King County Parks is seeking two Teen Environmental Pathways Coordinators to support our Youth Conservation Corps program, from February 2025 - December 2025. This is a great opportunity for someone who is passionate about youth development, creating employment pathways, and environmental education.

About the Role: This role will largely focus on coordinating the Youth Conservation Corps program and supporting ecological restoration events with schools and youth-serving organizations. 

The King County Parks Youth Conservation Corps is a summer internship program that provides environmental learning opportunities for high school-aged youth. The six-week program takes place in July and August. Interns work with King County Parks & Recreation Division staff at multiple Parks locations to better understand the breadth and depth of environmental justice, ecological restoration, and parks and recreation management practices. Due to the success of the program and a large applicant pool, we are adding a second cohort in the summer of 2025. Each Coordinator is responsible for leading a YCC cohort under the supervision of the Manager.

This position has a crucial role in developing and leading the YCC, supporting youth restoration programming, and developing educational materials. 

This position performs work remotely and onsite.

About the Team: King County Parks' mission is to steward, enhance, and acquire parks to inspire healthy communities.  The Volunteer Program works to build connections between the public and our lands through on-the-ground community engagement, direct environmental service, and youth programming. 

A high school internship within the Volunteer Program, the Youth Conservation Corps began in 2021 with the mission to build pathways for a new generation of park and environmental leaders who represent the diversity of King County's communities.  We believe in developing a more diverse environmental field, and this is one strategy to build a more just movement.  Learn more at kcpyouthcorps.org and kingcounty.gov/parks.

Our Parks are great outdoor classrooms for learning about ecological restoration, public lands management, environmental justice, and recreation. Since 2021, the YCC program has engaged over 50 youth in learning about Parks and environmental careers through engaging workshops led by our team and local partners. This is an exciting time to join our team as we transition to a two-cohort model and include more youth in our programming. We have a strong foundation to grow from with plenty of room for new ideas.  

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice: King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive.  We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Teen Environmental Pathways Coordinator you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Parks Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities.  Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

What You Will Be Doing: 

• Support pre-program planning, organization, and preparation for the Youth Conservation Corps.
• Plan an engaging YCC schedule for the 6-week program. 
• Serve as lead for a YCC cohort and supervise 10-12 youth.
• Develop and monitor budgets and contracts. 
• Drive teen interns to various program sites in a 15-passenger van.
• Plan and lead workshops and restoration projects with the YCC, school groups, and partner organizations. 
• Provide ongoing feedback and coaching to teen interns both individually and in groups. Mentor and guide teen interns in completing independent projects. 
• Manage morning preparation and end-of-day tasks to ensure organized programming. Prepare and maintain program materials, including tools used for restoration activities.
• Gather and analyze program data. Collect ongoing feedback from interns through surveys and focus groups.
• Lead post-program organization, evaluation, and debrief activities.
• Develop relationships with schools and youth-serving organizations to expand our school-year restoration programming. Lead and support these events with the Volunteer Program Coordinator and Volunteer Program Assistant.
• Develop YCC alumni offerings and gatherings. Lead curriculum development for academic year programs with schools. 
• Lead outreach and recruitment for the Youth Conservation Corps by developing and maintaining partnerships. 

Qualifications You Bring: 

• Prior experience supervising or mentoring high school students. Ability to develop trusting and supportive relationships where youth understand expectations and feel safe making mistakes and learning from them.  
• Excellent facilitation skills and the ability to create a welcoming environment for teens to learn, connect with each other, and gain job skills. Skilled at building community and group cohesion.  
• Experience leading and planning multi-day programs with high school students. 
• Demonstrated success creating and teaching educational curriculum and materials focused on environmental stewardship, environmental justice, climate change, or career education. 
• Confidence leading restoration projects and/or other hands-on work in the outdoors. Comfortable working with and leading people outside. 
• Strong background in youth program development and evaluation, especially related to environmental or career education. 
• Nuanced understanding of the intersections of race and the environment, including the ability to communicate the importance of a more diverse environmental field.  
• Knowledge of best practices in career pathway programs. 
• Experience working with Black, Indigenous, and youth of color teens.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to communicate complex topics to a variety of audiences, especially teens. 

Competencies You Bring:  

• Manages Ambiguity - Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear. 
• Action-Oriented - Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm.
• Nimble Learner - Actively learning through Experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Demonstrates self-awareness - Using a combination of feedback and self-reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Manages Conflict: Handling conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise.
• Interpersonal Savvy: Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.

  Required Licenses: 

• A valid driver's license at the time of appointment is required and comfort driving youth in a passenger van throughout King County.  
• Current CPR and First Aid training, or ability to obtain with 60 days of hire.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Experience developing educational materials or programming connected to local social and environmental challenges and solutions. 
• Experience supporting internship or fellowship programs for teens or young adults. 

Working Conditions:

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role work remotely from a home location and onsite. Onsite reporting requirements vary seasonally, with full time reporting during summer months and 1-2 times per week during academic year months. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint. Reliable transportation needed to travel to remote locations across the County. 
• Remote Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to King County worksites to meet onsite reporting requirements. 
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week.  This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. 
• Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union.
• Duration: This recruitment aims to fill a two Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) position with an anticipated December 2025 end date. If the position is filled by a King County employee who has successfully completed their initial probation, they will be offered the role as a Special Duty Assignment.
• Physical Requirement: 
• Work includes indoor and outdoor settings.  May be exposed to drafts, pollens, inclement weather, and uneven surfaces. 
• Requires occasional lifting and carrying supplies and equipment up to 50 lbs. 
• Requires stooping, standing, sitting or walking depending on nature of program or event.

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.   

 Resume and Cover Letter will not be reviewed

To apply, submit a complete application. However, please be aware that cover letters, resumes and other documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Patty Jurgens at patty.jurgens@kingcounty.gov.

Discover More About the Parks Division: Visit our website and check us out atFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and Flickr.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore aninteractive mapof our recent accomplishments and check us out atFacebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTubeand Keeping King County Green News.

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

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To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.