Job Title: Backyard Habitat PCEF Project Specialist

Department: Conservation

Reports to: Backyard Habitat Certification Program Co-Manager

Supervises: Occasional volunteers

Classification: (non-exempt hourly)

Status: 1.0 FTE*

Compensation: $30.24/hr + Full Benefits Package 

(estimated annual salary of $62,899)

Location: Hybrid with a mix of in-office, at-home, and in-field/community time

*This is a grant-funded position through the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF). It is funded through June 30, 2030. May have the opportunity to extend.

Benefits Include:

• Medical insurance: 100% payment of premiums for medical and dental insurance for employees only
• Competitive leave benefits: Two (2) weeks of paid vacation in year one, eight (8) hours of paid sick time per month, eight (8) recognized paid holidays, 40 hours of flexible holiday time per year
• 401(k): 3% match 
• Professional development: Ability to attend free or subsidized courses at Bird Alliance of Oregon
• Retail benefits: Substantial discount at our Nature Store, including optics
• Work environment: Opportunity to work in one of Oregon’s most beautiful forests

About Bird Alliance of Oregon

Bird Alliance of Oregon has been a leading voice in conservation for over a century. Through conservation advocacy, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation, we promote the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats. We are located in a 172-acre wildlife sanctuary next to Forest Park, just minutes from downtown Portland. 

We believe that inspiring all people to love and protect nature is best achieved when we embrace diversity as a value and practice. In the same way, an ecosystem needs many types of plants and wildlife, an organization thrives when it includes a diversity of people and perspectives. We recognize widespread inequities that create gaps between our present reality and our aspirations. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment, reflecting the diversity of our community in our board, staff, volunteers, and members, ensuring our internal culture, business practices, and programs are welcoming and advance our diversity goals.

Department Summary: Backyard Habitat Certification Program   

The Backyard Habitat Certification Program (BHCP) has been a collaborative effort between Columbia Land Trust and Bird Alliance of Oregon since 2009. The program provides technical assistance, incentives, resources, and recognition to urban and suburban residents seeking to restore native wildlife habitat, manage stormwater, and garden sustainably. We strive to reduce barriers to this work by partnering with culturally specific and community-based groups, grant-funded projects, and engaging in ongoing programmatic reflection, resource development, and staff training. Through our collective efforts to revitalize urban landscapes, we make our region healthier for people and wildlife. Our Backyard Habitats community has more than 15,000 participants and continues to grow. For more information, see: https://backyardhabitats.org/.

Position Summary

The PCEF Project Specialist and Habitat Technician will lead our PCEF-funded project work and conduct site visits with Eastside Portland residents. The ideal candidate will bridge urban conservation actions and community equity, focusing on the neighborhoods most affected by climate change. This exciting new role will split their time among community collaboration, event coordination, stipend distribution and management, conducting site visits and providing recommendations, report writing, and data entry. This role is designed to help mitigate barriers to participation in BHCP while engaging residents in community building and climate-resilient actions. As such, we seek a candidate with a deep commitment to collaborative, community- and culturally responsive engagement; who views advancing climate justice and resilience as central to their practice; and who has a strong, demonstrated connection to PCEF Priority Communities.

As a Project Specialist, this role will coordinate with landscape professionals, local native plant nurseries, and community groups; coordinate community outreach and engagement activities, including workshops and plant giveaways; oversee and lead the distribution of up to $50,000 in professional landscaping services and up to $56,000 in native plants and project materials to program participants each year; monitor project progress; assist with grant reporting, administration, and monitoring; and gather feedback from participants and community partners.

As a Habitat Technician, this role will coordinate and conduct up to 140 site visits per year at residential and community sites on Portland’s east side, make recommendations based on site and participant needs, enter site data into a database, write site reports, and provide follow-up support to participants. In this role, you will also collaborate with the Habitat Technician Supervisor, who is housed with the Columbia Land Trust.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Project Specialist (50%)

• Develop new and existing relationships and processes for working with native plant nurseries, local professional landscapers, and other contractors, ensuring compliance with PCEF best practices for inclusive recruitment strategies and with minimum wage requirements.
• Develop and lead a stipend distribution system of up to $50,000 in professional landscaping services and up to $56,000 in native plants and project materials each year, utilizing an equity-based framework
• Maintain detailed records of stipend distributions and oversee the invoicing process for contractors.
• Assist with grant reporting and administration.
• Develop or deepen partnerships with community and culturally specific groups and with the community members they work with
• Develop and coordinate outreach and community engagement strategies.
• Coordinate and facilitate community education opportunities, including workshops.
• Monitor the project process to ensure alignment with grant milestones and deliverables.
• Gather feedback from participants, contractors, and community partners to continually refine and improve project delivery.
• Collaborate with program and organizational colleagues. 

Habitat Technician (50%)

• Schedule and conduct site visits with program participants on Portland’s Eastside.
• Enter property data into the BHCP database.
• Create and submit written site reports with recommendations for creating habitat. 
• Certify properties that meet program criteria during the site visit.
• Place follow-up phone calls to participants 6-9 months after the site visit.
• Attend regular BHCP team meetings.
• Coordinate and support outreach events.

Other duties:

• Use an anti-oppression framework to support equity and access across the organization and program.
• Collaborate with other departments and program team members to support a whole-org identity and perspective through transparency, team building, communication, and collaboration.

Preferred Skills and Experience

The following are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the duties of the job. Some experience with one or more of the following is preferred, and training is available to help build on existing skills and reach the skill level needed. We will consider both professional and personal life experience. Accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We understand specialized positions like this can deter BIPOC and marginalized individuals from applying unless they feel they meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience. We encourage those who may have gaps in their experience to apply, as we plan on fostering the development of skills for the individual in this role if needed. 

• Experience in landscape design or maintenance, environmental education, restoration, conservation, or a related field. Candidates are invited to demonstrate professional and life experience.
• Experience with some or all of the program’s focus areas: native plants, managing introduced plants, wildlife stewardship, stormwater management, and reducing pesticide use.
• Experience developing and administering culturally and community-responsive outreach, engagement, and/or community education strategies with diverse populations.
• Deep familiarity with Portland Eastside communities; lived experience is highly valued.
• Multilingual skills in language(s) commonly spoken in Portland Eastside communities (native speakers preferred). Ability to utilize additional language skills in a job setting such as in outreach, workshops, site visits, and other community engagement settings.
• An understanding of climate justice and equity principles.
• Familiarity with Indigenous Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge (ITEK) and a respectful, relationship-based approach to working alongside Indigenous communities and knowledge holders, gained through professional, community, cultural, and/or personal experience.
• Experience administering equity-based resource distribution, e.g. stipends, plants, and/or supplies.
• Ability to maintain detailed records such as tracking funding, writing reports, and entering data.
• Effective oral and written communication skills, in English, including the ability to use inclusive language and to communicate effectively across diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Highly organized, with the ability to self-manage time while tracking and completing multiple open-ended projects, tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities.
• Works collaboratively within a team environment.
• Ability to navigate and/or learn multiple software platforms, including Google Suite and a WordPress database.

Working Environment/Conditions

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. The work environment characteristics described here represent those that the employee encounters while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to perform essential duties.

• Regular in-person and electronic communication.
• This role will split their time between in-person, at-home, and in-field/community workspaces. Some in-person office hours are required.
• Must be able to travel throughout the Portland-Vancouver area, even when public transit is unavailable. Use of a personal vehicle will be reimbursed monthly at the current federal rate.
• Some evening and weekend work will be required based on the needs of participants, outreach events, and other project needs.
• Ability to work year-round, both indoors and outdoors.
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Must be comfortable sharing office and desk space during in-person office hours.
• Regular responsibilities include working on a computer, typing, looking at screens, meeting virtually and in person, listening, communicating, setting up and tearing down for events, and walking through residential and community outdoor spaces in a variety of conditions.

Cultural Competencies:

Bird Alliance of Oregon is committed to maintaining an anti-racist organizational culture. We are committed to training all staff and Board members on cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion. We see staff with a high degree of cultural competency or lived experience working with communities of color, people who are disabled, and people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, as vital for all positions in our organization. We seek staff with comfort and curiosity in engaging in conversations around issues of identity, belonging, and systemic oppression. 

• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.

All Bird Alliance of Oregon employees are expected to serve diverse audiences and help advance our diversity strategies.

Diversity Statement:

Bird Alliance of Oregon believes that inspiring all people to love and protect nature is best achieved when we embrace diversity as a value and practice. In the same way an ecosystem needs many types of plants and wildlife, an organization thrives when it includes a diversity of people and perspectives. We recognize that inequities are widespread and create gaps between our present reality and our aspirations. We are committed to:

• Reflecting the diversity of the community in our board, staff, volunteers, and members.
• Ensuring our internal culture, business practices, and programs are welcoming and advance our diversity goals.
• Empowering people to make positive changes in their community and environment.

A core priority moving forward is to infuse equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) into all of the goals and work of the organization. This position will play an important role in achieving the organization’s EID goals through engagement with staff, board members, donors, volunteers and the public. We recognize that in order to serve diverse communities we must also have diversity represented in our staff.