Working Here
The staff of the Park includes Conservation Rangers, Guides/Information Officers, General Operatives, administrative and management personnel. The work of the Park staff is directed by the Park Headquarters within the Regional Office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service located at Kilafin near Laragh, Co. Wicklow.
Conservation Rangers
Ireland is covered by a network of conservation rangers whose job it is to safeguard protected sites, enforce the Wildlife Act and liaise with the public on wildlife matters.
The responsibilities of Rangers include assessing planning applications for ecological impact within areas of conservation. Rangers are also allocated Park-wide management tasks such as deer management and fire control. The National Park Rangers are also responsible for areas adjacent to the Park.
A new panel of Rangers is created every few years to fill vacancies on a national basis. The formation of a new panel is advertised in the national newspapers and on the public appointments website: www.publicjobs.ie Vacancies arising within the Park for Rangers are filled by reference to the panel or through Rangers transferring from other areas in the country.
Education Guides
Guides operate the education programme and provide the information service within the Park. They are responsible for providing a large range of programmes and events. A typical day may involve manning the Information Office, taking a group out on a nature walk or bringing a school group out on an ecology study. The National Park education programme manages an Information Office in Glendalough, and two Education Centres - one in Glendalough, and one outside the National Park, in Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve in Enniskerry.
The Education programme has a small team of permanent guides. Seasonal guides, on shorter contracts, are usually recruited each year (usually in the autumn). Permanent positions are filled as vacancies arise.
Interest in an Education Guide position can be registered with the Park and notification will be issued to those interested when vacancies arise. To register interest in future Education Guide jobs, please ring 0404 45800. Advertisements are placed in local newspapers (Wicklow People & Bray People) and here on our website.
General Operatives
General Operatives perform all the maintenance work within the Park. As with the Education guides, there is a small core of permanent General Operatives, and additional seasonal contracts are available each year (usually in the spring). Interest in a General Operative position can be registered with the Park and notification will be issued to those interested when vacancies arise. To register interest in future General Operative jobs, please ring 0404 45800. Positions will also be advertised in the local newspaper (Wicklow People).
Volunteering
The Park works with organisations that bring volunteers to the Park to work on various conservation projects. These projects include tree-planting, exotic species removal, seed collection and path construction.
Mountain Meitheal are the principal partners of the Park. www.pathsavers.org
TY Work Experience at Wicklow Mountains National Park
Wicklow Mountains National Park receives many requests for work experience each year. Most of these cannot be facilitated due to the drain on staff resources. However, for one set week each year, we take on four transition year work experience students. For more details, click here.