MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
- Under the supervision of the NAC Trails Program Manager, create maps detailing community demographic information, including community histories to help inform community engagement strategy
- Support outreach to existing community members and groups to participate in focus groups and interviews to inform the urban forest plan
- Collect data from park goers via visitor surveys, community board meetings and public events to better understand user behavior and perceptions of parks
- Support documentation and synthesis of focus group, interview, and survey data
- Under the guidance of the NAC Trails Program Manager, create reports and presentations to share findings of outreach initiatives with community members
- Actively participate in fellowship lectures, professional development, group stewardship, and certification activities offered
- Participate in occasional outdoor trail maintenance workday activities
- Interact with NAC staff, Parks staff and members of the public in a courteous, professional and timely manner
REQUIRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS
- Current CUNY student (ideally rising senior or graduate student) or recent graduate from a CUNY institution in the last two years
- Interest in sociology, ecology, community engagement and/or urban policy/planning
- Field data collection experience
- Excellent organizational, analytical, and written communication skills
- Ability to travel/work independently
- Computer/Microsoft Office/GSuite skills
PREFERRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:
- Spanish communication fluency (written and spoken)
- Graduate student at CUNY
- Experience with ArcMap Desktop or ArcGIS Online
- Experience in community organizing
- Experience leading volunteers
ELIGIBILITY:
- Fellows must be a rising senior at a CUNY institution enrolled in an undergraduate program, a current graduate student at CUNY, or a recent graduate from a CUNY institution (within two years of graduation).
JOB LOCATION:
- Reporting locations are possible in all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island). While working from home, access to a computer and stable internet connection is required. There is access to office space at NYC Parks Arsenal North, Queensbridge and the Transit Center. See below for more information on travel accommodations.
DURATION:
- This position will start the week of February 3rd, 2025 and end Friday, December 19th, 2025
- This is a full-time fixed position where the fellow will work 35 hours a week over a five day work week typically Monday through Friday
- Fellow will also attend the occasional weekend and evening events such as community board meetings, volunteer engagement as a representative of the NAC, and general outreach where the work week will adapt to a Tuesday - Saturday schedule.
COMPENSATION/BENEFITS
- The NAC is offering a salary of $18.50/hour for this position and is non-exempt, eligible for overtime pay
- The position is not eligible for medical, dental, or vision insurance
- Position is eligible for 401K in adherence with company policy. Sick/safe leave will be accrued in accordance with company policy. Fellows will receive travel stipends or be granted access to a Zipcar to commute to job sites as needed.
APPLICATION
- To apply for the Urban Forest Community Engagement Fellow role at the Natural Areas Conservancy, apply online at our Career Center. In this application, you will include your resume, cover letter, unofficial transcripts from your CUNY institution, and a report sample highlighting your application and experience with data analysis, synthesis of information and visual presentation of findings (i.e. a thesis or capstone project) in the format listed below. You may be asked to provide the contact information of two references later during the interview process.
