AmeriCorps Member

~ CivicSpark, a new Governor's Initiative AmeriCorps program, is dedicated to supporting California's response to climate change by working with local governments to implement climate change projects. ~

AmeriCorps Members will be instrumental in building capacity for these local governments, enabling them to achieve goals and advance their climate action programs. 

• Are you ready to make a difference?
• Are you ready to launch your environmental career?
• It's not too late to join CivicSpark!  

Position Overview

Our orientation has started, but we still have a few openings.

Spaces are still available in San Diego, the Central valley, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Sierra Nevada.

CivicSpark is still hiring for a few openings in some of our regions around California. If you are looking for a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience working on climate change projects with local governments in California, this could be a great chance for you.

Role and Responsibilities

CivicSpark Members will be instrumental in building capacity for their local governments, enabling them to achieve goals and advance their climate action programs and California’s response to climate change. 

Members will work in teams. Each team will have a ½ time senior project manager providing oversight and guidance on project scope and activities. Members will spend 1700 hours over 11 months working full time with their regional team.

Members will work on multiple projects during the service year, giving Members an opportunity to gain hands on experience in climate change response, while learning technical skills and building a strong network of sustainability professionals.

On a day-to-day level, CivicSpark Members will work on a range of tasks from data collection and analysis, to meeting facilitation, to community outreach, to report writing, and presentation of results.

Members will work on multiple projects during the service year, offering them an opportunity to gain diverse experience. All Members should leave the service year with an understanding of work within local governments, experience working with key climate change mitigation and adaptation tools, ability to analyze data, and ability to work successfully in a team office environment. 

Examples of project activities include: 

• Energy Efficiency -- benchmarking local building energy use, creating an outreach plan for lowering local business energy use, identifying solar ready sites, engaging local governments in a bulk solar purchasing program.
• Climate change -- research anticipated local health impacts on climate change, localizing a Community Climate Action Plan template, tracking metrics to monitor and evaluate progress.
• Sustainable Communities -- creating a safe routes to school improvement plan, coordinating implementation of common sustainable community strategies in a region, analyzing ZEV infrastructure needs.  

Topically, CivicSpark members are likely to work on a range of areas related to climate change such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, or public health. However, because the program will be supporting a number of different local governments during the service year, members are unlikely to work exclusively on any one topic.

CivicSpark Members' service through AmeriCorps will provide this support to local governments through a 4-step "intervention." 

• Gap Assessments
• Service Projects
• Volunteer Engagement
• Transitioning Expertise  

Qualifications 

CivicSpark Members will have completed at least a 4-year degree and will have relevant experience in the sustainability field. An ideal candidate might have the following characteristics: 

• Degree in environmental related field and one year of relevant experience.
• Experience with California climate change policies and practices (mitigation and/or adaptation related).
• Experience with local government operations and structures, especially as they relate to climate protection.
• Good communications and teamwork skills, some experience with outreach preferred.
• Comfort with quantitative work, including data collection and analysis.
• Solid analytic or technical writing ability.
• Candidates must complete a DOJ, state, and NSOPR background check prior to service.  

Benefits 

AmeriCorps was created to address community need through service. AmeriCorps Members have the opportunity to make an impact in their community while gaining valuable career and life experience. In exchange for their service, each Member receives the following benefits: 

• $14,000 Living Allowance (before taxes), spread evenly over 11 months.)
• Segal Education Award of $5,645 at the completion of service.
• Forbearance on existing qualifying student loans and payment of interest accrued during service.
• Health Insurance.
• Childcare Assistance -- (to qualifying Members), paid to an eligible provider of your choice.
• Significant professional development training.
• Network development with regional and statewide contacts in the climate protection field. 

To Apply 

• Please click below: "Apply Here!" to complete an online application found on the CivicSpark website.
• The 2014-15 Service Year has started, but a few spaces are still available. 

~ This is an equal opportunity position and we prefer to place a candidate who already lives in the community being served. ~