Environmental Education - Adult Crew Leaders for the YCC (CSA II's, Ages 18) - Open Continuous

City of Portland, OR

Salary: $22.00 - $24.00 Hourly

Job Type: Casual

Job Number: 2026-00079

Location: Multiple Locations, OR

Bureau: Portland Parks & Recreation

Closing: 2/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

The Position

Love nature, the outdoors, and mentoring teens (ages 14-19)?
Apply now to be a Crew Leader with Portland Parks & Recreation's Youth Conservation Crew (YCC)!

Apply early! Interviews begin as soon as March for positions starting in June.

Here are the jobs you can apply to on this application:
There are 8 crew leader positions open across 4 crews working to conserve our parks and natural areas:

• Trail Crew - Citywide (hiring 2)

• Community Gardens Crew - Citywide (hiring 2)

• No Ivy League - West side (hiring 2)

• Natural Area Crew - East side (hiring 2)

Visit our website to learn more about the crews and the crew leader role: https://www.portland.gov/parks/environmental-education/crew-leader-information   https://www.portland.gov/parks/environmental-education/crew-leader-information  

Job Type: Casual, Part-time. These are part-time jobs where you can work up to 1,400 hours in a year. Employees in these positions serve at will. These jobs are called Community Service Aide II's by the City of Portland.

Benefits: These jobs are not eligible for benefits.

Language Pay: If you speak another language besides English and use it to help the community, you may get extra pay. To learn more, click https://www.portland.gov/bhr/class-comp/language-pay-differential-overview/language-pay-differential-eligibility  We encourage all applicants to apply, and especially those who may speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, or Russian.

Studies have shown that women and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your life experiences and qualifications for the role. Representation matters!

Schedule:

• Dates: Varies by crew; see below:

• Trail Crew: April 9-August 12, 2026

• Communities Gardens and No Ivy League: May 20-August 12

• City Nature East Crew: June 1-August 12

• Hours: Monday (8:30am - 2:30pm); Tuesday - Friday (7:30am - 3:30pm)

• Pay: $22.00 - $24.00 an hour, depending on experience and training.

Crew leaders take part in professional development, networking, and growth opportunities throughout the season. For many, YCC is an entry into working at Portland Parks & Recreation. We support Crew leaders in achieving their professional goals.

We encourage YCC Crew Member alumni to apply!

About Us: Portland Parks & Recreation is dedicated to making sure everyone can enjoy our parks and services, no matter their background. We value diversity and are committed to equity and inclusion. We encourage people who speak other languages to apply.

Position Summary

Youth Conservation Crew (YCC) crew leaders are responsible for co-leading and supervising a crew of up to 10 teenage youth while completing hands-on conservation projects throughout Portland's parks and natural areas. Working alongside a co-leader and crew sponsor, crew leaders mentor and support youth (ages 14-18) in their professional growth and first-time work experience. Crew leaders teach essential job skills in natural areas maintenance, teamwork, and leadership while fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment. Crew leaders lead field-based projects such as trail building, habitat restoration, community gardening, and tree care all while keeping youth work crews safe and on track to complete projects in a timely manner. Daily responsibilities include creating a safe work environment, teaching technical skills, and various ecological lessons, tracking crew activities and youth progress, attending weekly collaboration meetings, and more. This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain more experience in a field-based leadership role leading youth employees and creating an inclusive and welcoming work environment.

YCC Crew Leaders get to:

• Mentor and lead teenage youth: Get to know and care about each of the teens on their crew as individuals and co-workers. Guide youth in job skills development, teamwork, professional goals, and development of ecological knowledge. Create a sense of community where teens feel like they belong and look out for each other.
• Co-lead field-based projects: Work with a co-leader to plan daily schedules and lead natural areas restoration projects. Projects may include community gardening maintenance, removing invasive plants, planting native plants, maintaining trails, and/or surveying and maintaining trees.
• Teach: Mentor youth in developing basic job skills in their first job including work readiness, staying on task, teamwork, and leadership. Teach safe use of tools and equipment for trail work, gardening, and/or habitat restoration. Facilitating team building activities, icebreakers, and ecological lessons such as plant identification, soil health, tree care, and animal identification to name a few.
• Collect data and report: Track and report on crew activities, youth progress, and project outcomes on a daily and weekly basis. Attend weekly crew leader meetings to collaborate with other leaders and share insights. Complete mid-summer and end-of-summer evaluations and participate in environmental science and data collection projects.
• Additional Duties: Assist and perform other programmatic duties as needed and assigned.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is comfortable leading work outdoors and enjoys building connections with teenagers from diverse backgrounds. They balance warmth and high expectations while teaching job skills to youth, managing group safety, and leading teams from start to completion of assigned projects in a timely manner. They are skilled at managing multiple responsibilities from organizing tools and maintaining records to adapting plans and priorities in dynamic work settings. They communicate often and early and are committed to culturally responsive leadership that creates a welcoming environment where all crew members feel they belong and can grow.

The ideal candidate will:

• Support Equity and Inclusion: Be committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all participants and staff.
• Engage with Youth: Have experience working with, supporting, and leading youth ages 14-18, particularly in work related to the outdoors, conservation, restoration, and/or environmental education.
• Communicate and Collaborate :Demonstrate strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with youth participants, partner organizations, and Parks staff to ensure program success.
• Be Adaptable and Organized: Excel at tracking and completing multiple tasks simultaneously, adjusting to changing priorities, and maintaining focus in a dynamic outdoor work environment.
• Stay Organized: Be comfortable handling administrative and logistical tasks, such as managing tools and equipment, teaching technical skills in natural areas maintenance, maintaining accurate records.
• Use Technology Effectively: Be proficient with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams, OneDrive), Adobe PDF, Smartphones, and other digital tools and applications.

Virtual Zoom Meet & Greet Opportunity Come meet the hiring manager and the senior recruiter! We'll be talking about the position duties and responsibilities, day to day life in the role, review the announcement, discuss how to apply, and answer questions you may have about the position.
Thursday, February 5th, 2026
3:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88400655164

Meeting ID: 884 0065 5164

Contact Information:
Loan Tran Polanco, Recruiter

Bureau of Human Resources

mailto:Loan.Tran@portlandoregon.gov 

To Qualify

Qualifications needed:

• Knowledge, ability and skills to promote equity, diversity, inclusion and provide culturally responsive leadership.
• Experience working with and leading teenagers 14-18 years old from diverse backgrounds.
• Experience supervising and leading a group of teenaged youth in nature, the outdoors, conservation work, environmental education, and/or outdoor education.
• Experience performing work in ecological restoration, gardening, trail work, and/or tree care and maintenance.

Knowledge, skills ,and ability to teach technical skills in one or more of the following areas:

• Trail building & maintenance
• Environmental education
• Habitat restoration
• Tree care and maintenance
• Gardening and garden maintenance
• Knowledge of plants and animals in Portland, OR

• Knowledge and experience using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive).

Applicants must also:

• Be at least 18 years old by April 1, 2026 
• Have a valid state driver's license and an https://www.portlandoregon.gov/citycode/article/12184 at the time of hire.
• Hold a current CPR/First Aid Certification by time of offer.

Please note, these are not required but will be helpful:

• Speak one of the following languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, or Russian.
• Ability to build community and lead a productive teen workforce with high expectations, warmth, and respect.
• Ability to hold youth accountable for attendance and workplace behavior.
• Ability to mentor youth and support them in professional development.
• At least 1 year of professional experience working with and leading teenagers 14-18 years old from diverse backgrounds.
• At least 1 year of professional experience supervising and leading a group of teenaged youth in nature, the outdoors, conservation work, environmental education, and/or outdoor education.
• At least 1 year experience performing work in ecological restoration, gardening, trail work, and/or tree care and maintenance.

We encourage alumni of Youth Conservation Crew to apply for crew leader positions!

Studies have shown that women and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your life experiences and qualifications for the role. Representation matters!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer