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Each year, hundreds of volunteers across multiple programs dedicate their time and effort in support of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s mission. With increasing demand and heightened awareness of the value of volunteers, organizations rely on professional staff to manage this great resource of people.  Are you skilled in trail maintenance and repair, and small construction projects with a knack for identifying trail concerns and other needs in the field? Do you have the technical, interpersonal, and organizational skills required for volunteer coordination? Do you have a passion for seeking out new audiences to connect to the importance of trail systems and land stewardship?  We invite you to apply for the position of Volunteer Program Lead of trails and infrastructure.

 

About Midpen:  Midpen helps plants, animals and people thrive throughout the greater Santa Cruz Mountains region by preserving a greenbelt of more than 70,000 acres of public open space with more than 250 miles of trails in 27 extraordinary preserves, permanently protected for natural resource conservation and ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education.  Midpen is a public agency with a focused mission that guides our work, and where every employee makes an impact.  If you are looking for an outstanding opportunity to contribute to the legacy of open space protection, natural resource restoration and outdoor recreation, working with an incredible team of like-minded colleagues, we invite you to apply for this position! Check out the Working for Midpen video on our Employment Opportunities page.

 

About the Position: The Volunteer Program Lead is the face of Midpen to volunteers working in various resource, trail, and land management roles in the preserves as well as being a representative to community organizations and partners.  This position motivates, energizes, and appreciates volunteers and ensures projects provide a safe and meaningful experience that support established agency needs. This is an excellent opportunity for a creative leader committed to strategizing and enhancing a strong volunteer program.

 

Responsibilities include working with maintenance, natural resource and volunteer management staff to coordinate all aspects of a successful volunteer program where trail maintenance and repair is the focus along with fostering joint partner efforts and relationships, and facilitating scout and other special projects. For additional information about the Volunteer Program Lead position, see the Job Description page on our website. 

 

A Few Reasons Why You May Love This Job

• Collaborative work that directly supports Midpen’s mission to protect and restore the natural environment by helping to maintain a rich network of trails.
• You’ll be part of a talented and dynamic team whose work contributes to providing nature’s benefits to everyone
• Excellent employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, tuition reimbursement, and a retirement pension through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)

Work Environment/Working Conditions:

Under the supervision of the Volunteer Program Manager in the Visitor Services Department, this position will primarily report out of a designated Midpen field office (Cupertino and/or La Honda), which will include volunteer projects and administrative tasks. This position also works from home approximately one day per week (as approved) and occasionally at the Administration office in Los Altos.  Volunteer initiatives directed by this role may take place across various preserves requiring regular travel to and from the locations.  The Volunteer Program Lead’s schedule requires working at least one weekend day as part of the regular work week schedule, with an option to be on a 9/80 schedule after an initial training period plus occasional evenings and holidays.

 

The Volunteer Program Lead is a fairly independent position that supports the work of one or more departments within the agency, requiring solo work in the field, frequent site visits, and hiking steep terrain in wildland areas with poison oak and wildlife. Field work will also require driving a District truck in remote areas on unimproved dirt roads in inclement weather conditions. Work in the field may also include exposure to loud noise levels, road hazards, vibration, confining workspace, chemicals, mechanical and/or electrical hazards, hazardous physical substances and fumes.

 

Ideal candidates will be comfortable working in these types of field conditions, as well as in an office environment including some full days of program administrative tasks using various software programs and applications on a computer, phone, or tablet.

Additionally, candidates should be familiar with the principles and practices of trail building, construction, repair, and maintenance, including site planning and resource protection as well as the tools and equipment required for maintaining and repairing open spaces and related facilities.

 

This position wears a prescribed District uniform and adheres to strict safety procedures and work habits. Depending on the exposure, employees may be required to wear head, hearing, eye, foot, face, hand, or other protection equipment.

 

Midpen reserves the right to limit or deny off-duty employment or business ownership which creates a conflict of interest or an incompatibility with District employment. Additional information can be found in the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual Section 4.13 Off-Duty Employment and Business Ownership.  

 

Education & Experience: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

 

Equivalent to an Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in natural resource management, biology, ecology, natural lands or park management, or a related field combined with two (2) years of relevant experience working with the public and coordinating volunteer activities.

 

Additionally, one (1) year of experience in one of the following areas (which can overlap with the above experience):

• One (1) year of experience in evaluating, surveying, or monitoring of natural resource systems, OR
• One (1) year of experience in trail construction, maintenance, and/or repair of parks, open spaces, and/or related facilities.  
• Bilingual skills are highly desirable.

Licenses & Certifications Required:  

• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, Basic First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification within six (6) months of employment.

Benefits:  Midpen provides an excellent benefits package including health, life & disability insurance as well as CalPERS pension. Please see the Benefits page of the District website for details.

 

How to Apply: apply online at CalOpps.org

(To avoid missing email communication about this recruitment, consider adding mpropenspace@calopps.org to your contacts or list of safe senders.)

 

Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Applicants with the most relevant experience and qualifications suitable for the position will be contacted for an interview.

 

The following application items are required to be considered*:

1. Fully completed CalOpps employment application 

2. Cover letter 

3. Resume 

4. Supplemental question responses

*Incomplete CalOpps employment applications, or applications without the required application items listed here, will not be considered for the position.

 

Interview Schedule (we are unable to accommodate individual schedules):

First Interview (Virtual): Thursday, October 17th

Written Exercise (Virtual):   Monday, October 21, 2024

Second Interview (In-Person): Wednesday, October 23, 2024

 

A note to applicants who currently live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area: before committing to the application process, and if you haven’t done so already, we suggest evaluating the feasibility of relocation. We recommend

researching the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, the cost to relocate, and typical commute times to Los Altos from outlying areas.

 

At Midpen, we believe open space is for all. Our public lands are shared spaces provided for the community by the community. All people, regardless of background, deserve respect, dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging. Midpen welcomes all people to enjoy the public open space preserves we hold in trust, supporting the mental, physical, and social well-being of our region.  

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation

by contacting the Human Resources department at (650) 691-1200

Put your passion for Open Space to work!

 

 

If you enjoy working hard in a beautiful outdoor environment with a group of like-minded people, we invite you to apply for the position of Open Space Technician at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen). Enjoy the outdoors while building and maintaining trails, working on construction projects, and assisting with resource management projects.  Open Space Technicians also have frequent contact with the public and provide visitor information as necessary. 

About Midpen: Midpen helps plants, animals and people thrive throughout the greater Santa Cruz Mountains region by preserving a greenbelt of more than 70,000 acres of public open space with 250 miles of trails in 27 extraordinary preserves, permanently protected for natural resource conservation and ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education. Midpen is a public agency with a focused mission that guides our work, and where every employee makes an impact.  If you are looking for an outstanding opportunity to contribute to the legacy of open space protection, natural resource restoration and outdoor recreation, working with an incredible team of like-minded colleagues, we invite you to apply for this position!  Check out the Working for Midpen video on our Employment Opportunities page.

About the Position:  Midpen has multiple vacancies with a start date in January 2025. In addition to filling this position, we intend to create a pool of highly qualified candidates to fill future opportunities at Midpen for the position of Open Space Technician. The selected individual will perform a variety of semi-skilled and skilled work in the construction, modification, maintenance, restoration, and repair of District land and facilities including trail and road maintenance and construction; resource management tasks; facilities and structure construction and maintenance; operate and maintain a variety of mechanical and power tools and equipment; and oversee volunteers, seasonal workers, and/or other groups on assigned projects.  See Job Description for additional information. 

Assigned work location may be at any of these offices:

Coastal Area Outpost – La Honda (Address: 5710 La Honda Road, San Gregorio, CA  94074)

Foothills Field Office – Cupertino (Address: 501 Rancho San Antonio Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014)

Skyline Field Office – La Honda (Address: 21150 Skyline Blvd., La Honda, CA 94020)

South Area Office – Campbell (Address: 240 Cristich Lane, Campbell, CA 95008)

A Few Reasons Why You May Love This Job

• Collaborative work that directly supports Midpen’s mission to protect and restore the natural environment
• You’ll be part of a talented and dynamic team whose work contributes to providing nature’s benefits to everyone
• Excellent employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, tuition reimbursement, and a retirement pension through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
• ‘Joint Resource Workdays’ allow all district staff to get involved and work together on a variety of maintenance,  resource management, habitat restoration and capital improvement projects.

Working Conditions:

May be required to work evenings, weekends, and holidays. Must wear prescribed District uniform and adhere to strict safety procedures and work habits. Depending on the exposure, employee is required to wear head, hearing, eye, foot, face, hand, and full protection equipment. Employees work in the field and are exposed to loud noise levels, cold and hot temperatures, inclement weather conditions, road hazards, vibration, confining workspace, chemicals, mechanical and/or electrical hazards, hazardous physical substances and fumes, and poison oak.

Midpen reserves the right to limit or deny off-duty employment or business ownership which creates a conflict of interest or an incompatibility with District employment. Additional information can be found in the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual Section 4.13 Off-Duty Employment and Business Ownership. 

Education & Experience:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

High School Diploma (completion of the 12th grade) or G.E.D. supplemented by college-level coursework in park maintenance, resource management, or a related field and one (1) year of experience in construction, maintenance, and/or repair of parks, open spaces, and/or related facilities.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, Basic First Aid and CPR certification within six (6) months of employment.
• Depending on assignment, possession of, or ability to obtain, a District approved Fire Suppression Training certification within (12) months of assignment into the District’s fire program.

Benefits:
Midpen provides a competitive benefits package including health, life and disability insurance, CalPERS pension and paid leaves. Detailed information is available on the Benefits page of our website.

How to Apply: apply online at CalOpps.org.

(To avoid missing email communication regarding your status in this recruitment, add mpropenspace@calopps.org to your contacts or list of safe senders).

Application deadline is Sunday, October 13, 2024.  Applicants with the most relevant experience and qualifications suitable for the position will be contacted for an interview.

The following application items are required to be considered*:

1. Fully completed CalOpps employment application 

2. Cover letter 

3. Resume 

4. Supplemental question responses

*Incomplete CalOpps employment applications, or applications without the required application items listed here, will not be considered for the position.

Upon receipt of a conditional employment offer, candidate must provide a current DMV report (request report by submitting form INF 1125 to the DMV). Employment offers are conditional upon the results of a fingerprint background check and a pre-employment physical.

Recruitment Timeline: We recommend applicants be available for interviews on the following dates for panel interviews (we are unable to accommodate individual schedules):

First interview (virtual):  Tuesday, October 29, 2024 and Thursday, October 31, 2024

Skills Assessment (in-person): Thursday, November 7, 2024

Final interview (in-person):  Wednesday, November 20, 2024

A note to applicants who currently live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area: before committing to the application process, and if you haven’t done so already, we suggest evaluating the feasibility of relocation. We recommend researching the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, the cost to relocate, and typical commute times to Los Altos from outlying areas.

At Midpen, we believe open space is for all. Our public lands are shared spaces provided for the community by the community. All people, regardless of background, deserve respect, dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging. Midpen welcomes all people to enjoy the public open space preserves we hold in trust, supporting the mental, physical, and social well-being of our region.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation by contacting the Human Resources department at

(650) 691-1200 or via email at hr@openspace.org.   

Put your passion for Open Space to work!

The Park Assistant III (Class: 180) will perform a variety of skilled park maintenance work. Specific tasks vary with location and include regular maintenance of picnic grounds, restrooms, and developed areas, trash removal, trail maintenance, plant care including mowing and brush removal, irrigation repair, fence repairs, assembly and installation of site furnishings and signs, and delivery of materials and equipment to job sites.

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This is skills-based physical labor work, in all weather conditions, for a person at an entry level or intermediate level. The work performed will support MRCA’s operation of nature parks within greater Los Angeles and other MRCA efforts related to public access, open space conservation, habitat restoration, and urban park development.

Park Assistant III positions exist in the Routes, Construction and Developed Resources Divisions and specific duties may include but are not limited to:

Duties for the Developed Resources division also include repairs to utility infrastructure, building repairs, and skilled gardening, and assistance during special events.

Duties for the Construction division also include building renovation (carpentry, electrical, plumbing), utility infrastructure repairs, and new construction of park amenities and irrigation systems.

Supervision

Depending on the division, the position may report to an Operations Manager, Deputy Division Chief or Division Chief. The position does not supervise other staff but may occasionally direct the work of volunteers, court crews, seasonal workers, volunteers, and youth crews. The employee may work independently or as part of a crew.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Maintain picnic grounds and parking areas, including regular trash removal and pickup and graffiti removal. Regular inspection of park sites to determine maintenance needs.
• Clean and restock restrooms. 
• Inspect irrigation systems and perform repairs and adjustments as needed.
• Maintain landscape and natural areas to reduce fire hazards and perform weed control activities.
• Follow verbal and written directions.
• Apply pesticides and herbicides in accordance with applicable laws and regulations under the supervision of the pesticide manager.
• Make repair to hiking trails, stream crossings, and equestrian trails.
• Operate light equipment such as mowers, edgers, brush cutters and power tools, and perform minor mechanical repairs.
• Install various park amenities including benches, signs, fencing, landscaping, irrigation, and trails.
• Inspect drinking fountains and perform repairs as needed.
• Participate in agency emergency response.
• Assist in preparing and cleaning up for events as needed.
• Maintain good habits of answering and responding to incoming telephone calls and emails, and when communicating and providing customer service to citizens who seek assistance.
• Maintain positive relationships with coworkers and the public at large.
• Perform related duties as required.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to lift and carry items weighing up to 60 pounds for a distance up to 50 feet both indoors and outdoors;  frequently operate heavy equipment, hand tools, light equipment and power tools; constantly work in outdoor weather conditions; frequently move about work sites; communicate and exchange information; observe and document site conditions; transport equipment and tools between vehicles and work sites on a daily basis; and occasionally ascend/descend a ladder to access areas of work.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Education and Experience

• High School Diploma or G.E.D.
• Two (2) years of experience in grounds maintenance, plant care, facility/building maintenance or related field.

Training and Certification

• Must have a valid California driver’s license in good standing with a satisfactory driving record at the time of hire.
• Pesticide Handler certification (or ability to complete within 6 months).
• Basic First Aid and CPR certification (or ability to complete within 6 months).
• Forklift Operator / heavy equipment certification (or ability to complete within 6 months).

Knowledge of:

• Safe working practices, Cal-OSHA requirements.
• Automatic Irrigation systems.
• Pesticide and herbicide application.
• Proper tool care and storage.
• Basic proficiency in email and Office 365, or ability to learn.
• Regulatory requirements, or ability to learn.
• Bilingual skills in English and another locally common language, such as Spanish, Korean, Farsi, Chinese, Armenian, Yiddish, or Tagalog is highly desired.

Ability to:

• Maintain a safe and clean working environment.
• Consistently follow procedures.
• Prioritize varying tasks and projects.
• Work in all weather conditions. Perform demanding labor on multiple consecutive days outdoors in hot weather.
• Revise work approach to address changed conditions.
• Complete projects and follow oral and written directions.
• Learn technical material.
• Work independently and with others.
• Complete the MRCA Wildland Fire Academy, if desired by the employee.
• Read maps and navigate through greater Los Angeles in both urban developed and undeveloped open space areas.

Competencies:

• Effective oral English language skills. Not required to be a native English speaker, but fluency in English will be required.
• Follow safety procedures and utilize/wear protective equipment as needed.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relations with those contacted in the course of work including the general public.

This job announcement is not intended to, and does not, create an employment contract of any kind and does not create any express or implied contractual obligations. Employment at MRCA is at-will without exception. The employee and MRCA may terminate employment at any time with or without advance notice and with or without cause.

Any provision contained in this job announcement may be modified or revoked at any time without notice.