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2022 NPS Academy Social Science Member

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking 1 member as part of the 2022 NPS Academy cohort.
For more information about NPS Academy, please visit: npsacademy.org.
For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Position Start Date: June 6, 2022
Position End Date: September 23, 2022
*Some flexibility with start date; a minimum 16-week commitment and participation in the orientation March 21st-25th is required for the position*

About NPS Academy: The National Park Service (NPS) Academy is an innovative and immersive program designed to introduce a diversity of participants from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the National Parks, to career opportunities with the NPS. Participants come away equipped with knowledge about the NPS mission and the NPS Universal Competencies that are considered the foundation of all careers in the NPS and are critical to all park service employees. The NPS Academy maximizes career opportunities with NPS through training and hands-on experiences. This program is generously funded by Grand Teton National Park Foundation.

Program Goals: The major goals of the NPS Academy are to:
  • Connect a diverse group of young adults sharing a passion and curiosity for careers within the NPS
  • Deepen participants' knowledge of and personal network within the NPS by fostering an NPS mentorship relationship
  • Develop a network of emerging conservation and park leaders by building ambassadorship, storytelling, and leadership skills
  • Create a more inclusive future for public lands

Location: Grand Teton National Park- The town of Jackson offers a variety of amenities and services in close proximity to Grand Teton National Park. Jackson is only four miles from the southern boundary of Grand Teton, 12 miles from Moose, 20 miles from Jenny Lake, and 41 miles from Colter Bay. The year-round population of Jackson is about 10,000 people. However, millions of visitors come through every year, which means that Jackson offers many amenities that you don't normally see in a town of that size. The Grand Tetons are a magnificent mountain range in this northwestern region of Wyoming, with the small town of Jackson Hole in its foothills. The Grand Teton rises to 13,770 feet, 7,000 feet about the valley floor. Numerous peoples have roamed these lands, showing first signs from various Native American tribes around 11,000 years ago, from the ranchers and trappers of the 1800's, to the homesteaders and modern-day conservationists that support the park. Grand Teton National Park is rich in history of human cultures and biological diversity, being a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Project Website: For more information about Grand Teton National Park please visit nps.gov/grte.

Living Allowance: ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $450/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly. ACE offers travel/relocation assistance to and from the project site as well.

Housing: Housing and travel assistance to and from park location will be provided. The ACE Member will be accommodated in park housing at no cost for the duration of the Member. Housing is within walking or biking distance from where the Member will meet with other staff each morning. Accommodations are generally shared housing, and include a full kitchen. Housing may be a house, apartment, or dormitory depending on what is available.

AmeriCorps: This position may be eligible for a 450-hour AmeriCorps Education Award ($1612.43) upon successful completion of service hours. Additional enrollment is required.

Scheduling: The incumbent will work 40 hours a week, typically 8 hour days, 5 days a week. Work will occur on weekends, and the incumbent will have two consecutive days off every week.

Position Description: The social science member will assist the park social scientist in interdisciplinary projects focused on understanding visitor experience and use patterns in Grand Teton National Park. Duties will include surveying visitors in face-to-face interviews, resource impact and trail use monitoring, data management, conducting analysis on preliminary results, and draft report writing. The member will work both inside and outside, with the majority of the work being in an outdoor setting, sometimes in inclement weather. Longer hikes (4 miles one-way) with more than 2,000 feet elevation gain will sometimes be necessary to access backcountry sampling sites.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a hiring authority upon completion of their term of service.

Skills: An important reminder: all skills needed for this position will be trained on the job; a good attitude, curiosity for learning, and a willingness to work hard contributing to the team are the only prerequisites to finding success.

Essential skills: Ability to work alone and in a group; Clear communication both written and verbal; Willingness to hike long distances and be outside all day; Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Additional skills that are helpful: Familiarity with GIS/mapping and statistics; being flexible and adaptable to changes in tasks for the day (i.e. sometimes we have to quickly address equipment failures and rearrange our day).

Skills that members will gain from this position: An understanding of the importance of social science in National Parks and other public lands; surveying and monitoring techniques and protocols, how social science data fits into decision making, data management practices.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

Physical Demands: Work requires some physical effort and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking, in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors, and carrying backpacks or other loads up to 50 pounds.

Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Moving up to 50 pounds

Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.

Environmental: Work takes place both in indoor and outdoor settings. Work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g., exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and insects.)

Travel: none

ACE Requirements:
  • Members must be US citizen or Permanent Resident, as required to comply with U.S. government contracts
  • Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
  • Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
  • A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
  • Willing to undergo and must pass required criminal history checks.
  • Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • ACE Members must verify that they are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 or have requested and been granted a medical or religious exemption to vaccination by the time they start their term.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest in the position and NPS Academy, as well as contact information for three references to the online application page for this position. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC NPS Member Coordinator, Deidra Goodwin at dgoodwin@usaconservation.org

EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.