Naturalist
East Bay Regional Park District
Salary: $92,913.60 - $105,123.20 Annually
Job Type: Full-time (40 hrs)
Job Number: 24-GB-03
Location: East Bay Regional Park District - Various Locations, CA
Department:
Closing: 3/27/2024 5:00 PM Pacific
The Position
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a full-service governmental agency stewarding a metropolitan system of public open space parklands and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of the San Francisco Bay. EBRPD spans across 125,000 acres in 73 regional parks, including over 1,250 miles of trails that are enjoyed by over 25 million visitors and the community per year. The Park District acquires, manages, and preserves natural and cultural resources for everyone to enjoy now and forever to experience nature nearby.
OUR MISSION:
EBRPD preserves a rich heritage of natural and cultural resources and provides open space, parks, trails, safe and healthful recreation and environmental education. An environmental ethic guides the District in all of its activities.
OUR VALUES:
• Respect - We honor the land we steward, each other, and the park visitors we serve.
• Resilience - We creatively adapt to change. We address challenges with empathy, perspective, and determination.
• Relationships - Our greatest strength lies in the trust, accountability, and teamwork we cultivate with our colleagues, partners, and the public we serve.
• Responsiveness - We communicate openly, honestly, and reliably.
• Transparency - We hold the public's trust through meaningful stakeholder engagement and access to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance.
WHY WORK FOR EBRPD?
• Working with a purpose for a better world today and for future generations through the preservation of open space, public access to the outdoors, and a commitment to the conservation of the natural world found east of the San Francisco Bay across 33 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
• A community of colleagues who are passionate about public service and the East Bay Regional Park District, the communities it serves, and its mission.
• Excellent benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending, and pension benefits through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). Click https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/EBRPD-2021-Benefits-Matrix-06-24-2021.pdf https://get.adobe.com/reader/ for details regarding additional benefits.
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development.
• Free on-site parking.
• Free parking permit for EBRPD parks (for up to 2 privately owned vehicles)
• Employee discounts for certain EBRPD park amenities (reservations, daily fishing permit, public boat launch).
THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Park District is currently recruiting for Naturalist to fill three vacancies at Coyote Hills Visitor Center in Fremont, CA and Black Diamond Center in Antioch, CA. The hiring pools established from this recruitment will be used to fill the current vacancies and additional vacancies that may occur during the one-year life of the hiring pools.
WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING:
Under general supervision, to represents the East Bay Regional Park District (District), provides public education, resource protection and research; develops and conducts interpretive programs for school/other groups and the general public in the fields of environmental education, natural and cultural history and resource protection. Naturalists are assigned to any of the geographic interpretive sectors or Mobile Education.
IDEAL CANDIDATE:
• Ability to independently and collaboratively develop and lead interpretive programs for a diverse public and school groups on a daily basis;
• Enjoys working as part of a dynamic and collaborative interpretive team;
• Experience using creativity to meet team goals;
• Knowledge of interpretive, and educational principles;
• A skilled heritage interpreter, who is looking to create new programs to best serve the public, while learning about the East Bay Regional Park District.
Essential Functions
• Creates, plans, and conducts District programs on natural and cultural history.
• Coordinates, or assists the Supervising Naturalist in coordinating, District special commemorative days and events.
• Prepares written material in connection with the above duties, such as, interpretive booklets, brochures, exhibit texts, social media, etc.
• Utilizes current technologies to prepare and develop programs, audio visual exhibits, and interpretive materials in connection with the above duties.
• May organize youth or other groups for related purposes.
• Programming and exhibits may include the use and care of animals.
• Through research and field studies, develops and maintains expertise in cultural and natural history resources.
• Collects, identifies, and prepares collection materials, such as flora, fauna, rock specimens, natural and cultural historical resources and artifacts associated with above duties.
• Ensures the safety of program participants and staff.
OTHER FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES:
• Assists in the training/development of peers and entry level Interpretive and Recreation Services staff, which may include Interpretive Students Aides, Naturalist Aides, volunteers, and other District staff as assigned.
• Ensures organizational and professional appearance of the Visitor Center.
• Performs administrative tasks, and related duties as assigned.
• Attends various conferences, workshops and training programs.
• May provide direction to Interpretive Student Aides, Naturalist Aides, volunteers, and/or other staff as appropriate.
• May act for Supervising Naturalist, as necessary.
Minimum Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university, with major work in interpretation/ environmental education, natural science, cultural history, or other suitably related field; and
Experience: Two years of recent field experience in comprehensive interpretive work. (A Master's Degree in a related field may be substituted for one year of the required experience.)
Substitution: One year experience in the East Bay Regional Park District classification of Naturalist Aide, with a performance evaluation of no less than Standard overall.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of:
• The principles, methods, and techniques of interpretation; knowledge of the natural and cultural history of the District's interpretive sectors.
• Proficiency interpreting basic ecology, biology, geology, current resource education and stewardship practices. Readily and consistently exercise critical thinking, review, and scientific method,
• Ability to convey such knowledge to the public by means of diverse interpretive programming and program promotion.
• Has excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to:
• Exercise sound judgment, organizational, time management, and administrative skills;
• Effectively use various social media and meeting platforms to achieve interpretive goals, including virtual programming;
• Conduct research and critically review and assess information and techniques to ensure accurate and effective communication and interpretation;
• Convey knowledge to the public through informal/formal interpretive techniques and a variety of programming;
• Effectively present and interpret information to diverse populations;
• Handle and care for animals in various environments;
• Positively and effectively provide/accept feedback, coaching, appraisal, evaluation, mentoring and leadership to/from other staff;
• Operate office equipment including computers and supporting software (e.g., word processing, spreadsheet, presentation {PowerPoint}, database, virtual meeting, and project management applications);
• Provide the highest quality customer service to internal/external customers, park users and the public;
• Establish and maintain positive cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work at all levels, including a culturally diverse general public, with a focus on quality service to internal staff and external customers and park users.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
• All East Bay Park Regional District employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
• Must pass a level 1 Background Check.
• Naturalists are required to wear a District uniform.
• May be required to work unusual hours (including overnight programs), weekends, and holidays; and may be required to work in a variety of work environments.
• A valid California driver's license is a condition of initial and continued employment in this classification.
• All East Bay Park Regional District employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
• This position is designated as a Mandated Reporter under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA). Mandated reporters are individuals who are obligated by law to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. As such, you will be required to sign an acknowledgment of having received the District's policy and your responsibilities.
Additional Information
UNION AFFILIATION:AFSCME: East Bay Regional Parks Employees, Local 2428, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, represents this classification. Wages, hours, and other terms of conditions of employment are covered in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Park District and Local 2428. The probationary period for this classification is nine (9) months.
SALARY RANGE (AFSCME ONLY): The starting pay for this position will be at Step A of the salary range.
Application materials for these positions consist of two (2) required parts:
• A current East Bay Regional Park District application submitted online, and
• Completed supplemental questions
Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least one (1) hour to submit your application if you are a new user to the system. If you have previously applied to a position on GovernmentJobs.com, please allow time to update your existing profile.
Applications are accepted online only. Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you encounter problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov Help Desk toll-free at (855) 524-5627.
Notification: All applicants will be notified of the status of their application via email, generally within two to three weeks after the closing date. You may also sign into your GovernmentJobs.com account to view your current application status and notifications.
Selection Process: The application materials for all applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed by a screening panel to select the best qualified for testing or oral examination/interview. The District reserves the right to set up a written test, performance test, and/or other assessment procedures before or after the interview process. Possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee an interview or invitation to test. Pursuant to the Federal Immigration and Reform Act of 1986, all applicants who are hired will be required to provide proof of identity and appropriate work authorization documents prior to commencement of employment.
Special Testing Arrangements: If you require special arrangements due to a verified disability or medical condition, please contact the Human Resources Department at (510) 544-2154 at least five business days before the test.
Tentative Date of Onsite Examinations:
Supplemental Questions Screening
Skills Testing: May 2-3
Oral Panel Interviews: May 30th
Equal Opportunity Employer:
The East Bay Regional Park District is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects a diverse workforce and community. It is committed to promoting an equitable and inclusive workspace that is welcoming to all. Applicants from all backgrounds and life experiences are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.
To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/5070802
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