Individual Placement - Public Engagement Coordinator

Student Conservation Association • Poughkeepsie, NY

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Public Engagement Coordinator will serve on the River Cities Team and promote civic engagement in urban conservation through participatory design and planning, public-space activation, urban agriculture, and community science. The coordinator will support River Cities projects, working with regional partners, community organizations, coalitions, and the public. The position is hosted by Scenic Hudson, Inc. and is based in Poughkeepsie, New York, with a hybrid schedule requiring at least two days per week in the Poughkeepsie office. A personal vehicle is required for travel throughout the Hudson Valley.

The appointment runs from January 25, 2027, through November 19, 2027. Members are expected to serve approximately 40 hours per week for 10 months and complete 1,700 AmeriCorps hours. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; earlier mornings, later evenings, and occasional evening and weekend work are planned in advance. The posting also describes an average of two weekends per month.

The role involves frequent interaction with the public and may include work in both urban and front-country settings. In urban settings, emergency services, public transportation, and cell reception are readily accessible. In front-country settings, emergency services may be delayed by one to two hours, public transportation may be limited or unavailable, and cell reception may be spotty or unavailable. Members submit timekeeping and output reports and participate in required SCA and AmeriCorps training, service projects, evaluation, and reporting.

Requirements

• Meet AmeriCorps eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or national; be at least 18 years old; and have a high school diploma or equivalent, or be actively working to complete one.
• Be willing to undergo a National Service Criminal History Check, including criminal background, sex offender, and FBI checks after an offer is made.
• Have a college degree in environmental studies, urban studies, urban planning, education, environmental science, or a related field; equivalent knowledge and experience acquired through professional experience are accepted.
• Have a desire to engage youth and community members in community science and civic engagement projects.
• Be comfortable working in urban and rural environments.
• Enjoy working with multigenerational audiences.
• Be comfortable interacting with the public in structured and unstructured settings.
• Be well-organized, detail-oriented, possess strong interpersonal communication skills, and support Scenic Hudson’s mission.
• Be familiar with Microsoft Word and Excel and Google Suite.
• Have access to reliable transportation; driving a motor vehicle is required, and a personal vehicle is needed for travel throughout the Hudson Valley.
• Serve approximately 40 hours per week and meet the 1,700-hour AmeriCorps service requirement.

Responsibilities

• Work with regional partners to activate public parks and open spaces through programming, event coordination, and strategic partnerships that promote active use.
• Coordinate park stewardship programs with local partners, track park usage data, and synthesize and report program information.
• Engage the public, local organizations, and coalitions in advocating for public-led conservation in cities.
• Help coordinate and implement outreach strategies to promote public engagement in park planning, programming, and Community Science initiatives.
• Coordinate the bimonthly Northside Collaborative meeting, a local community development coalition in Poughkeepsie.
• Work with the Director of Urban Conservation to synthesize and analyze public engagement data.
• Coordinate public-engagement event logistics for River Cities Program projects with project partners and Scenic Hudson’s Northside Hub Coordinator.
• Assist with weekly farm stands, organize events with local partners, and lead outreach efforts at Pershing Community Farm in Poughkeepsie.
• Support Community Science initiatives by co-facilitating science-based public programming and events, including aquatic and terrestrial surveys (bioblitzes) in each city.
• Participate in required SCA Corps-wide training and service projects, project evaluation, and reporting.
• Submit timesheets weekly or biweekly through SCA’s ADP timekeeping system and submit weekly output reports, which include member narratives.

Benefits

• $500 weekly living allowance, subject to applicable taxes.
• $1,000 per month housing allowance for positions outside New York City; the member is responsible for securing housing within reasonable commuting distance of Poughkeepsie.
• Eligibility for free health insurance.
• Eligibility for childcare assistance through AmeriCorps.
• Eligibility for federal student loan forbearance and interest-payment deferment through AmeriCorps for qualifying loans.
• A $7,395 education award upon successful completion of the program.
• Training opportunities including AmeriCorps and SCA training, risk management, sexual harassment and drug abuse in the workplace training, Mental Health First Aid, Wilderness First Aid and CPR, environmental education, environmental leadership, outdoor educator conferences and events, Hudson River ecology, Leave No Trace Level 1, and professional development and job readiness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level