Community Planner/Landscape Architect Fellowship - National Park Service

Who: National Park Service

What: The New Mexico National Park Service (NPS) Community Planning/Landscape Architect Fellowship is a unique opportunity for an exemplary Latino master’s graduate student or recent graduate. The Fellowship is designed to provide practical experience with diverse communities that we serve including Native American and Latino. It provides an opportunity and exposure to community outdoor recreation and conservation planning projects with a wide spectrum of partners in New Mexico and in El Paso, Texas. The fellow will work on local-level collaborative trail, park, and conservation planning and design, and public engagement with rural to urban communities. Occasional overnight travel with RTCA project managers is required with travel costs reimbursed by the Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF). The fellow will support two RTCA project managers in Santa Fe and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The selected candidate will develop or improve skills in some or all of the following areas: community planning, conservation, landscape architecture, outdoor recreation design, public outreach and engagement, and partnership development for community-led conservation and outdoor recreation.


National Park Service Mission

In addition to protecting and managing America’s 419 national parks, the NPS also operates programs in communities throughout the nation to connect all Americans to their parks, trails, rivers, and other special places. The Fellow will be part of the NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program, which helps community groups, cities, counties, tribes, and state and federal governments plan parks and trails, conserve and improve access to rivers and natural areas, and create recreation opportunities through locally led partnerships. The position will not be located in a park, but will be located in a NPS office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more information about the program refer to the NPS RTCA web site.

Hispanic Access Foundation Mission

HAF is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization that connects Latinos to partners and opportunities improving lives and creating an equitable society. The Foundation’s vision is that all Hispanics throughout the U.S. enjoy good physical health, a healthy natural environment, a quality education, economic success and civic engagement in their communities with the sum improving the future of America.

NPS RTCA Projects

This year, NPS RTCA is assisting with a number of exciting conservation, youth, and outdoor recreation planning projects. Our partners include health foundations, universities, local organizations, and tribal, county, state, and federal governments. Some project locations in New Mexico include the Navajo Nation, Pueblo of San Ildefonso, Silver City, and in El Paso, Texas.

Hispanic Access Foundation Interaction Fellows will work and communicate with a HAF Program Manager during their fellowship and participate in scheduled conference calls, webinars, and meetings. Fellows will capture photos and/or videos for reporting purposes and submit three blog posts highlighting their experience and development. The selected candidate will coordinate and participate in a Latino Conservation Project in the local area, scheduled during mid-July.

General Qualifications

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing for internal and external professional audiences, prepare factsheets, facilitate public meetings, and make public presentations.
• Ability to develop trail, conservation, and park concepts and site plans.
• Help plan, collect, and analyze data that show important transportation connections and natural, recreational, and cultural resources for community projects.
• Ability to plan, design, and incorporate community outreach engagement tools including: surveys, focus groups, public meetings, and social media. Paying special attention to outreach to diverse communities.
• Knowledge of software or programs such as GIS, AutoCAD, Google Sketch-up, and Adobe suite.
• Self-initiative and experience working independently to develop, organize and implement project elements, establish priorities, deliver products, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to accept and recognize the viewpoints of others, and work with a variety of professional and non-professional persons from communities, the public, and private agencies.

Requirements

• Age under 30 as of February 2020.
• Professional experience or a degree in planning (such as outdoor recreation, urban, regional, or environmental), landscape architecture, or a related field.
• Recent master’s graduate or current master’s graduate student.
• A valid driver’s license.
• Ability to work occasional nights and weekends to attend community meetings.
• Day and occasional overnight travel with NPS RTCA to various project sites in New Mexico and to El Paso, Texas.
• US citizenship or permanent residency and a government background check if selected.
• Available to work full-time (40 hours per week) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fellows are hired as contractors; the stipend is subject to income taxation, but taxes will not be withheld from stipends. Fellows will be provided a 1099-MISC form for tax purposes. Application Process HAF is managing the recruitment for this position. All applications are submitted through HAF MANO Project Application Page. Applications and a resume including three references is due no later than November 24th, 2019. Your resume should include professional and educational experience and identify applicable: awards, technical skills, and volunteer activities. For more information about this fellowship, contact Rodrigo Otarola y Bentin at rodrigo@hispanicaccess.org.

Start/End Date: February 2020 through January 2021 (dates are dependent upon the start date)

Term: 11 months (47 weeks)

Salary: A weekly stipend of $480 based on 40-hours per week ($12/hourly) Housing Stipend - $400/month One Time - Round Trip Relocation Benefit - $400 Who Can Apply: Recent Master’s Graduate or Current Master Student able to work 40 hours per week for 11 months in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Benefits: Health insurance coverage; Travel expenses paid to participate in Hispanic Access Foundation Cohort Conference location TBD; Up to $2,500 for professional development opportunities that align with goals; and Public Land Corp (PLC) eligibility after completing 960 hours. PLC status provides special non-competitive hiring status when applying for certain federal positions.

Office Location: National Park Service, 1100 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505

Application Due Date: Applications are due no later than November 24th. Phone interviews and final decisions will be made by the end of November.