Environmental Protection Specialist
Bonneville Power Administration
RecentPosted Jan 16
✓ Fresh Listing
Posted: January 26, 2026 (1 day ago)
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Environmental Education - Adult Crew Leaders for the YCC (CSA II's, Ages 18+) - Open Continuous
City of Portland
Portland Parks & Recreation
Location
Portland, Oregon, 97204
Salary
$22 - $24
per hour
Type
Closes
February 24, 2026
Job Description
Summary
This role involves leading teams of teenagers in hands-on environmental projects like trail maintenance, gardening, and invasive plant removal in Portland's parks to protect natural areas.
Crew leaders mentor youth aged 14-19, teach outdoor skills, and ensure safe, productive work in various crews across the city.
It's ideal for passionate individuals who enjoy nature, guiding young people, and gaining experience in environmental conservation, especially those from diverse backgrounds or with multilingual abilities.
Key Requirements
- Age 18 or older
- Pass a criminal background check
- Experience in environmental conservation, outdoor work, or youth mentoring
- Ability to lead and supervise teens aged 14-19 in physical outdoor tasks
- Strong communication and teamwork skills
- Availability for part-time schedule (up to 1,400 hours/year) from April/June to August, Monday-Friday
- Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in a public service role
Full Job Description
Love nature, the outdoors, and mentoring teens (ages 14-19)?
Apply now to be a Crew Leader with Portland Parks & Recreation's Youth Conservation Crew (YCC)!
Apply early! Interviews begin as soon as March for positions starting in June.
Apply now to be a Crew Leader with Portland Parks & Recreation's Youth Conservation Crew (YCC)!
Apply early! Interviews begin as soon as March for positions starting in June.
Here are the jobs you can apply to on this application: |
There are 8 crew leader positions open across 4 crews working to conserve our parks and natural areas:
Visit our website to learn more about the crews and the crew leader role:https://www.portland.gov/parks/environmental-education/crew-leader-information |
Job Type:
Casual, Part-time. These are part-time jobs where you can work up to 1,400 hours in a year. Employees in these positions serve at will. These jobs are called Community Service Aide II's by the City of Portland.
Benefits: These jobs are not eligible for benefits.
Language Pay: If you speak another language besides English and use it to help the community, you may get extra pay. To learn more, click here. We encourage all applicants to apply, and especially those who may speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, or Russian.
Studies have shown that women and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your life experiences and qualifications for the role. Representation matters!
Schedule:
Dates: Varies by crew; see below:
Trail Crew: April 9-August 12, 2026
Communities Gardens and No Ivy League: May 20-August 12
City Nature East Crew: June 1-August 12
Hours: Monday (8:30am - 2:30pm); Tuesday - Friday (7:30am - 3:30pm)
Pay: $22.00 - $24.00 an hour, depending on experience and training.
Crew leaders take part in professional development, networking, and growth opportunities throughout the season. For many, YCC is an entry into working at Portland Parks & Recreation. We support Crew leaders in achieving their professional goals.
We encourage YCC Crew Member alumni to apply!
Position Summary
Youth Conservation Crew (YCC) crew leaders are responsible for co-leading and supervising a crew of up to 10 teenage youth while completing hands-on conservation projects throughout Portland's parks and natural areas.
Working alongside a co-leader and crew sponsor, crew leaders mentor and support youth (ages 14-18) in their professional growth and first-time work experience.
Crew leaders teach essential job skills in natural areas maintenance, teamwork, and leadership while fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment.
Crew leaders lead field-based projects such as trail building, habitat restoration, community gardening, and tree care all while keeping youth work crews safe and on track to complete projects in a timely manner.
Daily responsibilities include creating a safe work environment, teaching technical skills, and various ecological lessons, tracking crew activities and youth progress, attending weekly collaboration meetings, and more.
This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain more experience in a field-based leadership role leading youth employees and creating an inclusive and welcoming work environment.
YCC Crew Leaders get to:
Mentor and lead teenage youth: Get to know and care about each of the teens on their crew as individuals and co-workers.
Guide youth in job skills development, teamwork, professional goals, and development of ecological knowledge. Create a sense of community where teens feel like they belong and look out for each other.
Teach: Mentor youth in developing basic job skills in their first job including work readiness, staying on task, teamwork, and leadership.
Teach safe use of tools and equipment for trail work, gardening, and/or habitat restoration.
Facilitating team building activities, icebreakers, and ecological lessons such as plant identification, soil health, tree care, and animal identification to name a few.
Collect data and report: Track and report on crew activities, youth progress, and project outcomes on a daily and weekly basis.
Attend weekly crew leader meetings to collaborate with other leaders and share insights.
Complete mid-summer and end-of-summer evaluations and participate in environmental science and data collection projects.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is comfortable leading work outdoors and enjoys building connections with teenagers from diverse backgrounds.
They balance warmth and high expectations while teaching job skills to youth, managing group safety, and leading teams from start to completion of assigned projects in a timely manner.
They are skilled at managing multiple responsibilities from organizing tools and maintaining records to adapting plans and priorities in dynamic work settings.
They communicate often and early and are committed to culturally responsive leadership that creates a welcoming environment where all crew members feel they belong and can grow.
The ideal candidate will:
Support Equity and Inclusion: Be committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all participants and staff.
Engage with Youth: Have experience working with, supporting, and leading youth ages 14–18, particularly in work related to the outdoors, conservation, restoration, and/or environmental education.
Communicate and Collaborate :Demonstrate strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with youth participants, partner organizations, and Parks staff to ensure program success.
Be Adaptable and Organized: Excel at tracking and completing multiple tasks simultaneously, adjusting to changing priorities, and maintaining focus in a dynamic outdoor work environment.
Stay Organized: Be comfortable handling administrative and logistical tasks, such as managing tools and equipment, teaching technical skills in natural areas maintenance, maintaining accurate records.
Use Technology Effectively: Be proficient with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams, OneDrive), Adobe PDF, Smartphones, and other digital tools and applications.
Virtual Zoom Meet & Greet Opportunity
Come meet the hiring manager and the senior recruiter! We'll be talking about the position duties and responsibilities, day to day life in the role, review the announcement, discuss how to apply, and answer questions you may have about the position.
Thursday, February 5th, 2026
3:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
3:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88400655164
Meeting ID: 884 0065 5164
Contact Information:
Loan Tran Polanco, Recruiter
Bureau of Human Resources
Requirements
Qualifications needed:
- Knowledge, ability and skills to promote equity, diversity, inclusion and provide culturally responsive leadership.
- Experience working with and leading teenagers 14-18 years old from diverse backgrounds.
- Experience supervising and leading a group of teenaged youth in nature, the outdoors, conservation work, environmental education, and/or outdoor education.
- Experience performing work in ecological restoration, gardening, trail work, and/or tree care and maintenance.
- Knowledge, skills ,and ability to teach technical skills in one or more of the following areas:
- Trail building & maintenance
- Environmental education
- Habitat restoration
- Tree care and maintenance
- Gardening and garden maintenance
- Knowledge of plants and animals in Portland, OR
- Knowledge and experience using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive).
Applicants must also:
- Be at least 18 years old by April 1, 2026
- Have a valid state driver's license and an acceptable driving record at the time of hire.
- Hold a current CPR/First Aid Certification by time of offer.
Please note, these are not required but will be helpful:
- Speak one of the following languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, or Russian.
- Ability to build community and lead a productive teen workforce with high expectations, warmth, and respect.
- Ability to hold youth accountable for attendance and workplace behavior.
- Ability to mentor youth and support them in professional development.
- At least 1 year of professional experience working with and leading teenagers 14-18 years old from diverse backgrounds.
- At least 1 year of professional experience supervising and leading a group of teenaged youth in nature, the outdoors, conservation work, environmental education, and/or outdoor education.
- At least 1 year experience performing work in ecological restoration, gardening, trail work, and/or tree care and maintenance.
We encourage alumni of Youth Conservation Crew to apply for crew leader positions!
Studies have shown that women and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your life experiences and qualifications for the role. Representation matters!
Qualifications
How to Apply:
Hiring Process:
- Click "APPLY" to submit your application online.
- You need to answer the supplemental questions and attach your resume.
- If you are a Veteran and want preference, attach your Veteran documents
Hiring Process:
Step 1: Apply online starting on January 26, 2026. Step 2: We will review your application to see if you meet the minimum needs for this role.
Step 3: If you qualify, you will be placed on a list of eligible candidates. Step 4: We will contact eligible candidates for interviews as positions become available. Interviews will be held in March.
Step 5: Job offers will be made after interviews, in March, April, and May. Step 6: The start dates are crew dependent:
Trails Crew - crew leaders approximate start dates is April 9, 2026 once all hiring conditions are met.
Community Gardens and No Ivy League crew leaders approximate start date is May 20, 2026 once all hiring conditions are met.
- City Nature East crew leaders start date is June 1, 2026 once all hiring conditions are met.
Additional Information
Click here for additional information regarding the following:- City of Portland Core Values
- Recruitment Process - Work Status
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Veterans Preference
- ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
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