Community Volunteer Ambassador - National Parks of New York Harbor
Community Volunteer Ambassador – National Parks of New York Harbor
Length: Term of positions is 50 weeks; full-time 40 hrs/wk
Location: New York City, NY (hybrid work negotiable)
Compensation: $565/week living allowance
Start Date: September 11, 2023
Application Review: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with first review beginning on June 5th.
Application deadline is Friday, July 21st.
Position Title Community Volunteer Ambassador
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 communities. The CVA will assist youth and volunteer programming with the National Parks of New York Harbor.
Site Description:
The National Parks of New York Harbor (NPNH) is an administrative office that hosts youth programming with partner organizations and supports the 12 National Park sites within the New York Metro and the New York-New Jersey Harbor area. These sites include St.Paul's Church, General Grant’s Tomb, Hamilton’s Grange, Federal Hall, Stonewall, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, African Burial Ground, Castle Clinton, Governor’s Island, Gateway, The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Position Responsibilities:
- Conduct a volunteer program needs assessment to determine areas of focus for targeted program expansions.
- Assist with the expansion of existing partnerships with St. John’s University and Stephen T. Mather Building Arts and Craftmanship High School.
- Plan and execute 3 One-Day Volunteer Events for Mather High School students and their families.
- Expand awareness of the National Parks of New York Harbor by developing both written and media content about youth programming and volunteer opportunities.
- Assist with the recruitment and training of new volunteers, and maintain database of current volunteers, their hours, and accomplishments.
- Participate as an active planning team member for the internal Volunteers-In-Parks Community of Practice bi-monthly calls.
CVA Minimum Requirements:
- Organized, reliable, and self-starting individual who can work independently
- Passionate about making a positive difference for the community
- Confident speaker in order to deal with the public, staff, and partners
- Strong writer; able to communicate effectively and precisely
- Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in early November 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)
- 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:
- An Assoicates or Undergraduate Degree with a concentration in writing/communication, history/science, or other relevant subject area and on-the-job experience working with people
- Familiar with the 5 boroughs of NYC and public transportation
- Local and able to commute easily to lower Manhattan
- Familiar with and has technical skills to support the use of social media and virtual platforms
Additional Information:
Due to the nature of how NPNH is structured there will be ample opportunities to collaborate with other sites in the area, such as Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites & Fire Island National Seashore.
The work environment for the CVA will be set up in a hybrid format to support the CVA in achieving a healthy work-life balance and to support the flexible nature of current projects. The CVA will be required to report in person to Federal Hall for at least 2 days per week. There may be occasional evening and weekend work events, but the weekly schedule would be adjusted to accommodate those events.
There is no federal housing available, however NPNH partner St.John's University can potentially provide dormitory style housing options for interested CVA's. If the CVA would prefer a different type of housing situation NPNH can provide leads for options.
Benefits:
- CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $565
- 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, September 11th, 2023, and run for 50 weeks until Friday, August 23rd, 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/sept-23-cva-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 June. Final deadline is Friday, July 21st, 2023.
For Application Questions:
Please contact Geoff Elliot, Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org
Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.