Community Volunteer Ambassador, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park - AmeriCorps

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application-2025-fall-co Application form requires a resume, cover letter, professional references. 

Position Title:  Community Volunteer Ambassador, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park - AmeriCorps 

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements 

Site Location: 72 McBride Avenue Extension, Paterson, NJ 07501 

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by June 13, 2025 

Terms of Service: 

Start Date: September 8, 2025 

End Date: August 7, 2026 

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 1700 Hour 

Purpose: 

Stewards Individual Placements, a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) Program combines the strength of a national leader in conservation service with the National Park Service to train emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to communities. 

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, in Paterson, NJ is home to the second largest waterfall, by volume, east of the Mississippi River. The water of the Passaic River was harnessed to power new 

industries that played a key role in shaping the American Industrial Revolution and building the U.S. 

economy. The National Park is located within Paterson’s Great Falls Historic District where resources 

abound to illustrate and interpret the diversity of the water-powered industries and the people who lived and worked here. Duty stations are located within the National Park boundary and locations in the historic district, including the Paterson Museum. 

The park has a strong and active presence in the city of Paterson. The dedicated positional volunteers are deeply connected to the community, with many either living in Paterson, having taught in the city, or being raised here. They bring a profound appreciation for the city’s history and culture, sharing that passion with our visitors. 

Most of the park's volunteers are "event" volunteers participating in park cleanups in partnership with local organizations, including corporate groups, the Paterson Public Schools and our Friends Group. 

The park's signature volunteer/educational event is the annual Earth Day Cleanup and Science Expo. The event attracts over 400 students and educators who participate in a service-learning cleanup, followed by an expo of STEAM activities led by 10 local educational organizations. 

In addition to these efforts, we have hosted volunteer public history and ecology students from local 

colleges. We also are building on the work of our last CVA and will be welcoming five teacher education interns from a local high school to work alongside park staff to learn how to develop and present educational programming in an outdoor setting. 

The successful applicant will work with the park's team to increase the number of educational student volunteers/interns, expand our positional volunteer group in a way that is sustainable, build on the success of the park's art show pilot for America 250 called "America Untold" by involving artists from the city, and take a lead role to develop on a much desired program - a park star party. The CVA will recruit volunteer astronomers to assist us in this endeavor. 

Description of Duties: 

Learn about park operations by participating in interpretive programming, visitor services, and assistance at events. Be able to assist staff in training volunteers and volunteer interns. 

Expand the High School Internship Program 

We are continuing our partnership with Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) for the upcoming year and expanding the internship program from a 6-week duration to a three-month tenure. The CVA will serve as the primary liaison between the park and the PCTI internship director, coordinating meetings, organizing student workshops with park staff, and scheduling teachers and students for programs to be taught by PCTI education students. 

We believe that the educational contributions of these interns, in collaboration with our Paterson Public School teachers, will support the development of large-scale, curriculum-aligned programming as requested by educators. Furthermore, the high school interns will gain valuable insights into the National Park Service, its career opportunities, youth programs, and seasonal positions with the NPS. 

Recruit Volunteer Astronomers 

We aim to recruit 10-20 volunteer astronomers through our established partnerships with the manager of the school district planetarium, the Belinda Educational Group for Science and Technology, and the NASA Space Ambassador program. Recruiting this number of volunteers will be a substantial task, and having the CVA serve as the point of contact for this initiative will be invaluable in ensuring its success. 

America 250 - Art Program Expansion 

As mentioned in Objective 1, we are committed to making the "America Untold" art project a community-wide event. The CVA will play a crucial role in marketing and recruiting volunteer artists, managing logistics, and coordinating with the Paterson Museum to utilize their art gallery for an evening art opening. 

Expand Volunteer Roles 

In addition to our existing volunteer base, we plan to introduce 2-3 new positional volunteers. While we have hundreds of volunteers, most are engaged in special events. With the upcoming construction of the park's new visitor center starting next fiscal year, these new weekly volunteers will work alongside our small staff and current volunteers to maintain and enhance services during the construction phase, which will impact 50% of the park. Once the visitor center is operational, we anticipate visitor numbers to double, and having a dedicated, well-trained volunteer corps will be essential to meeting the increased demand and providing value-added programming for park visitors. 

Qualifications: 

Positive, can-do attitude and a commitment to get the job done 

Excellent interpersonal skills; customer service oriented. 

Able to work with supervisor and team to cultivate partnerships. 

Prioritizes a team approach; is communicative and collaborative. 

Organized and adaptable self-starter who can work independently as well as support the team. 

Attention to detail in all aspects of the duties and responsibilities. 

Prioritizes personal, coworker and visitor safety. 

Must work a Wednesday-Sunday schedule. 

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 a National Service Criminal History Check. 

 Preferred Qualifications:  

College degree, or related degree/course work preferred 

Teaching skills with a background in science and/or history a plus. 

Public speaking and writing skills. 

Ability to conduct basic research for information. 

Social media skills 

Local to the area 

Ability to speak Spanish preferred but not required. 

Our Commitment: 

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 40 hours 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 training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities. 

Week-long, in-person training on NPS volunteer program management and leadership skills. 

Year-long continuum of learning supporting professional development 

$1,200 in Professional Development Funds   

Additional Position and Community Information 

Training in the park’s history, ecology, and National Park Service (NPS) history. 

Training in the Interpretive Development Program, which connects volunteers to the resources, including principles of audience-centered engagement. 

Instruction on learning styles and lesson plan development to enhance educational programming. 

Completion of NPS Volunteer-in-Parks (VIP) training, either in-person or through the Department of the Interior’s online learning platform. 

Collaboration with rangers to continue developing online content, including experience with video recording equipment, video editing software, planning video series, and learning 508 compliance for videos and photos. 

Site Visits and Individual Development Plans 

Opportunities for visits to other NPS sites, along with the creation of an individual development plan for each CVA, modeled after the plans we create for permanent NPS staff. 

Training in the use of the Seestar S50 telescope for park star parties (pending scheduled donation of telescope). 

Learn how to write a government resume using the resume builder on usajobs.gov. Discussing what needs to be in the resume (experience and level of complexity) and an explanation as to why government resumes are different from Corporate America resumes. 

Benefits:  

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $7,395.00 

Living Allowance of $600 per week. 

Additional Benefit of $150 per week, if housing is not provided 

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) 

$1,200 in Professional Development Funds for training, networking, conferences, and/or travel 

Networking opportunities within the National Park Service and partnering organizations 

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority 

Week-long in-person training at NPS site with travel/meal expenses covered. 

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. 

How to Apply 
Please visit Community Volunteer Ambassador (cvainternships.org) to review “Member Positions” by region and find instructions on how to apply.  

The CVA position will start on Monday, September 8, 2025 and run for 48 weeks until Friday, August 7, 2026. 

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application-2025-fall-co.  Application form requires a resume, cover letter, professional references.  

Please ensure your cover letter addresses how your experience aligns with the CVA program, your experience working with different populations, and position details for this park/position. You may submit one application for multiple positions by selecting all sites you are interested in. 

Application Timeline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First review will occur in early June. Final deadline is Friday, July 4, 2025. 

For Application Questions: 

Please contact James Gasaway, Program Director at jgasaway@conservationlegacy.org  

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  

 We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.