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Community Volunteer Ambassador – Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

Stewards Individual Placement Program
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Position Details: 
Stewards Individual Placements provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Program combines the strength of a national leader in conservation service with the National Park Service to train a diverse group of emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to local communities. 
The CVA will assess CAJO’s current view of volunteer needs and identify other areas where volunteers could be used successfully in programming. With multiple locations to potentially staff, volunteer needs have the possibility to be large or small depending upon the assessment of the CVA. 
As part of this assessment, the CVA will develop volunteer job descriptions, a process for reporting hours, create and maintain accurate contact lists for volunteer types and assist with developing a trail policy regarding its volunteers. 
 
Site Description: 
The Community Volunteer Ambassador is a team member of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail based at Colonial National Historical Park (Colonial NHP) in Jamestown, Virginia. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was authorized by Congress in 2006 so that visitors to the Chesapeake Bay would understand the significance of John Smith's explorations, as well as about the American Indian towns and cultures of the time and descendant communities today. Moreover, visitors would come to appreciate and care for the natural life and landscape of this national treasure, America's largest estuary. It was the nation's first water-based National Trail. 
The National Park Service staff at the Chesapeake Trail, with assistance from Colonial NHP are responsible for the protection of Werowocomoco in Gloucester VA. National Park Service staff in consultation with seven tribal partners is gathering information about Werowocomoco, understanding it as a Native place, and preparing Werowocomoco to open to the public. 
Werowocomoco is an internationally significant Native place where the leader Powhatan lived and received the newly arrived English leaders. Archeology shows that Native people had been coming to Werowocomoco for thousands of years, and that by the year 1200, many homes were placed there along the river bluff. The interior of the site included landscape features that marked it as a place of leadership. 
The participant will function as part of the trail staff and will have responsibilities to facilitate introducing a Volunteer-In-Parks program which will include recruitment of volunteers in multiple jurisdictions, working with the Virginia Master Naturalists at Werowocomoco and engaging with tribes to fulfill other volunteer needs at Werowocomoco. 
Position Responsibilities: 
  • Serves as primary contact for Volunteer.gov, managing the trail Volunteer.gov page by entering the job descriptions, monitoring applications, monitoring hours/input of hours, forwarding volunteer applications, etc. 
  • Participate in monthly calls with the Regional (IR1) Youth and Volunteers office. 
  • Our priority is recruitment of volunteers to assist with outreach and special events and with education programs. 
  • Our second priority is to partner with local Master Naturalist organizations for volunteer assistance at Werowocomoco, particularly in the areas of plant identification, invasive species identification and management/removal. 
Additional tasks: 
  • Function as part of the trail staff with responsibilities to assist in planning and preparations for the year. 
  • Participate in training of new interns, volunteers and NPS seasonal Park Guide staff. 
  • Opportunity to research, develop, prepare, and present Pop-Up Interpretation program(s). Refine and update as necessary. 
  • Work with trail team to provide information and stationed interpretation to the visiting public at special events held by the trail, trail partners as well as by other NPS entities. 
  • Operational Leadership training. 
  • Volunteer Management training. 
  • Introduction to NPS (online training) 
  • FISSA and other mandatory NPS computer trainings. 
  • Provide social media content and collaborate on topics of interest. 
  • Assist with and participate in Maritime Crafts School. 
  • Attend and participate in CAJO staff meetings, CAJO strategy sessions and other meetings as assigned. 
  • Other duties as assigned. 
 
CVA Minimum Requirements: 
  • Self-starter with a solid work ethic. 
  • Must be adaptable to change. 
  • Trustworthy. 
  • Work effectively as part of a team. 
  • Outgoing and friendly, pleasant phone demeanor. 
  • Must be able to lift boxes of brochures and tents, etc. (Up to 50 pounds) 
  • Submit proof of a Driver’s License and undergo a Federal Background Check, upon selection 
  • US Citizen, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien of the United States 
  • Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in early April 2023 
  • Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident  
  • Be 18-30 years old at time of service (veterans up to 35 years old) 
  • High School Diploma/GED  
  • Pass fingerprint-based FBI, state criminal, and a national sex offender checks.   
  • Be able to provide proof of a driver’s license and complete a MVR check 
  • Must be over 21 years old or have had license for at least 3 years to be insured in this position 
 
Preferred Qualifications: 
 
  • Effective ability to communicate orally and in writing. 
  • Excellent organization skills. 
  • Ability to plan and follow through with implementation. 
  • Some college preferred. 
 
Additional Information: 
 
CAJO spans five states plus the District of Columbia. Opportunities to collaborate with museums, state parks and other NPS sites will be plentiful. Some weekend work will be required. 
 
Benefits: 
  • CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $500 (additional $65/week, if housing is not provided) 
  • Limited health care/childcare benefits 
  • The position is eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award $6,495.00 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of the program 
  • Professional development funds  
  • Networking opportunities within the National Park Service and partnering organizations 
  • Public Land Corps Hiring Authority 
  • Week-long in-person training at NPS site with travel/meal expenses covered. 
 
How to Apply 
Please visit Community Volunteer Ambassador (cvainternships.org) to review “Member Positions” by region and find instructions on how to apply.  
 
The CVA position will start on Monday, February 6th, 2023, and run for 50 weeks until Friday, January 19th 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application. Application form requires a resume, cover letter, professional references. 
 
Please ensure your cover letter addresses how your experience aligns with the CVA program, your experience working with diverse populations, and position details for this park/position. You may submit one application for multiple positions by selecting all sites you are interested in. 
 
Applications Deadline 
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First review will occur in early November. Final deadline is Friday, December 9th. 
 
For Application Questions: 
Please contact Geoff Elliot, Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org 
 
Stewards Individual Placements Program does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.