Salary
Depends on Qualifications
Location
Multiple Locations, OR
Job Type
Regular
Bureau
Portland Parks & Recreation
Job Number
TP2021-Parks Botanic Spec
Apply Here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/portlandor/jobs/3014939/botanic-specialist-talent-pool
Closing
3/28/2021 11:59 PM Pacific
The Position
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Why submit interest through a talent pool? Once a vacancy is available, and a job is scheduled to be posted, you will be notified to check our website and apply.

About these positions:

There are several Botanic Specialist positions that will be opening in March or April 2021 that work in different Parks programs.  Each position is listed separately below.

Botanic Specialist I – Community Gardens:

The Botanic Specialist I – Community Gardens works in Portland Parks & Recreation’s Community Gardens Program which operates a growing program with 57 community gardens across the city serving over 2600 gardeners who speak more than 26 languages. As a program and individuals, we are committed to the overall Citywide vision that race will have no detrimental effect on people of color, Indigenous Peoples, refugee and immigrant communities in accessing our community gardens, or from the benefit of our services. Diversity and equity are vital to our ideals and values. We are working to fight anti-blackness, racism, and decolonize our program and hope to fill this role with someone who shares these values and vision.
About the work: The Botanic Specialist I – Community Gardens is responsible for volunteer coordination and development, education and support for community garden best practices, policy education and accountability, and outreach. This position requires both office and field work, garden site visits, and meetings and events online and in person across Portland.

As a Botanic Specialist I – Community Gardens you will:

  • Work within a white dominant culture while working to transition to an anti-racist culture
  • Coordinate and co-develop a garden leadership program that centers diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Recruit, train, and support volunteer garden and community leaders
  • Build relationships between staff and gardeners to foster trust, support community engagement, and address both community and gardener needs
  • Work collaboratively with garden communities to provide education and resources to increase understanding of program expectations and codes of conduct
  • Monitor garden plots, educate gardeners about program policies and lead process for gardener accountability
  • Have hard conversations with individuals who may become emotional and/or hostile
  • Develop and implement outreach plans to fill vacant garden plots with people from historically underserved communities including Black Communities, Indigenous Peoples, people of color, people with limited incomes, immigrants, and refugees
Botanic Specialist I – Natural Resources Youth & Community:
This Community Stewardship Coordinator position supports Portland Parks & Recreation’s City Nature East Natural Areas unit by developing and implementing culturally inclusive environmental education and community stewardship programming in PP&R natural areas, parks, and trails. This position will engage and partner closely with a wide variety of community-led/nonprofit organizations, school groups, Friends groups, the general public, etc. to provide high-quality volunteer experiences while also advancing the work of City Nature East to improve overall ecological health of Natural Areas on the East side of Portland.
About the Work: The Botanic Specialist I-Youth and Natural Resources Youth & Community Stewardship is responsible for volunteer coordination and development, environmental education programming, and for developing and maintaining a broad variety of community partnerships. This position requires both office and field work, natural area site visits, and meetings and events online and in person across the Eastside of Portland.

 
As a Botanic Specialist I- Natural Resources Youth & Community you will:

  • Use Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles and practices, as well as an equity lens, to develop and bring culturally appropriate programming to under-served communities on Portland’s Eastside, focusing on Black, Indigenous and other communities of color or immigrant and refugee communities who have been under-represented in land management careers and volunteerism.
  • Partner with and outreach to community-based organizations and other partners to increase access to nature and nature-based experiences for Portlanders of all ages and backgrounds.
  • In conjunction with other City Nature East staff, plan and lead habitat restoration stewardship events and projects including installing native plants; removal of invasive plants; basic trail work; trash clean-ups; and other habitat enhancement projects.
  • Develop and lead environmental education programming for school groups, community-based organizations, and other youth programs including PP&R internal programs such as the Youth Conservation Crew.
  • Answer questions and concerns from the public providing strong customer service and a solutions-oriented approach
Botanic Specialist II—Environmental Education Specialty (Environmental Educator)
Portland Parks & Recreation Environmental Education program offers nature programs in our city’s parks and natural areas, all year long to connect Portlanders to nature.  Programs include summer nature camps, youth classes, school field trips, guided nature walks, youth employment programs, volunteer stewardship and special events that focus on connection to nature.  The voter-approved PP&R Levy clearly stated that PP&R would expand access to nature. We are hiring two additional Botanic Specialist II- Environmental Education staff members to help meet this goal.
About the Work:  These two positions will get youth out into nature and will provide natural resource work experiences for young adults. New staff will plan, organize, coordinate, lead, and evaluate nature education programs. One position will focus primarily on nature camp and classes for youth.   The other will focus primarily on programs for middle school students.  These positions will introduce youth to nature, help provide racial and cultural diversity to the natural resources field and build an ethic of stewardship in our region.

 
As a Botanic Specialist II- Environmental Education you will:

  • Plan, organize, coordinate, lead, and evaluate outdoor nature education programs year-round for all ages
  • Create effective, hands-on lesson plans for youth and adult environmental education programs, aligned with state/local standards
  • Build ties to diverse community-based organizations and other partners to increase access to nature for Portlanders of all ages and backgrounds
  • Recruit, train, evaluate and lead the daily work of youth and adult seasonal staff and volunteers; could lead up to 50 staff members at any one time.
  • Plan and lead habitat restoration stewardship events and projects for middle school youth, including planting native plants, removing invasive plants, basic trail work, trash clean-ups, and other projects
  • Run all logistics associated with Summer Nature Day camp, providing summer nature-based activities to nearly 1,000 campers ages 5-12 in multiple natural areas across Portland; includes emergency plans, standard operating procedures, staff training and registration
  • Make presentations to large and small groups about environmental stewardship, natural areas management and associated career opportunities
About the Bureau:
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is committed to the overall Citywide vision that race will have no detrimental effect on people of color, refugee and immigrant communities in accessing our parks and natural areas, or from the benefit of our services. Diversity and equity are vital to PP&R’s ideals and values. The City of Portland, Oregon is a growing and diverse city of 650,000 residents, nearly 20% of whom speak languages other than English at home. PP&R values a diverse workforce and seeks ways to promote equity and inclusion within the organization and with the public. PP&R encourages applications from candidates with knowledge, ability and experience working with a broad range of individuals and communities with diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Although not required, PP&R encourages candidates that can fluently speak another language to include that information in their application materials. Multilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

City of Portland Core Values:
Anti-racism | Communication | Collaboration | Equity | Transparency | Fiscal Responsibility

These values guide our actions as we serve the community and engage our workforce. To learn more about the City’s core values, please click here.

Why work at the City of Portland?
The City of Portland workforce serves a population of over 650,000. We are culture- and solutions-driven, viewing every challenge as an opportunity to learn, improve, and share our expertise. We are committed to removing systemic barriers to resources, access, and opportunity. The City is a believer in all people and continues to actively recruit and retain diverse top talent every day. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, basic life, short- and long-term disability coverage to eligible employees and their families. If you are open-minded, motivated, community-focused, and self-aware, please apply yourself at the City of Portland today.

The City of Portland also participates in the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS). For more information on the City of Portland’s benefits please click here.

Work Location
Currently, many positions with the City of Portland are being performed remotely due to COVID-19.  In the future, current positions classified as “full-time remote” could: 1) remain full-time remote, 2) become a remote/onsite mix, 3) revert to full-time at a city work location. As the situation evolves, the exact work location of the position in this recruitment may change based upon leadership direction and approval.

To Qualify
Minimum qualifications will depend on the position you are interested in. The minimum qualifications will be listed on the announcement once the recruitment for the position is open.

The following links will take you to the class specifications (Job Descriptions) for the positions. 

Botanic Specialist I: https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/botanic-spec-i.pdf (Download PDF reader).  Scroll through the document to view the specialties for Community Gardens and Natural Resources Youth and Community.

Botanic Specialist II: https://www.portland.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/botanic-spec-ii.pdf (Download PDF reader). Scroll through the document to view the specialty for Environmental Education Specialty (Environmental Educator).
The Recruitment Process

The talent pool announcement is NOT an application and is being used to gather interest for future Parks Botanic Specialist postings. Please note: We will be only collecting your contact information; therefore a resume is NOT required at this time, do not attach one as it will not be reviewed.

When a recruitment is posted, you will be notified via email. Once notified, you will be required to submit an application online via our job board. It is not a requirement to submit interest to the talent pool to be considered for future Parks Botanic Specialist recruitments.

Additional Information

Work Status: Non-citizen applicants must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of application.

Veterans’ Preference: If you are requesting Veterans’ Preference, you will attach a copy of your DD214/DD215 and/or Veterans Administration letter stating your disability to your profile, as well as checking the box identifying yourself as a Veteran. You must request Veterans’ Preference AND include a copy of your documentation for each recruitment to which you apply.

ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations: If you identify as a person with a disability, are pregnant or nursing, or observe a religious practice(s), and would like to request a reasonable accommodation when applying for this job, please contact the Recruiter below for assistance.

Equal Employment Opportunity: It is the policy of the City of Portland that no person shall be discriminated against based on race, religion, color, sex, marital status, family status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or source of income. The City values diversity and encourages everyone who is interested in employment with the City to apply.

Did you know? The City of Portland offers How to Apply Classes that are free and review best practices for applying to the City.? Follow the link for the most recent list of scheduled dates: www.bit.ly/howtoapplyclass

Contact Information:

Tamara Larison

Senior Recruiter