Visitor Services Assistant - AmeriCorps

Position Title:  Visitor Services Assistant - AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: 5000 East Entrance Road, Paicines, CA 95043

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by January 10, 2025

Position Openings: 3

Terms of Service:

• Ideal Start Date: February 3^rd, 2025
• End Date: January 30, 2026
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hour, 52 weeks

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the Pinnacles National Park will host a Visitor Services Assistant.

The Visitor Services Assistant is an AmeriCorps position that will assist with providing interpretive services to visitors.

Description of Duties:

• Answers a wide variety of visitor questions with an explanation and description that evokes a discussion of subject matter.
• Provide general information about local facilities, pertinent rules, and regulations, and other regular inquires.
• Provides public orientation and explanations of current park events and informs visitors of potential safety hazards.
• Providing talks following a prescribed outline and requiring application of broad Pinnacles specific interpretive themes.
• Create content for web, NPS app and social media platforms related to Pinnacle’s core interpretive themes.
• Respond to email, voicemail, phone calls, and postal mail requests for information.
• Provide on-trail assistance that requires hiking for extended periods of time focusing on visitor safety.
• Gathers information from reporting parties concerning incidents within the park and notifies appropriate personnel.
• Attend off site community events to promote park themes and programs.
• Provides a wide range of services to visitors, including assistance with lost articles, car trouble, and first aid.
• Uses and maintains a variety of technology equipment and assists other staff in the performance of clerical work.
• Assist with weekend traffic operations.
• Work with other divisions team members and interns to develop a broad understand to park management operations.
• Performs minor maintenance duties to ensure a clean, safe work area.
• Follow safety protocols and general practices.
• Operates and maintains a variety of computer technology and audio-visual equipment and assists other staff in the performance of clerical.
• Other duties as assigned to gain experience with other work groups at Pinnacles.

Qualifications:

• Must have a valid driver’s license and clear driving record.

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete National Service Criminal History Checks for Conservation Legacy and the host site.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Education or experience related to environmental education.
• Experience with public speaking.
• Great attention to detail.
• Tolerance of high summer temperatures that often exceed 100°F.
• Able to hike with equipment.
• Strong writing skills.
• Capable of working both as part of a team and independently.
• High degree of patience and sense of humor.
• Experience with social media or content creation.

Additional Position and Community Information

Pinnacles National Park is in central California. It is in a rural portion of the central coast area.  It is about 2 hours from San Francisco.  The closest towns or cities are, Soledad and Greenfield, near the west side of the park.  Hollister is about 30 miles north of the east side park.  King City is also about 30 miles south of the east side of the park.  The yearly visitation at the park is between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors per year.   

The positions are located on the west side of the park, which has an entrance station, and a visitor contact station (small visitor center). The drive time between the two sides is about 1 ½ hours since there is no road between the two sides in the park. The busiest of the year, is the springtime, from late February to May.   

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395 (pre-tax)
• Living Allowance of $600.00 per week (pre-tax)
• Healthcare Coverage if Eligible
• Childcare Coverage if Eligible
• Student Loan forbearance if Eligible (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)
• Interest Payments if Eligible (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

How to Apply:

Apply on-line at: https://stewardslegacy.org/open-positions.  In addition to your resume, please submit a one page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants who submit applications by January 10, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Position will close will filled.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

• Service Site Contact information: Richard Moorer, richard_moorer@nps.gov
• Program Contact information: Gillian Watson, gwatson@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. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service. Where a significant portion of the population eligible to be served needs services or information in a language other than English, the recipient shall take reasonable steps to provide written material of the type ordinarily available to the public in appropriate languages.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with AmeriCorps 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.

Additional Details

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. 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.

Time Requirements:

• This position is expected to serve full time each week, but exact service schedules may vary.
• Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes program expectations and AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• On site trainings provided: First Aid including CPR/AED, Resume workshop

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Salary : $600