Community Engagement Coordinator - Vermont River Conservancy/VHCB AmeriCorps

Community Engagement Coordinator 

Vermont River Conservancy & VHCB AmeriCorps, Montpelier 

Vermont River Conservancy is a small but mighty (and growing!) team of conservation professionals working together to permanently protect, connect, and restore Vermont riverlands and to engage towns and cities statewide in re-envisioning their relationship to local rivers. 

The Community Engagement Coordinator will play a critical role by shaping public understanding of rivers (hydrology, geology, natural history, etc.), creating river-themed events and communications materials, and supporting on-the-ground stewardship of conserved sites. The Community Engagement Coordinator will engage in flood resilience efforts by educating towns, cities, and community members about the importance of connecting and restoring rivers and floodplains for flood mitigation and sparking conversations to surface community-led initiatives for relief and resilience. They will also take concrete steps to improve flood resilience through on-the-ground stewardship activities such as planting trees, and taking care of easements and trails.

This position is part of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board AmeriCorps (VHCB AmeriCorps). The VHCB AmeriCorps program supports the innovative dual-goal approach to creating stable affordable housing opportunities for Vermont residents while preserving the natural and working landscape. VHCB AmeriCorps is a national service program that places members with non-profit housing or land conservation organizations around the state.

Essential Functions

• Educate the public about benefits of river protection including community safety and flood resilience, plant and wildlife habitat, recreation and community wellbeing, natural history, geology, and river ecology of rivers.  
• Develop content for print newsletters, press releases, and digital communications focusing on best practices for land management (riparian plantings, erosion control, wildlife habitat improvements, etc.), showcase model conservation efforts, engaging volunteers, and sharing conservation success stories.  
• Develop river-themed educational materials and interactive activities that can be used with a wide range of audiences.
• Plan and implement in-person and virtual educational events such as speaking engagements, film showings, site visits, landowner trainings, activities at farmers markets or similar community events, and more.
• Partner with VRC conservation staff to help identify and engage volunteers, coordinate volunteer days, track volunteer hours and participation, and help recognize and thank volunteers.  
• Partner with Conservation Manager for on-the-ground monitoring and stewardship of protected sites.  
• Participate in VRC volunteer days to steward river access sites across the state. 
• Help people recreate safely and responsibly at Vermont’s many swimming holes and paddlers’ trails by educating people about best practices for river recreation.
• Promote a Leave-No-Trace culture of responsible stewardship at swimming holes and river access sites, and engage with visitors on-site to encourage safe swimming and paddling practices.  
• Perform stewardship tasks such as trail and infrastructure maintenance, installing signs and kiosks, parking patrol, and litter control.  
• Assist Stewardship Manager in conservation easement monitoring of VRC sites statewide, includes outreach to landowners, recording photos and notes from each site visit, and conducting any necessary follow-up with landowners. 
• Participate in an Independent Service Project under the guidance of VHCB AmeriCorps.
• Participate in all VHCB AmeriCorps Program Initiatives & outreach activities to promote AmeriCorps.
• Engage in professional and personal development activities and networking opportunities. 

Position is Full Time: requires 1720 hours of service for an average of 40 hours/week for 47 weeks. Position begins January 13 and ends December 11, 2026. 

Benefits

• A living allowance of $30,500 (pre-tax).
• An education award of $7,395 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of term of service
• Healthcare coverage
• Childcare assistance (must meet qualifications) 
• Loan forbearance for federally backed student loans, if qualified