Position Details:

Stewards Individual Placements, a program of Conservation Legacy, 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 intern will work closely with and under the direction of the Youth / VIP Coordinator to assess opportunities that align with Lowell National Historical Park’s strategic plan and to deepen the park’s relevance to regional audiences. They will recruit local youth for summer work programs, internships, and volunteer opportunities and conduct outreach to local organizations and events for recruiting volunteers. The CVA will have the opportunity to engage with all divisions of LNHP and job shadow in areas of interest to enhance their continued learning experience. LOWE works with many partners throughout the city and the CVA will have the opportunities to work with these organizations. Our stewardship opportunities are hands on with volunteers from both the city, neighboring communities, local organizations, veterans outreach groups, church groups and college organizations. The CVA will also work with the Environmental Youth Task force, a local volunteer youth program under the partnership of US fish and Wildlife, Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, Massachusetts Audubon, and Tsongas Industrial History Center which is a partnership between Lowell National Historical Park and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Site Description:

Lowell National Historical Park preserves and interprets the history, legacy, and modern relevance of industrialization in the United States through the lens of the textile industry in Lowell, Massachusetts. LNHP promotes appreciation and responsible stewardship of the city’s unique architectural, cultural, and historical inheritance through partnerships and community collaboration. LNHP embraces partnerships as an integral approach to accomplishing park and community goals and serves as a model for leveraging collaborative public-private partnerships. Lowell National Historical Park has a robust volunteer program where both long-term volunteering and short, one day events which engage with the public year-round. Our monthly cleanup events attract over 23 volunteers at each event beginning in April and ending in October. Our 2022 Public Lands Day event attracted over 85 volunteers to assist with cleaning up the Concord River Greenway. Our Citizen Science program attracted 45 volunteers engaging in our three separate Dragonfly Mercury events. This past summer the annual Lowell Folk Festival three-day event attracted over 300 volunteers to staff booths, work with artist, provide information, record music and more. Our youth program provides jobs to inner city youth and is coordinated by the volunteer Division. We work with local high schools and colleges to bring interns into the park working side by side with our permanent staff providing engagement with visitors and the community.

Position Responsibilities:

• Recruit volunteers for the park, (participating in outreach events, hosting volunteer information events, creating post on social media for recruitment and attend local Job fairs).
• Recruit over 300 volunteers for annual three-day Lowell Folk Festival and participate in monthly planning meetings with partners.
• Assist with monthly Volunteer Cleanup events (site evaluation and safety overview, prepping paperwork, positing event on social media before and after, taking photos at event, providing volunteers with safety guidelines at event)
• Assist with recruiting and training first mate volunteers for summer boat tour operations.
• Assist with volunteer youth program, The Environmental Task Force. This program is a partnership between the park, US Fish and Wildlife, Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust, and Mass Audubon. The youth program meets weekly where they are engaged with promoting climate change by way of social media, planting gardens, planting trees, and engaging with other youth groups on ways they can address climate change in their neighborhoods.
• Assist with youth recruitment for volunteering and summer youth employment positions.
• Work on VIP highlights, interviewing and creating post for social media.
• Assist with VIP Appreciation event
• Assist with orientation of youth groups working in the park.
• LNHP and its partners host two weeklong events that provide free family programming during school vacation weeks. The CVA will work with local high school youth programs recruiting volunteers to assist with programs and encourage youth groups to create and host their own family program at the park.

CVA Minimum Requirements:

• This position requires the candidate to be:
• Comfortable working with the public
• Creative thinker
• Possess public speaking skills
• Attention to details
• Has organization skills
• Willingness to learn and work as part of a team
• Has basic computer skills
• Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in late March/early April 2024 (date TBD)
• 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:

• Friendly
• Local applicants
• Willing to work some nights and weekends
• Ability to work with members from other divisions
• Ability to Observe rules and safety regulations of LNHP
• Remain professional in interactions with all stakeholders (partners)
• Effective communication skills

Additional Information:

• No park/on-site housing is provided. Housing will be the responsibility of the candidate.

Benefits:

• CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $600
• $150/week in housing allowance
• Limited health care/childcare benefits
• The position is eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award $6,895.00 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of the program
• $1,200 in professional development funds for training, networking, conferences, and/or travel.
• 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, January 22nd, 2024, and run for 48 weeks until Friday, December 20th, 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application-winter-2024. 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 Sunday, December 10 th , 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.

Required Skills

Required Experience

• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Time management and ability to organize multiple priorities
• Ability to remain calm and de-escalate stressful situations
• Good judgment and ability to problem solve
• Dependability and flexibility
• Ability to promote a teamwork environment and serve as a role model to other staff
• Ability to form therapeutic relationships with challenging clients
• Computer proficiency and ability to learn to use an electronic health record system
• Must have a valid driver’s license, safe driving record, and access to a personal vehicle