Full time AMERICORPS Positions – Spring 2015 through Mid September 2015 (must be available for a minimum of 900 hours)

AmeriCorps service positions (Up to $7,5000 stipend/$2,600 Education award) Our City Forest is a non-profit urban forestry and environmental action organization. The focus of this program is to organize neighborhood and school tree care and tree planting projects, promote environmental education, and recruit and train volunteers. During this year of service, AmeriCorps members will directly contribute to the mission of creating a greener and healthier community.

Urban Forestry Specialist Positions Available:

Our City Forest AmeriCorps members will build capacity in the community by engaging volunteers and residents in cultivating plants and young trees at our nursery, planting and caring for trees in neighborhoods, schools and parks, and educating residents on environmental issues. Members will build relationships with existing volunteers, and recruit and engage new ones.

All Urban Forestry Specialist will strive to maximize volunteer participation in their individual programs, acting as trainers, coaches, schedulers, and project planners. Members will be trained on urban forestry best practices, and provide quality control and supervision for volunteers. Members will provide friendly, professional customer service, and will organize and implement projects. They will actively seek opportunities for greening projects, and conduct outreach efforts to residents and businesses to garner investment and stewardship. This entails office work such as correspondence, scheduling appointments, planning logistics, and detailed data entry, as well as field work necessary for project preparation, and project day execution. Proportion of field to office work varies with program assignment. Other roles include conducting classroom and community presentations, providing detailed instruction for specialized volunteers, and representing Our City Forest at various community outreach events.

Technical training and experience gained as an Urban Forestry Specialist may help prepare members for arborist certification (individuals will need additional education and/or experience for certification).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

· Interest in affecting change through community engagement

· Ability to work well with diverse groups of people

· Must be available to work full-time Tuesday – Saturday 8AM- 5PM

· Must be available until the end of the term.

· Must be a U.S. Citizen or legal resident, with a high school diploma or equivalent

· Minimum age: 18

Desired Qualification: One or more of the following:

· Bilingual in English and Spanish, Vietnamese, or other

· Volunteer engagement and coordination

· College degree is highly desirable

· Strong written & oral communication skills

· Valid CA driver’s license

· Proficient in driving manual transmission and towing small trailers

· Current commercial driver’s license (to drive Tree Mobile for community events)

· Familiar with ornamental and native tree species ID

· FileMaker Pro & Adobe software knowledge

· MS Excel, MS Access, and GIS.

TO APPLY:

Email: americorps@ourcityforest.org

Complete applications must include:

1) Resume

2) Cover letter

3) Contact information for three professional references—at least one reference must be a supervisor

4.) The AmeriCorps questionnaire.