RECRUITING NOW for 11-month positions starting September 10th, 2019
ï‚· Serve the communities of Silicon Valley for a year
ï‚· Full-time commitment: 40 hours per week (7:30 AM – 4:00 PM Tues. - Sat., shifts may vary 7AM to
5PM)
ï‚· 11-month term start date is September 10th (subject to change); receive a $17,000 living
stipend and $6,095.00 education award (awarded upon completion of term).
ABOUT OUR CITY FOREST: Our City Forest has been the leading urban forestry non-profit in the San José
area since 1994. Our mission is to cultivate a green and healthy Silicon Valley by engaging community
members in the appreciation, protection, growth and maintenance of our urban ecosystem, especially our urban
forest.
POSITION SUMMARY for 11-month term
Our City Forest (OCF) Service Team Members are sponsored in part by the National Service organization,
AmeriCorps, and are expected to commit to 1700 hrs. of service. Team Members will have 2 weeks of all-team
training beginning on September 10th. Each Team Member will be assigned to a primary team by the 3rd week,
but will support other teams when needed throughout the year. The teams are: Community Forestry (comprised
of Planting, Tree Care, Lawn Busters), or Community Nursery
All members will:
ï‚· be trained on the best practices of maintaining a green and healthy urban forest in the Silicon Valley,
ï‚· strive to build capacity in the community and maximize volunteer participation in their individual
programs, acting as coaches and coordinators,
ï‚· conduct outreach to residents and businesses to educate on best urban forestry practices and the
importance of environmental stewardship,
ï‚· provide friendly, professional customer service,
ï‚· actively seek opportunities for greening projects,
ï‚· organize and implement projects.
JOB DESCRIPTIONS PER TEAM
Proportion of field-to-office work varies with program and team assignment. Each team will have anywhere
between 5-10 members and different roles will be assigned depending on interests, skills and the team’s needs
as decided by the team manager.
Nursery Team responsibilities and tasks (75-95% field, 5-25% office; approx. 10 members)
ï‚· Propagate and cultivate shrubs, grasses, and trees
ï‚· Transplant various sizes of trees, shrubs and grasses
ï‚· Learn and execute best watering techniques for the nursery plants
ï‚· Learn and execute best pruning and care techniques for young trees and shrubs in containers
ï‚· Remove invasive species and execute best nursery care practices assigned by Nursery Manager
ï‚· Plan weekly work day projects and lead volunteer groups 3 days a week
ï‚· Provide friendly customer service to community visitors during weekly open hours, answering questions
about trees and shrubs
ï‚· Maintain tree and shrub inventory system
ï‚· Recruit, train, and correspond with volunteers of all ages and abilities
ï‚· Database volunteer hours and events
ï‚· Assist team with special community events
ï‚· Organize free community workshops throughout the year
Community Forestry Team responsibilities and tasks (50-85% field, 15-50% office; approx. 25 members
divided into sub-teams)
ï‚· Participate in field work necessary for project preparation, and project day execution for the following
sub-teams:
o Planting: Work outside with team and volunteers at least once a week planting trees in
neighborhoods, schools and parks
o Tree Care: Work outside watering and maintaining newly planted trees
o Lawn Busters: Work outside with team on lawn conversion projects, which include trenching,
sheet mulching, irrigation and plant installation
o Intake: 50% in the office, 50% in the field; predominantly customer service oriented
position; organize planting projects, call and email qualified residents, go on site visits, work
with city permit office, some landscape design for lawn conversion projects
ï‚· Educate residents on best water-wise landscaping and planting practices
ï‚· Correspond and schedule appointments with community members about their planting; plan logistics
and enter data for each tree planting project
ï‚· Assist residents with tree planting and maintenance needs; provide excellent and professional customer
service to accommodate their requests
ï‚· Conduct classroom and/or community presentations and/or represent Our City Forest at various events
ï‚· Conduct grassroots community outreach and organizing such as neighborhood door-knocking and
calling schools and churches to advertise services
ï‚· Recruit, train, and correspond with volunteers of all ages and abilities
ï‚· Database volunteer hours and events
Communications & Outreach Team responsibilities and tasks (15-25% field, 75-85% office; approx. 5
members)
ï‚· Oversee volunteer program and support each team’s volunteer coordinator
ï‚· Create and maintain relationships with dedicated volunteers called Tree Amigos
ï‚· Recruit new Tree Amigos and work with Volunteer Program Manager to prepare educational training
courses throughout the year.
ï‚· Sign up, manage tracker, and attend community outreach events; represent Our City Forest at various
community outreach events and educate the public on OCF’s mission
ï‚· Oversee outreach materials stocks and needs
ï‚· Design flyers and brochures depending on program needs
ï‚· Assist with the management of the Our City Forest website
ï‚· Strategize and execute outreach techniques for promoting events, recruiting volunteers, and increasing
community interest in our programs/services (i.e. through flyering, social media, newsletters, and/or
community meetings)
ï‚· Complete office tasks such as phone and email correspondence with volunteers and community partners,
scheduling appointments or events, and planning logistics
ï‚· Conduct classroom and community presentations, educating on urban forestry and services Our City
Forest provides
ï‚· Plan, implement and assist teams in various projects depending on each program’s needs
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
ï‚· U.S. Citizen or legal resident, with a high school diploma or equivalent, minimum age: 18
ï‚· Interest in affecting change through community organizing
ï‚· Ability to work well with diverse groups of people
ï‚· Must be available to work full time, 7:30am - 4pm, Tuesday - Saturday (shifts may start earlier,
depending on team’s needs)
ï‚· Must be able to commit through end of service term
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
ï‚· Strong written & oral communication skills
ï‚· College degree is highly desirable
ï‚· Local, Bay Area residents are preferred but all are welcome to apply (Note: we do not provide housing)
ï‚· Valid driver’s license. Proficient in driving manual transmission and towing small trailers.
ï‚· Current Commercial driver’s license (to drive Tree Mobile for community events)
ï‚· Bilingual in English and Spanish, Vietnamese, or other language
ï‚· Familiar with ornamental and native tree and shrub species identification
ï‚· Knowledge or experience working with irrigation
ï‚· Experience with landscape design and/or landscaping
ï‚· FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe CS, Sketch Up software knowledge
ï‚· Graphic design, app development, programming, or website maintenance experience
americorps@ourcityforest.org