Job Announcement United States Forest Service – Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Vancouver, WA Public Affairs Resource Assistant Please respond by June 27, 2021 ______

Delivering Benefits to a Multicultural Public – Resource Assistant Program

The Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) is advertising for a Public Affairs Resource Assistant (RA). This is a 6-month full-time work experience from approximately Mid-July 2021 to Mid-January 2022. Created in 1984 and modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s, 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 candidate providing personnel and Human Resources HR needs during the placement.

Position: Public Affairs Specialist (internship) Target start date: Mid July 2021 Duration: 960 hours (approximately 6 months) Status: Full time. Evenings and weekends sometimes required.

Duty Location: Gifford Pinchot National Forest Headquarters Office, Vancouver, WA. Work will take place in both a telework situation and in the Forest Headquarters office (full time in the office is also an option), and in community settings where social distancing can be guaranteed. Some travel may be required, at the expense of the employer.

Staff Area: Community Engagement

The Community Engagement staff area coordinates: public affairs, youth engagement, conservation education, public involvement, partnerships, volunteer and service programs, cultural heritage programs, special uses, and recreation.

Overview

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest (GPNF) seeks a Public Affairs Resource Assistant to work in the Community Engagement Staff Area in Vancouver, Washington.

Located in southwest Washington, the GPNF encompasses 1,368,300 acres of forests, mountains, river valleys, waterfalls, wilderness, and volcanoes. The forest has three main areas including Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, Mount Adams Ranger District, and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

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The GPNF is one of the oldest national forests in the United States. Established in 1908, the GPNF provides clean water, timber, food, habitat for wildlife, diverse recreational opportunities, and a place to enjoy solitude in a busy world.

Through culturally relevant partnerships, engagement, and communication, GPNF’s Community Engagement programs build connections with rural and urban communities to help sustain the health, diversity and productivity of these lands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

Position Description: 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 Assistant (RA) will participate in the development and implementation of a comprehensive public affairs program on the forest, performing a wide variety of activities including support of visitor services, correspondence management, and the creation of digital tools and products geared toward helping the public safely and appropriately access their public lands as well as to highlight all staff areas including restoration and stewardship, community engagement, engineering and more. Ever the more critical in a COVID environment, these efforts will focus on conveying information through contemporary engagement practices that promote public involvement and awareness of Forest Service functions; enhance public safety and health in relation to wildfire; convey opportunities associated with employment, special uses, and special forest products; and increase public knowledge of natural resource and land management topics. This is an immersive professional internship that requires a skillful and confident applicant who can manage a portfolio of work with the support of permanent staff. This position would offer an estimated near GS-5/7 qualifications.

Position responsibilities will include:

• Developing written materials such as news releases, feature stories, social media content, and blogs for diverse publics and for internal dissemination. Helping the media tell the story of Forest Service programs, projects, and activities. • Updating and innovating the forest website. • Shooting, editing, and compiling short video materials to highlight forest activities and programs. • Responding to internal and external inquiries in a timely manner. Gathering information from a variety of sources such as subject matter experts, emails, telephone calls, interviews, research, reading and observation. • Providing visitor information, issuing recreational passes and special forest product permits at Forest Service facilities and events. • Assisting in the development of strong record-retention processes and utilizing cloud and hard-copy systems to improve file management and sharing. • Assisting the U.S. Forest Service and Northwest Youth Corps in the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the organizations and within their programs, processes, and approaches. Providing input from observations and community feedback on DEI efforts.

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Qualifications/Requirements:

• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing. • Strong organizational skills. • Comfortable engaging and talking with the public. • Some graphic design experience in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator or an equivalent software. • Some still photography experience. • Ability to work successfully as a part of a collaborative team to develop digital products. • Versed in website functionality and ability to learn new software tools to edit websites. • Skilled in leveraging social media platforms particularly Twitter and Facebook. • Some technical writing experience. • Experience in shooting, editing, and developing short videos that represent an organization. • 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.

Program Benefits • A total stipend of $13,000, plus a $6,000 housing allowance divided evenly across a 40-week term. • $2,750 reimbursement fund for relocation, travel expenses, and work-related training and professional development opportunities. • $300 total allowance to support daily commuting. • Health care coverage, workers compensation, and FICA/Medicare. • A minimum of 40 hours of paid time off plus all federal holidays. • RA will have special United States Forest Service Direct Hire Authority upon completion of a minimum of 960 hours of service.

Application Instructions ______Application Deadline: June 27, 2021 Interviews: Will occur as qualified applications are received. Type of position: Individual Placement Service Dates: Approximately Mid-July 2021 - Mid-January 2022 Length of Term: 960 hours (approximately 6 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 http://bit.ly/NYCInternApplicationForm

Please select “Public Affairs Specialist – Gifford Pinchot National Forest” when applying.

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Additional Information:

If you have questions about the position, please reach Northwest Youth Corps Internship Program Officer Andrew Tagge at [email protected] or USFS Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Public Affairs Officer Gala Miller [email protected]

NYC COVID-19 Protocols:

We have developed and facilitated industry leading COVID management protocols that are in place to keep our members and staff healthy, and have maintained an excellent safety record. Read our COVID protocols by visiting www.nwyouthcorps.org/m/covid19

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.

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