Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff

We Value Your Experience!

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV's) and former staff have technical skills, language skills, and unique cross-cultural experiences that we value. Consider continuing a career in public service with the Forest Service!

Find a Career Now!

Above photo: Administrative Support Assistant Jamarys Torres-Díaz looks to the trees to complete bird counts in the Luquillo Experimental Forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)

Career Fields

We offer careers that may be similar to the work that you focused on during your service. Positions are available nationwide and sometimes even internationally!

A group of employees stand in front of a wall with text as International Institute of Tropical Forestry. — Members of the International Institute of Tropical Forestry where we use forest inventory data from across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to help conserve tropical forests. (USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)

Visit the following pages to learn more about more specific opportunities within each career field.

Business Careers: Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Project Management, Grants, and more.
Resources Management Careers: Forestry, Archeology, Geospatial, Land Use, Biology, Geology, Range Management, Physical Sciences, and more.
Visitor Services Careers: Recreation Management, Volunteer Management, Trails and Facilities, Interpretation, and more.
Communications Careers: Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, Web management, Social Media, Graphic Design, and more.
Fire and Aviation Careers: Firefighters, Prevention, Aviation, Equipment Operation, Analysts, and more.
Medical and Safety Careers: Nursing, Law Enforcement, Safety, Dispatch, and more.
Career Development and Support: Counselors, Teachers, Trainers, Cooks, Work Environment, Civil Rights, and more.
Engineering, Facilities, and Maintenance: Engineering, Cooks, Operations Mangement, Maintenance, Mechanics, Equipment Operators, and more.
Research and Development: Inventory Monitoring, Landscape Restoration, Sustainability, International Tropical Forestry.

Find Careers and Apply

As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer or staff member there are a few avenues for you to search and apply for Forest Service careers.

Noncompetitive Options

If you have noncompetitive eligibility (NCE) and meet the eligibility requirements of an open position, it's possible that we may be able to hire you even faster than the traditional hiring process. The following resources may help you use your NCE to join the Forest Service.

Regularly check our Outreach Database. This website shows upcoming opportunities and allows you to respond to the hiring official to share that you are interested and have NCE. Feel free to reach out to them to ask if they are considering filling the position more quickly by using a candidate with NCE. Even if they do not plan to use NCE, if you are still interested in the position, complete the response request to get a heads up on when the job opens on USAJOBS.gov.
Search USAJOBS.gov. You can select Peace Corps as a filter choice. Make sure you have your Peace Corps documentation before you apply. Find all Forest Service Opportunities open on USAJOBS to Peace Corps Volunteers and staff with NCE. Check the other filters if they apply.
Try the RPCV Career Link webpage. This webpage managed by Peace Corps is where we also post opportunities.
Reach out to your local Forest Service office to ask about any upcoming opportunities.

Competitive Process

The competitive process takes a little longer and jobs are open to various applicant pools. Use the How to Apply webpage for tips on how to set up a profile and resume on USAJOBS.gov and how to find jobs.

Subscribe to Job Seeker Emails

envelope with Forest Service Shield. To receive information about upcoming hiring events and webinars, please subscribe to our Job Seeker Emails.

A scientist holding a tray of samples in a laboratory. — Chemist Maysaa Ittayem analyses water samples with the Ion Chromatography Instrument, while Dr. Omar Gutierrez del Arroyo monitors a report on data analysis of Tree elevation gradients.
(USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres)

Benefits and Pay

Returned Peace Corps Forest Service Employee Stories

We are fortunate to have many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Staff as current employees. Below you'll find a few of their stories. Be sure to follow us as we add more, or better yet, apply now and help us write your story for this page!

Three people stand in a hallway. — Married returned Peace Corps Paraguay 2009-2011 Volunteers Dan Kish (left) and Leah Hurley (right) stand with Environmental Youth Group President Olga Duarte (middle) after high school graduation in Jacare'i Paraguay. Dan now serves as a Public Affairs Specialist while Leah serves as National Energy Uses Specialist with the Forest Service.

Help is Available

Visit the How to Apply webpage for tips, tricks, webinars, and more.
For questions about career opportunities and applications call 1-877-372-7248 (select option 2 and follow prompts). We're open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain Time and closed on all Federal holidays.

Regional Contacts

Northern Region (R1): Twelve National Forests spread across North Idaho, Montana, and a sliver of northeastern Washington. The 4 National Grasslands of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands are in North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. Visit the Northern Region (R1) website or email the R1 Recruiter.
Rocky Mountain Region (R2): Region 2 encompasses national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and most of South Dakota and Wyoming. Visit the Rocky Mountain Region (R2) website or email the R2 Recruiter.
Southwest Region (R3): Includes six national forests in Arizona, five national forests and a national grassland in New Mexico, and one national grassland each in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. Visit the Southwest Region (R3) website or email the R3 Recruiter.
Intermountain Region (R4): Includes twelve National Forests which are located in Utah, Nevada, western Wyoming, southern and central Idaho, as well as one National Grassland in Idaho and the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Colorado. Visit the Intermountain Region (R4) website or email the R4 Recruiter.
Pacific Southwest Region (R5): Includes lands in California, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. Visit the Pacific Southwest Region (R5) website or email the R5 Recruiter.
Pacific Northwest Region 6 (R6): Contains 17 National Forests, a National Scenic Area, a National Grassland, and two National Volcanic Monuments, all within the States of Oregon and Washington. Visit the Pacific Northwest Region (R6) website. The R6 Recruiter email is coming soon.
Southern Region (R8): Includes forests in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Floriday, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Visit the Southern Region (R8) website or email the R8 Recruiter.
Eastern Region (R9): Includes 20 states in the northeast and Great Lakes areas. Visit the Eastern Region (R9) website or email the R9 Recruiter.
Alaska Region (R10): Visit the Alaska Region (R10) website or email the R10 Recruiter.
Law Enforcement (LE): Visit the Law Enforcement (LE) website or email the LE Recruiter.

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

More Resources

To receive information about upcoming hiring events and webinars, please subscribe to our Job Seeker Emails.

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer