Science Communication Assistant

POSITION DETAILS
Position Title: Science Communication Assistant
Park Unit: Alaska Region Office, Intermountain Region Office, Pacific West Region Office, Southeast Region Office
Location: Boise, Idaho
Number of positions available: 2
Can this position be fully remote: YES

INTERNSHIP DATES AND LENGTH
Duration: 52 Weeks (not flexible)
Start Date: 04/07/2025
Flexible Start Date: YES

LIVING AND RELOCATION ALLOWANCE:
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
Relocation Allowance: $400.00

CURRENT NUMBER OF APPLICANTS: Under 75 (This posting will close after receiving 75 complete applications or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 16 June, whichever occurs first.)

POSITION DESCRIPTION
The proposed internships will be involved in a project to provide fire-related climate change information products to managers to improve fire management planning and implementation for a number of groups of parks to better prepare for rapidly changing conditions. Information products will be developed by a team of scientists from the USGS Climate Change Adaptation Center guided by a group of National Park Service fire ecologists and planners. The interns will work directly with the project's Fire-Climate Change Coordinator to determine the most effective way to communicate the resulting information products for direct use by park managers. Products will be designed to be directly incorporated into park fire management plans, help prioritize and locate strategic fuels treatments, and inform fire preparedness, response, and recovery decisions in parks.

POSITION IMPACT
This project will assist in improving wildland fire management planning and decision-making in parks in Alaska, the Western U.S., and the Southeastern U.S. by helping to deliver fire-focused climate change information to managers. The outcomes from the project will help parks achieve management goals and objectives of protecting natural ecosystem integrity and function for the enjoyment of future generations. Products generated from the project may be used as templates and applied more broadly to other parks in the future. The project will also provide the interns with experience working at the interface of science and land management in the realm of climate change which is important for continuing work in the future.

DELIVERABLES

The primary work products from these internships will be communication and training tools for disseminating fire-related climate change information products to park managers. These products may include communication plans, resource briefs, formal reports, presentations, data visualizations, webpages, videos, written guides, and training classes, depending on the products identified in the final project plan.

DESIRED INTERN QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates must have experience in written and oral communication. Candidates must also have the ability to work in a collaborative team environment where communication between scientists and land managers in various locations is the focus. In addition, the ability to work independently is important due to the remote nature of the position. Experience with, or an ability to quickly become familiar with, multiple types of communication platforms and information systems including GIS, databases, websites, publishing software, and decision support, is preferred. Also, experience with, or a strong interest in, climate change, fire management processes, and ecological effects of fire, as well as previous work with climate and ecological data, is helpful.

The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. legal permanent resident (“Green Card holder”). Prior to starting this position, a government security background clearance will be required. The applicant must be available to participate for 52 Weeks in order to be considered and participate.

WORK SETTING
A majority of the work is performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat, and ventilation. Occasional site visits to park units in the local area may create exposure to a variety of physical settings including extreme climatic conditions and rugged terrain. Local area details will vary based on chosen remote location.

VEHICLE AND DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

• Applicant will not need to drive a government vehicle.
• A personal vehicle is not required for this position.

HOUSING
Park housing is NOT available. The intern will be responsible for finding housing in the nearby area. Housing availability and costs will be dependent on the remote location selected.

KEYWORDS
climate change, fire management, science communication, training tools, ecological data

IMPORTANT NOTICES
This posting will close after receiving 75 complete applications, or at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 16 June, whichever occurs first. Once you begin applying for a position, the application must be completed in one sitting. You cannot save and return later to complete it. Applicants can apply for up to five Scientists in Parks Intern positions per winter. You need to complete a separate application for each position in order to be considered. You should receive a confirmation email after successfully submitting an application. Sometimes institutional email filters/settings can redirect or block emails related to the application. We recommend watching spam, junk, and promotional email folders in case your service delivers messages there. Please visit How to Apply for additional resources and information about applying (i.e., learn what materials to have ready for applying, find a worksheet that previews application questions, etc.)

LEARN MORE
https://www.scientistsinparks.org/