Community Volunteer Ambassador - San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Position Details: 

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 a diverse group of emerging leaders to assist park units in building lasting connections to communities. 

The Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a dynamic opportunity to have a pivotal role in fostering community engagement and interpreting and preserving maritime heritage. As a CVA, they will serve as a liaison between the park and the local community, sharing the rich maritime history with visitors and residents alike. This role offers a unique opportunity to connect with the park's mission, enrich the visitor experience, and play a key role in conserving San Francisco's maritime legacy. Responsibilities will include supporting the park’s volunteer program and work with other staff and interns to support a diversity of projects. 

Site Description: 

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, established in 1988, uses a fleet of National Historic Landmark (NHL) vessels, over 100 historic small craft, a six million item museum collection, a maritime museum, a visitor center, and a public research center to preserve and interpret the history and achievements of seafaring Americans, and of the Nation's maritime heritage, especially on the Pacific Coast. Visitors can board turn-of-the-century ships, tour the museum and learn traditional arts -- like boatbuilding and woodworking. The 50-acre park, located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco offers educational, music and craft programs for all ages, and provides unique opportunities for docents, interns and volunteers to learn more about the nation's rich maritime heritage. 

About the park’s volunteer program: Volunteers help to present the natural and cultural resources of the nation's only 'floating' national park to a diverse visitor population and to preserve these unique resources for future generations. Existing and new volunteers are encouraged to get involved in the variety of programs offered including but not limited to: Ships Maintenance, Exhibit Construction, Interpretation & Education, Museum Management, Landscape Maintenance, Graphic Arts, Steam Engineering, Sailing, Music, and Library and Archival Collections. 

Position Responsibilities: 

• Work closely with their supervisor and other park staff to plan, develop, recruit, and train a team of long-term volunteers to help supervise and direct episodic volunteer work days. 
• Assist in supporting program development, recruitment, communications and public relations of the park’s various volunteer programs. 
• Support in increasing the diversity of the park’s volunteer base by collaborating with park and cooperating association staff to identify, plan, recruit for and conduct volunteer opportunities to reach youth and underrepresented populations in the Bay Area. In doing so, the CVA intern will be routinely engaging youth, and potentially seniors and people with disabilities, on a recurring basis. 
• Support in assisting visitor services, participating in education and outreach programs, and contributing to the overall preservation of historic ships and exhibits. 

CVA Minimum Requirements: 

• Values collaboration and performs well within a team. 
• Communicates openly, honestly, and often to maintain trust and transparency.  
• Performs independently, is self-motivated, takes initiative with an understanding of the bigger picture and broader goals, and is willing to ask for help or clarification when needed. 
• Is highly service-minded and empathetic of those they serve (volunteers, park and cooperating association staff, public). 
• Participate in the CVA National Early Service Training in late March/early April 2024 (date TBD) 
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident  
• Be 18-30 years old at time of service (veterans up to 35 years old) 
• High School Diploma/GED  
• Pass fingerprint-based FBI, state criminal, and a national sex offender checks.   
• Be able to provide proof of a driver’s license and complete a MVR check 
• Must be over 21 years old or have had license for at least 3 years to be insured in this position. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Some experience in creating and leading teams to accomplish identified goals 
• 1 year of customer service experience (customers being either internal or external) 
• Some experience in event planning and coordination 
• Some experience in marketing and public relations 

Additional Information: 

The CVA opportunity at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will provide an unique and diverse, professional development experience. Collaborative projects across the multitude of disciplines at the park will connect and expose the CVA to different career opportunities in conservation, historic preservation, stewardship, and leadership while being part of a diverse and active urban waterfront setting of San Francisco and the greater SF Bay Area! The position will present opportunities to collaborate with our park partner and cooperating association, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Association as well as other nearby park units including East Bay Parks such as Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Point Reyes National Seashore. The position will also have the unique opportunity to be part of planning and development efforts as it relates to the park's Legacy Restoration Fund projects through the Great American Outdoors Act. 

Benefits: 

• CVA will receive a weekly stipend of $600  
• $150/week in housing allowance, if housing is not provided by the site.  
• Limited health care/childcare benefits 
• The position is eligible for an AmeriCorps Education Award $6,895.00 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of the program 
• $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. 

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, January 22nd, 2024, and run for 48 weeks until Friday, December 20th, 2024. Applicants will need to apply here: https://form.jotform.com/StewardsIPP/cva-member-application-winter-2024. 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 diverse populations, and position details for this park/position. You may submit one application for multiple positions by selecting all sites you are interested in. 

Applications Deadline 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. First review will occur in early November. Final deadline is Sunday, December 10th, 2023. 

For Application Questions: 

Please contact Geoff Elliot, Program Director at gelliot@conservationlegacy.org 

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, 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 a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.