Community Watershed Ambassador

Community Watershed Ambassador 

Position Description 

Partners For Environmental Justice Overview 

Partners for Environmental Justice (PEJ) is a community-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was created in the mid-1990’s to advocate for the equitable treatment of both the human and natural communities in the Rochester Heights area of Raleigh, NC. In the late 1990’s, PEJ envisioned the creation of an urban wetland park and commissioned the master plan for what is now the Walnut Creek Wetland Park. Today, our work continues to address historic and current environmental justice issues in Southeast Raleigh, to advocate for equitable development policies that improve community resilience, and to promote the multiple benefits that green infrastructure provides to communities and watersheds. 

Position Type: Full-Time Exempt, Hybrid

Reports To: PEJ Executive Director 

Position Background 

PEJ is seeking to expand engagement with residents and community stakeholders in Southeast Raleigh and within the Walnut Creek watershed over the next several years. The Walnut Creek Watershed was recently designated as the nation’s 21st Urban Water Federal Partner(UWFP) location by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The UWFP comprises 15 federal agencies and 28 nongovernmental organizations working collaboratively to help urban and metropolitan areas, particularly those that are underserved or economically distressed, connect with their waterways and work to improve them. PEJ is seeking to hire a Community Watershed Ambassador (CWA) to serve as the liaison and communications conduit for all the initiatives and projects in the Walnut Creek Watershed under the UWFP. The UWFP will seek to continue the work of the Walnut Creek Action Team (WAT) that informally began meeting in December 2017 to coordinate efforts for improving conditions within the watershed’s communities. 

Position Summary 

The Community Watershed Ambassador (CWA) will serve as the local liaison for the UWFP. The CWA will coordinate activities among existing WAT stakeholders, community and nongovernmental organizations, government agencies and the private sector to identify opportunities for collaborative engagement and watershed improvement activities. The Ambassador will greatly enhance the WAT’s ability to achieve its mission and implement activities laid out in the Walnut Creek Watershed Action Plan with the primary goal of improving conditions environmentally, economically, and socially in the watershed's communities, involving residents through teaching about environmental challenges/injustices and soliciting their input on how to prioritize restoration efforts. Candidates will need to be flexible, independent, and adept at managing a variety of tasks and relationships. Additionally, a successful candidate will demonstrate a passion for environmental issues as well as for working with underserved communities and populations impacted by historic injustices. This is a full-time hybrid position, with most organizational support functions being remote-eligible and most community engagement activities occurring in person.

Primary Responsibilities 

• Expand and maintain the PEJ network to include new community members, schools, and other local organizations by planning and hosting events to celebrate and connect neighborhoods with their surrounding environment, effectively communicating with diverse audiences spanning age, race, and familiarity with the environmental space. 
• Map and record watershed issues, activities, projects, and community feedback toward relevant watershed restoration goals in relevant action plans and data trackers. 
• Facilitate resource-sharing across partner organizations and networks:
  • Engage with the National Urban Waters Federal Partnership program and other programs relevant to the Walnut Creek watershed, disseminating takeaways to local partners.
  • Leverate resources from the Urban Waters Learning Network.
  • Help facilitate Walnut Creek Watershed Action Team meetings with the NC Department of Environmental Quality.
  • Attend Walnut Creek Wetlands Community Partnership meetings and report back to local partners and individuals, connecting local agencies and organizations with resources as identified from these meetings.
• Support the ongoing organizational needs for Partners for Environmental Justice at a leadership level, including presenting updates at PEJ Staff and Board meetings, providing content for external communications and media, supporting PEJ events, and participating in fund development activities. 

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs) 

• Demonstrated experience with environmental, social, and economic justice, particularly for historically disadvantaged communities or population groups.
• Demonstrated knowledge of watershed issues, including urban flooding and green infrastructure solutions, or the ability and desire to quickly learn them. 
• Affinity for parks, greenways, wetlands, or other types of natural, restored, or managed land or water areas. 
• Highly organized, energetic self-starter with demonstrated project management experience, capable of and comfortable working with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and cultivating meaningful, effective partnerships with individuals, community nonprofits, and government agencies.
• Competency with financial reports and financial tracking metrics, both in understanding and compiling them. 
• Demonstrated experience in grant writing, submissions, management, and reporting.
• Clear communicator capable of quickly assessing needs and goals and conveying that information to the people who need to know it. 
• Technological proficiency with software including Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) and its Google equivalents. Proficiency in managing social media platforms and content is desired, but not required. 
• A high degree of cultural competency and a demonstrated ability to work with people of diverse ages, races, professional backgrounds, and communication styles. 
• Flexibility of schedule, including weeknights and Saturdays that correspond to meetings such as with PEJ’s Board, local government (i.e, city council) and community engagement activities. 
• Familiarity with Southeast Raleigh, Walnut Creek Watershed, or other neighborhoods facing similar environmental justice issues
• Spanish fluency is a major plus, but not required. 

Support 

The CWA will be supported by PEJ and the Walnut Creek WAT. Additionally the CWA will be supported by the Urban Waters Learning Network, a peer-to-peer community of urban waters professionals which is a component of EPA’s Urban Waters Program. 

Compensation 

The CWA will be compensated for reasonable and approved expenses incurred and will receive a salary in the range of $50,000 to $60,000 per calendar year, but will be negotiated based on skills and experience. The CWA should anticipate working some evenings and weekends to participate in meetings and programs. 

Health and retirement benefits are currently not offered but will likely be offered in 2025.

To Apply 

Please  submit a resume, cover letter, and two professional references to amy@salostudio.com. Priority deadline to apply is Friday, October 18, 2024.