Individual Placement - Outreach & Communications Specialist

Benefits:

• Living Allowance: $2,500/month pre tax
• Training, certifications, networking
• Access to gear lending library
• Access to Employee Assistance Program
• Health insurance
• Childcare assistance
• Student loan forbearance (on qualifying student loans)
• Service term eligible to count towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (CCMI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and AmeriCorps grantee that engages hundreds of youth and young adults each year in programs and initiatives that improve access to outdoor recreation, restore natural habitat, protect waterways, and respond to community needs and natural disasters. Our mission is to cultivate a community of emerging leaders in service to people and the planet. Learn more at conservationcorps.org.

Our values embody safety, justice, stewardship, community and leadership. In working toward our vision, we believe that it is important we commit to the following:

• Using equity as a lens for the work we do and decisions we make
• Building a shared vision surrounding Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion goals with our partnering organizations and communities, and
• Providing an equitable training environment and high-quality programming to all our participants.

Position Summary: Outreach Specialists serve alongside natural resource professionals in partnership with agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), higher education institutions, and nonprofits. Outreach specialists learn hands-on skills in designing educational content, implementing outreach activities, and participating in community events or workshops. The Individual Placements program prioritizes personal and professional growth while teaching hands-on conservation skills in the field. Specialists develop technical skills throughout their term while completing challenging and impactful conservation projects.

Specialists are directly supervised by Conservation Corps Program staff and partner site supervisor(s). Members complete service projects with direction provided by partnering agencies and representatives of those agencies.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Complete service projects to the best of their ability, serving safely, effectively and efficiently to ensure projects are completed to the satisfaction of project hosts and the community
• Abide by Corps program safety regulations as well as applicable federal/state/municipal law and OSHA requirements; communicate any safety concerns and incidents.
• Contribute actively to the team to complete projects, demonstrating a commitment to the Corps values of safety, justice, stewardship, community and leadership.
• Positive attitude, desire to learn new skills, interest in community service; represent Conservation Corps in positive manner in public
• Commit to completing the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement
• Specific projects depend on the site assignment but may include:

• • Designing educational, outreach and promotional materials, including internet and intranet content, press releases and newsletter articles
  • Developing and implementing systems for outreach, networking, and training
  • Assist in program delivery including managing participants, participating in community events/workshops, and other outreach activities with a variety of audiences.
  • Communicate with local landowners to develop management plans, gather input on best practices, and provide education materials
  • Strengthen existing and facilitate new networks of potential partners and organizations
  • Assisting with preparation of briefing documents and presentations
  • Attend scheduled meetings, orientations and workshops, including required Conservation Corps AmeriCorps training sessions and site visits
  • Utilize a work plan tracking document provided by the Corps to track work accomplishments and reprioritize on a regular basis.
• Complete and approve timecards and other required reports and paperwork in a timely manner

Legacy Outreach Specialist

Crew Location (City): Saint Paul, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

The purpose of this position is to strategize, support, and implement ways to include the public in decision-making processes regarding use of the MN DNR Parks and Trails Legacy Funds and to support efforts of the Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee to advance the 25-year Parks and Trails Legacy Plan.

Invasive Species Communications Specialist

Crew Location (City): Saint Paul, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

This position serves to build the capacity of important public service work at the DNR in the Division of Ecological and Water Resources Aquatic Invasive Species Program. This position will primarily serve to assist in communications and outreach needs of the invasive species program. 

Web Specialist

Crew Location (City): St. Paul, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

This position will assist with the development, growth and daily management of the public website, Intranet and other digital media for the MN DNR Parks and Trails Division. The individual will also be involved in the preparation to develop a digital photo management system.

Marketing Specialist

Crew Location (City): St. Paul, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

The position will assist the parks and trails Marketing Coordinator in evaluating, researching, and implementing updates for the Hiking and Passport Clubs. IP will also provide support on various marketing initiatives.

MN Plant Watch Specialist

Crew Location (City): St. Paul, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm; summers variable for field work

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

The member will support MN Plant Watch efforts by assisting with volunteer outreach and training, creating newsletters or plant identification tip sheets, and teaching volunteers data collection methods and organizing training events. The member will assist with data collection field work during the summer, which will require working longer than 8 hours days and some weekends and holidays in rough terrain and inclement weather. The member will also assist with data entry and management, creating maps for volunteer assignments, revising field protocols, and lab projects like cleaning seeds for long-term banking.

Fort Snelling Visitor Services Specialist

Crew Location (City): Bloomington, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

This position supports the visitor services and interpretive team at Fort Snelling State Park. They play an integral role in connecting with underrepresented communities in the metro area and also help support a wide range of outreach events.

State Park Visitor Service/Archive Specialist

Crew Location (City): Itasca State Park, Grand Rapids, MN

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm

Term Length: 1700 hours, February – December 2026

Description of Anticipated Projects:

The purpose of this position is to support and complete various Itasca State Park inventory, archiving and digitizing projects. The member will organize existing archive data available, collect archivable material, utilize Microsoft Suite applications to file data, cross reference and digitize documents, and share appropriate resources.

Hours & Schedule

Schedules can vary, including in-person and hybrid options depending on their site and position. Members should expect to be scheduled for at least 40 hours of service per week. A typical schedule is Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, including a mandatory 30-minute lunch break which does not count towards service hours.

Training & Development

The Corps provides orientation and skills training at the start of the program year. Additional region or project specific training may be included throughout the service term depending on project need, length of term and other factors. Examples of potential trainings include:  

• Team building and conflict resolution
• Leadership
• Safety and risk management
• MN Safety Council defensive driving
• First Aid/CPR/AED
• AmeriCorps benefits