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Ochoco National Forest - Public Affairs and Community Engagement Resource Assistant Internship

Job Announcement
United States Forest Service – Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland
Public Affairs and Community Engagement Resource Assistant
1 Position – Prineville, Oregon
Please respond by
June 9th, 2023
 
Delivering Benefits to a Multicultural Public – Resource Assistant Program
 
The Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS),Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland is advertising for one Public Affairs and Community Engagement Resource Assistant. The position will be located on the Ochoco National Forest, which includes the Crooked River National Grassland, Lookout Mountain and Paulina Ranger Districts. This is an 8-month full-time work experience from approximately July 2023 through February 2024. Created in 1984 and modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, 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 candidates providing personnel and Human Resources HR needs during the placement.
Duty Location:
U.S. Forest Service Ochoco National Forest (NF), Supervisor’s Office, Prineville, OR. Though some teleworking will be allowed, the position will require a regular presence in the office. Participant will likely engage in public events. Some travel may be required, at the expense of the employer.
 
Staff Area: Public Services staff, Ochoco National Forest
The Public Affairs Staff Officer coordinates media relations, Congressional affairs, internal communications, employee engagement, social media, and website maintenance for the Ochoco National Forest. Additionally, this staff area includes the Field Ranger program and the Visitor Information staff in two locations.
 
Overview:
The U.S. Forest Service, Ochoco NF seeks an individual to primarily support the social media and website needs of the national forest, as well as the redesign of several brochures. In addition, the candidate will be asked to support content creation for social media and the website, as well as occasionally participating in media relations through press release writing and media interviews under the guidance of the Public Affairs Staff Officer. The Ochoco NF manages nearly one million acres of national forest and grassland in Crook, Jefferson, Grant and Wheeler Counties (Oregon). The Public Affairs Staff Officer (PAO) supports two administrative units across that acreage including: the Crooked River National Grassland and Lookout Mountain Ranger District and the Paulina Ranger District. The Ochoco NF is known for its wild horse herd, and the lush and verdant rangeland in the Ochoco Mountains that provide for a robust deer and elk population and associated wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities.  The Crooked River National Grassland includes close access to the neighboring Smith Rock State Park, and includes Lake Billy Chinook, one of the most heavily recreated lakes in Oregon, and surrounding rangeland.
 
 
The Position
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 Assistants will support the Ochoco National Forest public affairs staff officer and public services staff area primarily through social media and web content, as well as supporting media relations and community events. This position requires qualifications of what a GS-5/7 positions requires (a degree from an accredited educational institution and some work experience).
Position responsibilities will include:
Engagement:
• Explaining complex, scientific, or technical processes and giving public presentations on various technology platforms and media interviews.
• Shooting, editing, and compiling short video materials to highlight forest activities and programs.
• Working with Ochoco National Forest employees and partners to gather stories and materials to help tell the forests’ stories using video, social, media, websites, and more.
Administrative:
• Assist in maintaining and updating links on the Deschutes NF’s website.
• Redesign outdated brochures for visitors
Contribute to photo and video resources for the national forest and work in concert with the other Public Affairs staff to make those resources archived and available for use.
This is an immersive professional internship that requires a skillful and confident applicant who can manage a busy workload and learning opportunities with the support of permanent staff. This position will perform work at the equivalent of a GS-5/7 position in the federal service.
Program Benefits:
• $21,760 stipend, prorated monthly throughout internship
• $1,000 monthly housing allowance (total of $8,000)
• $2,750 for work-related training and professional development opportunities
• $50 monthly commuter allowance (total of $400)
• 60 hours of available PTO
• Health care coverage offered, workers compensation, and FICA/Medicare
• RA will have special United States Forest Service Direct Hire Authority upon completion of a minimum of 960 hours of service
 
Position Requirements:
• Strong oral and written communication skills, having these skills in both Spanish and English is highly desired but not required.
• Technical and creative writing experience, ideally with a focus in environmental journalism.
• Experience in shooting, editing (in Adobe Premiere Pro preferred, iMovie or similar is a base qualification), and developing short videos.
• Still photography experience.
• Some graphic design experience in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, or an equivalent software, is desired, but is not required.
• Ability to work successfully as a part of a collaborative team to develop digital products.
• Well-versed in website functionality and ability to learn new software tools to edit websites. No coding experience required.
• Skilled in leveraging social media platforms particularly Twitter and Facebook
 
About the Ochoco National Forest
Ochoco National Forest is in central Oregon near the town of Prineville. The forest is dominated by dry forests, with some spectacular ponderosa pine stands, and some areas of moist mixed conifer forest. Water is complex with many springs, streams, and critically important and unique wet and dry meadows found across the forest. The South Fork of the John Day River borders the easternmost area of the forest.
Ongoing projects and programs on the forest are varied and reflect the hard-working nature of the local population. Forest health restoration, fuels treatment, and grazing are the foundational elements of our forest program of work. An aggressive stream and riparian habitat restoration program is underway with many exciting opportunities on the horizon. Invasive plant management is a program on the rise with significant success in recent years. Recreation use is increasing, and opportunities abound to proactively manage experiences available to our forest visitors. Finally, the Ochoco National Forest is part of the Central Oregon Fire Management Service (COFMS) area; each fire season brings its own challenges and rewards.
The City of Prineville is located 35 miles northeast of Bend and 30 miles southeast of Madras. The major highway through town is US Highway 26. The population is around 10,730 in the city with approximately 25,000 living in the surrounding area. There are numerous facilities in and adjacent to town, including: parks and outdoor recreational areas, a public library, full service medical and dental facilities, a shopping center, restaurants and breweries, two golf courses, and numerous churches of various denominations.

 
Application Instructions
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Application Deadline: June 9th, 2023
Interviews: Will occur as qualified applications are received.
Type of position: Individual Placement
Service Dates: July 2023 – February 2024
Length of Term: 1,360 hours (approximately 8 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 at https://nwyouthcorps.workbrightats.com/jobsearch/?job_board_classification=Internships
Please select “Ochoco National Forest - Public Affairs and Community Engagement Resource Assistant Internship” when applying.
 
Additional Information
If you have questions about the position, please reach Northwest Youth Corps Internship Program Coordinator Kate Sanders at kates@nwyouthcorps.org, 541-239-7122, or Ochoco National Forest Public Affairs Officer Kassidy Kern at kassidy.kern@usda.gov or 541-588-2000.
All job offers are contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check (criminal history and driving history). NYC recommends that all participants be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
 
 Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) and The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination on all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.