New Employees FAQ

Want to know more about life at Organ Pipe Cactus? This is the page to read!

NPS Photo/Cate Blanch

 

What's life like at the monument? Is there housing? Where's the closest store? And a million other questions that interested employees want to know. This page covers some of the most commonly asked questions about being an employee at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Explore more about job opportunities with the National Park Service by visiting the Work For Us page. Explore job opportunities specifically at Organ Pipe Cactus or visit USAjobs.gov to apply to positions across the US. For volunteer positions, visit our Volunteer page.

 

Location

Organ Pipe Cactus is a very remote park located on the international border with Mexico in southern Arizona. It is 35 miles from the nearest town in the US, Ajo, which has a population of ~2000. The monument is 150 miles from Tucson and 120 miles from Phoenix, both taking about 2 1/2 hours to reach by car. There are no public shuttle services to the monument, but there is an employee shuttle that leaves from Ajo to the monument daily for employees to ride who commute from town.

The monument reaches all the way to the US-Mexico border; the Kris Eggle Visitor Center is 5 miles from the port of entry. Puerto Penasco (aka Rocky Point), a popular beach resort area in Mexico, is 1-1¹/₂ hours from the monument.

It is a desert park with very hot summers, mild springs and falls, and winters that can range from below freezing at night to pleasant 50-60's during the day. Rains come during the summer monsoon season (July-September) and the winter rain season (December-January).

Hiring

Employment with the National Park Service is generally Seasonal (up to 6 months) or Permanent full-time. Interns are hired as well through SCA or ACE. Employment with Organ Pipe Cactus is limited to United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island). However, if you are not a United States citizen or national, you may still volunteer.

Jobs are announced throughout the year, and winter seasonal jobs are announced in June through July. Apply for positions on USAjobs.gov. Upload or create a resume and apply to jobs you’d be interested in.

Work Season

The busy season at Organ Pipe Cactus is from December-March, during the cooler winter months and spring flowering season. Somedays we are fully booked at both monument campgrounds and daily visitors to the visitor center may be over 300.

Job Types

There are many different kinds of job types across the National Park Service. Below are the teams found at Organ Pipe Cactus and a brief description of what they do. Check out these rangers in action!

Interpretation

Interpretation rangers study the history, cultural and ecological resources, geological features, etc.of the monument.They present programs to teach visitors and also provide guidance and answer their questions about these resources. Theyy create between 3-4 programs, 15 minutes to 45 minutes in length and present them to between generally 15-100 guests at a time.

Fees

This team runs the entrance stations, campgrounds, and other areas requiring handling of money. They maintain these areas and enforce rules and regulations within these areas.

Law Enforcement

They protect monument resources and visitors by enforcing regulations. They also are the monument's medical team, serving as EMTs and Search and Rescue members.

Resources

Research, monitor, and protect the life (resources) found in the monument. Wildlife and Plant Technicians, Archaeology, GIS mapping, Biologists, and more are a part of this team.

Maintenance

Provide both custodial and project maintenance across the monument. Custodial work involves cleaning the toilets, emptying trash, etc., Projects involve building construction and restoration work, roadway and trail repair, vehicle repair, etc.

Admin

Administrative work (Admin). This is the crew that keeps the monument operating smoothly in the background, taking care of the finances, administrative work, IT, HR, and other duties that keep all the other teams going.

Cell Service

Verizon works within the monument in certain locations; AT&T service is non-existant. Cell service from Why, Arizona to the monument is non-existent and is essentially non-existant within areas of the monument. The Kris Eggle Visitor Center has free wifi for use, and employee housing comes equiped with a cell phone booster and wifi.

Housing

Seasonal employees are provided with shared housing. Housing is gated and requires a passcode to enter. Housing is a shared, three-bedroom home, with fully furnished living rooms, dining rooms and stocked kitchens; sheets, towels, etc. are not provided. Each employee has their own bedroom assigned to them; bedrooms have full-sized beds, dressers, and a desk. Bathrooms may be shared. There are washers and dryers in every unit. Wifi and a cell phone booster are provided. The monument has a community building with a full gym.

Permanent employees either find housing in the town of Ajo or there may be monument housing available and up for bid. Bids are placed on housing to see which employees are interested and then a person is picked depending on several factors.

New employees residing in the monument pick up their housing packet and keys at the front desk of the visitor center. Please note the visitor center is open 9 am-5pm. You must pick up your housing keys from the front desk during those hours. If you show up after the visitor center is closed, there is no way to get into housing without the gate code and keys.

Grocery Shopping

There is one small grocery store in Ajo and 5 restaurants in town. This grocery store has a good selection, but because of its remoteness, is more expensive than stores found in cities. Purchasing food in Tucson or Phoenix is cheaper, but a much longer drive.

For grocery shopping, it is recommended to have a cooler with ice in it to transport your frozen foods, dairy, etc. If you buy ice cream in Ajo and don’t ice it in a cooler it will be soup by the time you get to the park. Yummy soup, but soup nonetheless