these natural and cultural wonders to the world, demonstrating to all why these places are so special, and inspiring communities to become more invested in their care and future. 

Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is the nation’s largest living collection of Australian native plants. It is tranquil setting for walking and spending time with family and friends, and a living classroom for visitors of all ages. We directly contribute to safe-guarding Australia’s plant species from extinctions and are responsible for leading, building and sharing knowledge of our Australian flora. The ANBG works closely with biodiversity science programs - the Australian Biological Resources Study, the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, the National Seed Bank, and Biodiversity Informatics - in partnerships for research, for management of physical and digital biological collections, and for management of fundamental national biodiversity data and information accessed nationally and internationally. 

The ANBG is an award-winning tourism destination, where locals and visitors to Canberra come to explore, learn, relax and enjoy time in nature. Our public events and education programs aim to tell stories through our unique collection of Australian flora. 

We recognise the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people play in our workplace. We aim to attract, recruit and develop Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. Our priority is to ensure a safe workplace where we celebrate all cultures. 

The Job 

Visitor Experience Rangers are the public face of the Gardens. We are looking for great communicators who provide excellent customer service and have experience engaging diverse audiences. Rangers play a key role in keeping our valuable plant collection, wildlife and visitors safe. We are looking for Rangers who are good problem-solvers and able to think on their feet in emergencies and incidents and have experience managing natural and/or cultural heritage.  

The Gardens is open 7 days a week including public holidays. Visitor Rangers work a roster which includes weekends.   

In the role your will be responsible for: 

• Providing excellent customer service and visitor information. 
• Maintaining and staffing the Visitor Centre. 
• Supervising Visitor Centre Volunteers. 
• Day to Day operations of the Gardens including opening, closing and safety patrols.  
• Assisting with set up and running of events. 
• Visitor First Aid, incident and emergency response. 
• Visitor statistics and evaluation. 
• Wildlife monitoring and management. 
• Compliance with Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply. 

What we are looking for 
Knowledge and experience 

• Experience providing high quality customer service in a dynamic customer focused workplace, ideally within a public attraction, tourism industry, government agency or relevant industry. 
• Demonstrated ability to enforce relevant legislation, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and respond proactively in an emergency. 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and sensitively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. 

Skills and capabilities 

• Highly developed communication and presentation skills. 
• Effective organisational skills and ability to prioritise in a dynamic visitor focused environment. 
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.  

Desirable Qualifications 

Qualifications in environmental management, environmental science or science communication would be an advantage. 

The successful applicant must: 

• Hold a current class C drivers’ licence. 
• Hold a current Apply First Aid Certificate or have the ability to obtain this qualification. 
• Hold a current Working with Vulnerable People Card. 

Eligibility and other requirements 

Citizenship - To be eligible for employment with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water you must be an Australian citizen. 

Pre-employment Check - Your suitability for employment will be assessed through a pre-employment screening process. This process includes a requirement to undergo and satisfy a National Police Check, referee checks, character clearance and where required a pre-employment medical assessment, specified mandatory qualification(s) validation and a probation period of 6 months.