Communications and Technician Intern

Location      Office located in Okanogan, Washington, with travel throughout Okanogan County

Salary           $21.82 per hour (Range 45, Step A), dependent upon experience.  

Benefits       Medical and vision insurance, Washington State Retirement (PERS), vacation leave, sick leave, and paid holidays per district policies.

Closing        Open until filled, first review 12:00 PM, Tuesday, February 20, 2024 

About Us

The Okanogan Conservation District (CD) is a dynamic organization comprised of volunteer board members and paid staff that are leaders in “on-the-ground conservation”.  The district’s mission is to help land managers in Okanogan County achieve their conservation goals by:  

• Working cooperatively with private landowners and stakeholders to encourage wise stewardship and land-management decisions. 
• Providing locally led, voluntary, non-regulatory solutions to local environmental problems. 
• Advocating for high-priority resource concerns facing Okanogan County.  
• Educating adults and youth on environmental and natural resources issues in our community. 

Okanogan CD is a small, dedicated team focused on building programs, providing technical assistance, and offering cost-share opportunities that serve the community and natural resources in Okanogan County.  Furthermore, we strive to create opportunities for area youth to explore and learn about the local natural environment.  Okanogan CD values teamwork locally led natural resource management, creative solutions, and voluntary conservation. Okanogan CD encourages a positive work/life balance and flexible schedules. 

Description   

Okanogan CD is seeking a highly motivated and skilled individual to join the district as a Communications and Technician Intern. This is a split responsibility position for a temporary position not to exceed 9 consecutive months of employment.  

The communication duties include:

• Assisting district staff with delivering targeted marketing campaigns that result in community members implementing on-the-ground conservation actions and increasing the community’s understanding of district programming.  

The technician duties include:

• Assisting program staff with a variety of program work. Predominant workload will center around wildfire preparedness and community resiliency work.  

Typical Work

For the communications duties of the position, the Communications and Technician Intern will work in a variety of outreach mediums including social media, websites, electronic and printed newsletter, printed material development, videography, and photography.  
 
For the technician duties of the position, the Communications and Technician Intern will assist staff with conducting home wildfire risk assessments, community wildfire risk assessments, and the development of the community wildfire protection plan.  The incumbent will also support other program staff with conservation plantings, project monitoring activities, and checking project implementation.

Minimum Qualifications

• We are seeking a candidate that best meets the following list of knowledge and skills.  We encourage those who possess many, but not all, of these skills and knowledge to apply for the position.  
• Two years of experience related to the Core Functions of the position. Relevant college level education may be accepted in place of experience.  Because it is a split position, a background in either communications or natural resource sciences is acceptable.  
• Be self-motivated, able to work independently and in groups, work efficiently and honestly. 
• Demonstrate a positive cultural awareness with a positive attitude, while maintaining professionalism in a working environment.
• Exhibit a strong code of ethics while showing creativity in digital literacy.
• Knowledge of and experience with social or targeted marketing (the use of marketing practices to encourage behavior change).
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Able to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with a diversity of audiences including private landowners, agricultural producers, agency and organization partners, co-workers, and the public. 
• Able to work positively and successfully with individuals one-on-one and in group settings.
• Experience with desktop publishing and graphic design software such as Publisher, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photo Shop. 
• Experience managing content for multiple social media platforms, particularly Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Computer literacy (word processing, spreadsheets, messaging, and database management) at an intermediate level or higher, preferably in a Microsoft Office 365 environment. 
• Ability to organize and plan own schedule of multiple projects and activities related to work goals set by the Communications and Outreach Director. 
• Ability to maintain accurate records regarding time-keeping and authorized expenses.
• Ability to travel, sometimes overnight, for events and meetings.
• Knowledge of natural resource conditions and concerns in Okanogan County.
• Ability to import data, analyze data sets, and develop maps and other graphical depictions of conservation values and plans using ArcGIS.
• Ability and desire to motivate individuals to adopt and implement resource management practices on their property.  
• Must be able to physically perform the tasks of the job in the field by traversing uneven ground in varied weather conditions and occasionally carrying up to 50 pounds of equipment and/or materials.
• Have or obtain and maintain a valid Washington State Driver’s License and able to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Desired Attributes

• Experience collaborating with conservation professionals to communicate public information effectively. 
• Knowledge of Wix web editor. 
• Ability to communicate in writing and verbally in Spanish.
• Photography and/or videography skills.
• Experience using ArcGIS StoryMaps.
• Knowledge and skills in community organization planning. 
• Knowledge of fire behavior, suppression, resources, equipment, tools, methods, and techniques.
• Knowledge and skill in forest function and restoration processes to improve wildlife habitat and reduce wildfire risk.
• Knowledge of wildfire risk reduction, home hardening, fuels reduction, and forest health.
• Knowledge of a broad range of soil and water conservation principles, techniques, methods, and practices to apply and install conservation systems, which involve complex and diverse land uses.
• Knowledge of local plant communities and ecology.
• Experience with grant writing and administration. 
• Knowledge and experience using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to collect point, line, and area information and downloading data to a computer system for further analysis.

Compensation
This position’s hourly compensation range is $21.82 per hour (Range 45, Step A), dependent upon experience.  This position is eligible for sick and vacation leave, medical insurance including vision, and retirement benefits as outlined in the employee appointment letter and per district policies.  Terms of compensation and benefits are set by the position appointment letter and may be amended at any time by the Board of Supervisors.

Service Area

Okanogan County is for the adventurous! Our region is well-known for superb recreational opportunities and activities for every season, owing in part to an abundance of public land, rivers, and lakes, and more. Fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, skiing, snowmobiling, and horseback riding are just a few sports enjoyed by locals and visitors. Our scenic highways will take you from the snow-capped mountains of the North Cascades to the open spaces of river valleys along the Okanogan, Methow, Similkameen, and Columbia rivers. There is something for everyone in Okanogan County.

Exploring Okanogan’s history is a favorite pastime for many. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation boundaries lie within Okanogan County and the area is rich with cultural significance for our first people. Early European settlers came to Okanogan during the 1800s to establish cattle and sheep ranching, fruit orchards, and to mine for gold. Several ghost towns and mining operations from the early days still stand. Today, Okanogan County’s economic base is largely agricultural supported by apple, pear, and stone fruit orchards. Cattle ranching remains the dominant livestock industry and family-owned ranches can be found throughout the county.  

Okanogan County’s people, places, history, and industry are among the most charming and unique in Washington state.  

Application Deadline and Instructions
This position is open until filled.  First review of applicants is 12:00 PM, Tuesday, February 20, 2024.  Detailed position descriptions are available on the district website at www.okanogancd.org/news.

Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and three references (at least two of which are professional) online at: 

https://tinyurl.com/OCDApplications 

Or by mail to:
Okanogan Conservation District 
1251 2nd Ave. South, Room 102 
Okanogan, WA 98840