Communications and Community Engagement Resource Assistant
Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) will be advertising for a Communications and Community Engagement Resource Assistant (RA). This is a 9.5-month full-time work experience from approximately late-May 2021 to early-March 2022. Created in 1984 and modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s, NYC is a non-profit job training and experiential education program for youth and young adults to learn and work in the field of natural resource management. NYC will recruit and hire the selected RA candidate providing personnel and Human Resources HR needs during the placement. nwyouthcorps.org.
Position: Communications and Community Engagement Resource Assistant (internship)
Target start date: late-May 2021
Duration: 1600 hours (approximately 9.5 months)
Status: Full time. Evenings and weekends regularly required.
Duty Location: U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Portland, Oregon. Work will take place in a telework situation while in a COVID environment, the regional office, if deemed safe, and community settings where social distancing can be guaranteed. Some travel may be required, at the expense of the employer.
Staff Area: Office of Communications and Community Engagement.
The Office of Communications and Community Engagement coordinates: media relations, Congressional affairs, youth engagement, conservation education, public involvement, partnerships, volunteer and service programs, internal communications, employee engagement, brand management, graphic design, printing and audio-visuals for the Region
Overview: The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region seeks a resource assistant to work in the Office of Communications and Community Engagement in Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region manages 24.75 million acres across 16 National Forests, 59 District Offices, a National Scenic Area, and a National Grassland across Oregon and Washington. Within the region, there are more than 2,400 developed recreation sites, over 24,000 miles of trails, 51 Wild and Scenic Rivers, and two national monuments. Through culturally relevant partnerships, engagement, and communication, the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest 2
Region builds connections with rural and urban communities to help sustain the health, diversity and productivity of these lands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
Position Description: The Resource Assistant Program is a rigorous and immersive paid internship for individuals interested in Forest Service careers. Resource Assistants (RAs) work with Forest Service staff to complete mission-critical work that demonstrates leadership, critical thinking, and strategic communication. Through direct training, experience, and exposure, RAs gain the tools to launch their natural and cultural resource careers.
Through a partnership with Northwest Youth Corps, the selected Resource Assistant will support the Pacific Northwest Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service in supporting and coordinating culturally relevant communications and community engagement products and functions; in providing technical support for the analysis of volunteer, service, and partnership programs; and in providing support in the administration of cooperative agreements . The person in this position will be expected to collaborate across professional disciplines, different organizational levels of the Forest Service, and with volunteer and partner organizations to collect, assess, and analyze information for a variety of purposes such as: developing and facilitating training on best practices for specific facets of community engagement (e.g. conservation education, interpretation, volunteer coordination, etc.), creating digital media and web content, mapping partnerships and approaches to work, and making recommendations to permanent staff. Products and recommendations produced through these assignments will be expected to amplify efforts around diversity and inclusion in genuine, thoughtful, and culturally responsive manner. Additional duties may include providing administrative support, coordinating virtual meetings and events, and representing the Forest Service and Northwest Youth Corps in professional settings. Specific assignments may change should conditions of the pandemic improve or worsen but this position will remain focused on supporting elements of communications and community engagement functions. This is an immersive professional internship that requires a skillful and confident applicant who can manage a portfolio of work with the support of permanent staff.
Position responsibilities will include:
- Working with volunteer and partner organizations as well as other Forest Service staff areas to identify, analyze, and develop new communications content and engagement topics of interest to a variety of groups.
- Explaining complex, scientific or technical processes and giving public presentations on various social and web media platforms.
- Entering and analyzing data form a variety of databases and digital platforms.
- Providing administrative support and coordination of meetings, trainings, and other virtual events as well as for the administration of volunteer and cooperative agreements
- Supporting and strengthening existing partnerships, programs, and initiatives by coordinating meetings, recording and sharing information, organizing trainings, etc.
- Assisting the U.S. Forest Service and Northwest Youth Corps in the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the organizations and within their programs, processes, and approaches. Provide input from observations and community feedback on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts.
- Assisting in the creation of an internal, safe and inclusive community for resource assistants and new employees alike.
- Working with local forest units – such as the Mt. Hood and Gifford Pinchot National Forests and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area – to coordinate potential partnerships, sustain relationships with communities, and to develop programs to reach those communities.
Requirements
- Proven ability to be a self-starter capable of exercising good judgement while working independently with minimal supervision and an ability to work collaboratively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Commitment to diversity, service, interdependence, conservation, and safety.
- Interest and ability to gather complex information from a variety of sources and quickly identifying what would make quality content for digital or in-person engagement.
- The ability to work through and process emotionally challenging dialogues and experiences with community members and strike a balance between high performance and self-care.
- Must be able to work during evenings and weekends in a community-based setting with some regularity and maintain a flexible schedule. This work is often done alone and occasionally is done with other Resource Assistants or permanent staff. Position is not eligible for overtime, but excess hours can be flexed within pay period. Excess hours are not encouraged.
- Valid state driver’s license and ability to operate a motor vehicle by the time of employment. Government vehicles are available for work-related travel, but Resource Assistants are responsible for travel to and from duty station.
- Successful completion of a background check.
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents over 19 years old.
Program Benefits
- A total stipend of $24,600 divided evenly across a 40-week term
- Health care coverage, workers compensation, and FICA/Medicare.
- $1,275 in funding for relocation, travel expenses (including public transit reimbursements), and work-related training and professional development opportunities
- A minimum of 62 hours of paid time off
- RA will have special United States Forest Service Direct Hire Authority upon completion of a minimum of 960 hours of service
The Community
The city of Portland is located in northwestern Oregon, bordering Vancouver, Washington. The major highways intersecting the city are I-5, I-84, I-205 and US-26. The population of the City Portland exceeds 500, 000, and more than 2 million people live in the Portland metro area. Additionally, there are many large suburban communities. Portland is a full-service community with various and numerous businesses, banking, restaurants, coffee shops, denominations of churches, health care and educational facilities. The downtown area is complete with an open-air plaza and offers a world-class public transportation system. Commuting is easy, whether it be by public transportation system, car or bike.
Portland is one of the country’s most livable cities. It is known as the "Rose City" and world-renowned for its annual Rose Festival. Portland is recognized for its effervescent arts community and for the dozens of urban parks and green spaces. The city is divided between the east and the west by the Willamette River, and divided from the state of Washington by the Columbia River. Within a few minutes’ drive of metropolitan downtown Portland are farms and orchards, kayak-friendly waterways, wildlife preserves and the foothills of Mount Hood. The breath-taking Oregon Coast is less than two hours away. Portland is the main hub for various outdoor 4
activities including biking, running, boating, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, mountaineering, river rafting, water and snow skiing, wind and kite sailing and much more. Portland’s professional sports teams include the Trail Blazer basketball team, the Thorns women’s soccer team, and the Timbers men’s soccer team. Please find application instructions on page 4.
Application Instructions
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Application Deadline: April 18, 2021
Interviews: Will occur as qualified applications are received.
Type of position: Individual Placement
Service Dates: late-May 2021 to early-March 2022
Length of Term: 1600 hours (approximately 9.5 months)
How to apply:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references and completely fill out the application form found by clicking on the green "Apply Externally" button.
Please select "Regional Office - Communications and Community Engagement Resource Assistant" when applying.
Additional Information:
If you have questions about the position, please reach Northwest Youth Corps Internship Program Officer Andrew Tagge at andrewt@nwyouthcorps.org or USFS Region 6 Regional Conservation Education Partnership Coordinator Brenna White at brenna.white@usda.gov.
NYC COVID-19 Protocols:
We have developed and facilitated industry leading COVID management protocols that are in place to keep our members and staff healthy, and have maintained an excellent safety record. Read our COVID protocols by visiting www.nwyouthcorps.org/m/covid19