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Umatilla National Forest - Community Engagement Resource Assistant Internship

Job Announcement
United States Forest Service – Umatilla National Forest
Community Engagement Resource Assistant
2 Positions – Pendleton, Oregon
Please respond by June 9, 2023
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Delivering Benefits to a Multicultural Public – Resource Assistant Program
 
The Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) Umatilla National Forest is advertising for two (2) Community Engagement Resource Assistants (RA). The position will be located on the Umatilla National Forest, in the Supervisor’s Office in Pendleton, Oregon. This is an 8- month (34-week) full-time work experience from approximately June 2023 through January 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.
About the Position:
The Umatilla National Forest is seeking two organized, detail-oriented, motivated individuals with passion for developing creative and innovative ways to build relationships with our communities, share Forest messages and connect youth to conservation and their public lands.
 
These are full-time positions supervised by the Umatilla National Forest Public Affairs Officer. The public affairs program coordinates media relations, Congressional affairs, internal communications, employee engagement, social media, website maintenance and community engagement.
 
·        One of the RA positions will support the Forest’s community engagement programs, which includes designing conservation education programs, participating in youth and community outreach events, coordinating volunteers, and producing marketing materials.
 
·        The second position will serve as the primary contact for community engagement for the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision to implement robust activities focused on guiding future land management. This individual will design lesson plans focused on land management issues, participate in youth and community outreach events, and produce marketing materials.
 
Both positions will assist with developing and maintaining partnerships that support the community engagement focus areas.
 
Duty Location:
Pendleton, Oregon. Some teleworking will be allowed, but many of the duties for these positions will require presence in the office. Some travel will be required, at the expense of the employer.
 
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 Umatilla National Forest community engagement program, primarily through conservation education and community outreach events. The individual may be asked to support other public affairs needs, including social media content, video production, and creating marketing materials. 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-7/9 position in the federal service.
Position responsibilities will include:
·        Active community engagement through special events, conservation education, and working with partners. This includes working on the development of thematic interpretive materials and activities for presentation to the public, as well as supporting event participation and staffing.
·        Explaining complex, scientific, or technical processes and giving public presentations on various technology platforms.
·        Fosters community-based partnership programs including youth engagement programs.
·        Develops and maintains effective external cooperative relationships with government agencies, colleges/universities, non-governmental organizations, conservation groups, private foundations and others interested in partnering with the Forest Service.
·        Works with Forest Service employees and partners to gather stories and materials to help tell the agency’s story using video, social media, websites, etc.
·        Researches and prepares grant proposals with the aim of leveraging funding to support projects.
·        Produces marketing materials, briefing papers, fact sheets, news releases, position statements, key messages, partnership surveys, web and social media content, and other informational or reporting oversight products as required to support the program.
 
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, particularly in relaying information to children. Strong organizational skills. Ability to work independently and with others.
·        Ability to work successfully as part of a collaborative team.
·        Experience with photography and videography. While not required, experience using editing software preferred (i.e. Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator).
·        Knowledge of basic principles, concepts and methodology of public relations or journalism as would typically be acquired through a bachelor's degree program within the profession in which the work is to be performed, plus skill and knowledge gained through additional work experience, that provides the ability to perform recurring assignments independently.
·        Ability to review and/or edit reports prepared by others and to ensure that material conveys information that the writer intended, and that areas of misunderstanding or ambiguities are eliminated.
·        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.
 
About the Umatilla National Forest
 
The Umatilla National Forest consists of four Ranger Districts covering approximately 1.4 million acres. The name is taken from the Indian word meaning “water rippling over sand.” It is located in the beautiful Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington adjacent to the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The Forest contains a variety of conifers and a few hardwood tree species. Extensive rangeland is also allotted for cattle and sheep grazing. The Forest employs approximately 170 permanent employees when fully staffed.
Hunting and fishing make up almost 50 percent of the recreation use on the Umatilla NF. Camping, picnicking, boating, hiking and horseback riding are also popular. The Forest has a large concentration of Rocky Mountain Elk. Mule deer and whitetail deer are also abundant. The Forest is also home to downhill ski areas and numerous cross-country skiing trails. Snowmobiling is also permitted on the Forest. Three designated wilderness areas lie within the forest boundaries.
 
About Pendleton, Oregon
Located in Umatilla County, Pendleton has a population of approximately 15,000 (swells to 50,000+ during the week of the annual world-famous Pendleton Round-up in September). The city is located along I-84 and is a short drive to several urban areas in both Oregon and Washington (approximately 3 hours from Portland, Oregon, less than 1 hour from Walla Walla and the 1.5 hours from Tri-Cities – both in Washington).
There is no Government housing available. There is good availability of apartment rentals, but rental houses are somewhat limited. There is good availability of houses for sale in a wide range of prices. If you have an interest, please check with Darcy Weseman for more detailed information on availability and cost of housing.

Application Instructions
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Application Deadline: June 9, 2023
Interviews: Will occur as qualified applications are received.
Type of position: Individual Placement
Service Dates: June 2023 – January 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 “Umatilla National Forest – 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 Umatilla National Forest Darcy Weseman at (541) 215-2224 or darcy.weseman@usda.gov.
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.