Recreation Assistant (Animal Caretaker)

📍 Air Force Academy, Colorado · 🏛 U.S. Air Force Academy · 💰 $20 per hour · 🎓 NF 2 · 🧭 Recreation Aid And Assistant (0189) · ⏳ Closes Nov 23, 2026 · 12 days left · 🗓 Posted Nov 2, 2026
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About this job

About the position: This position is Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) and will be assigned to the Equestrian Center, Air Force Academy, Colorado. This position does not include benefits.

Duties

Provides care to government and privately owned horses at the Equestrian Center. Feeds and waters horses. Cleans stalls and stable areas, cleans water tanks and buckets, and cleans pasture and other facility areas. Makes minor repairs to fences and facility. Feeds and waters horses. Observes horses for obvious changes in behavior, appearance, and activity; informs supervisor if necessary. Medicates and treats government horses per management and veterinary guidance. Assists with working with government horses for the trail riding program, both on the ground and under saddle. Reports routine horse work status, including completing horse evaluation forms. Assists with horse tack/equipment maintenance and care, including tack recommendations and proper fitting to horses. Guides trail rides and assist with various recreation horse riding trips and events. Assists with working special events and programs on and off base. Provides input in developing and maintaining safety standards for the rental riding program, including providing guidance on safe riding and horse handling to patrons, volunteers, and staff. Drives vehicles and trailers as assigned. Provides administrative tasks such as: checking voicemails, answering phones, customer service, and other rental activity related administrative support. Sells retail items and products for the Equestrian Center. Operates a POS computer system for reservations, payments, runs credit cards, and performs monetary transactions using PCI. Assists in a variety of duties to help ensure the success of the Equestrian Center boarding and rental riding activities. Promotes Equestrian Center and Outdoor Recreation programs, activities, and events to patrons. Assists at events. Performs other related duties as assigned. If interested in applying for this position you may preview the online application: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13107919

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Open to everyone. Applicants will be categorized by preference(s) and/or priority consideration eligibilities. An applicant's eligibility will be determined based on eligibility claimed in the questionnaire and proof of eligibility MUST be provided with application by the closing date, 11/23/2026 Business Based Action, Military Spouse Preference, Outside Applicant Veteran, Spouse/Widow/Parent of Veteran, and Transition Hiring Preference In order to qualify, you must meet the experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if the position allows for qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Qualifying Experience: You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Must have extensive working experience in the equine field, detailed knowledge of horsemanship and horse care, and skilled experience with horse training, horse evaluation, horse tack, farm equipment, and rules and procedures as related to equine activities particularly with safety practices. Applicant must have experience in providing safe horsemanship and trail riding instruction. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing is required. Applicant must have good organizational and interpersonal skills. Must have the ability to interpret and apply rules, regulations, and policies. Must have computer experience to perform basic computer operations. Subject to hazards of equipment, contagious diseases, and exposure to bites, scratches and animal waste. This position requires the incumbent to satisfactory complete the applicable background investigation. May be required to work an uncommon tour of duty. Equine related certifications and/or documented equine related training preferred, including risk management and safety protocols equine related.

Education

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. This position does not allow for education substitution. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Evaluations

Your resume and supporting document will be evaluated against the qualifications of the position. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination has been made that you have inflated your responses to meet the position's qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. To better expedite the hiring process, we recommend including full contact information (name, address, phone number, email, etc.,) for professional and personal references on your resume.

How to apply

To be considered for this vacancy you must apply and complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 11/23/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJobs account to apply. If you do not have a USAJobs account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJobs account and designate the document type when submitting your application. Failure to complete this portion will result in an incomplete application package and you will not be further considered for this vacancy. It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant To verify or check the status of your application, log into your USAJobs account. Once logged in, the Welcome screen lists your applications, your application status and the date it was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status

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Required documents

Required documents may vary based on the eligibility you are claiming (i.e., applying as a Military Spouse Preference - MSP, applying as a veteran, applying as a current federal employees, applying as a displaced employee, etc.,). The below document(s) are required and MUST be submitted with your application by the closing date of this job announcement: Resume Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support identified the general or specialized experience described in this announcement. If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy. Other accepted documents to support a qualification and/or claimed preference/priority eligibility may include: Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Diploma/ GED Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) Other (2) PCS Orders Professional Certification Proof of Marriage Status Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and supporting documents which prove your claimed eligibility. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further. NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package to include supplemental documents may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

What to expect next

If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Times may vary during the hiring process, as your application status updates/changes you will be notified with a notification letter via email.

Other information

Individual must fully meet qualification/eligibility/background requirements for this position. U.S. Citizens and Non-U.S. Nationals who have resided in the U.S. Territory for three (3) or more consecutive years immediately preceding the start of Federal affiliation or a signed memorandum indicating the installation's decision on the 3-year residency requirement.. Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must be registered for Selective Service. Direct deposit is required. Satisfactorily complete an employment verification (E-Verify) check. A probationary period may be required. Pre-employment requirements must be satisfactorily met prior to Entrance on Duty (EOD). Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government's interest. Multiple positions may be filled from this job opportunity announcement. And additional selections may also be made from this job opportunity announcement. Selection(s) are subject to restrictions resulting from hiring preferences and priority consideration eligible. This is a Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) position carrying out Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities for the Air Force and Space Force. Applicants must be able to provide a REAL ID or present a combination of source identity documents authorized to facilitate access to the installation. Please contact the servicing HR Office with any questions.

Frequently asked questions

How much does this Recreation Assistant (Animal Caretaker) job pay?

The announcement lists a salary of $20 per hour (NF 2).

When is the last day to apply?

Applications close on Nov 23, 2026 — 12 days from today.

Where is this job located?

This position is located in Air Force Academy, Colorado with the U.S. Air Force Academy.

How do I apply?

Applications are submitted through the official announcement on USAJobs. Use the Apply button on this page to go to the official posting — this site never takes applications itself.

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Data: USAJobs (U.S. Office of Personnel Management), retrieved 2026-11-11 · Announcement 26NOV6WCHARRIE625017 · Official announcement. FederalJobs is unofficial and is not affiliated with OPM or the agency.
Recreation Assistant (Animal Caretaker)
Nov 23, 2026 deadlineApply