The Research Associate Program at GBI, in cooperation with NPS at Zion National Park is recruiting one Public Affairs Assistant to assist the permanent NPS Interpretation and Communications staff. This is a developmental position, and the selectee will gain experience with media relations, social media management, graphic design, video editing, and general writing and editing. The assistant would also help with public outreach efforts, including developing and presenting interpretive materials, creating media content (such as social media posts, videos, or informational graphics), engaging with visitors, and supporting special events or community engagement initiatives as needed.

During this appointment, the selectee will gain hands-on experience working with Zion National Park Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services as well as park partners and community stakeholders to share important messages from the park.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Maintaining a public affairs calendar along with attendant collateral materials (e.g. communications plans, news releases, strategic communications planning, etc.);
• Providing support for park social media by assisting with post scheduling, editing content, and developing written copy that aligns with and advances NPS strategic message goals;
• Managing the park’s photo/video collection;
• Applying National Park Service design standards to develop signs, printed matter, and other graphics for use in the park and online;
• Assessing and refreshing content on the park’s official website, nps.gov/zion, using the National Park Service’s content management system (CMS);
• Collaborating with the park’s official non-profit partner, Zion Forever Project, to assist establishing a shared understanding and standard operating procedures pursuant to strategic messaging on social media and our respective websites;
• Improving park media content’s accessibility by developing audio-descriptions for existing media and developing new accessible content; and
• Recording and editing videos for use on social media, the park website, and in media b-roll packages.

Timeline:

• September 2025 – June 2026, 23 weeks with a possibility of extension for 12 more weeks;
• Full time (40 hours/week); and
• Schedule: Weekend and holiday work may be required, 8 hours daily.

Location:

The selectee will be based in a shared office at Zion National Park’s Administration Building near Springdale, Utah. Field work will range from the lower elevations of Zion Canyon to high on the plateau of Kolob Terrace and Kolob Canyons.  

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation: $17.50 hourly;

Benefits:

• Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental (with option to upgrade in coverage), and vision insurance premiums;
• $25,000 Basic Life & AD&D insurance at no cost;
• Personal leave and holidays; and
• Access to Pro Deals.

Housing: Reimbursement of $300 biweekly will be provided to the selected participant. Park housing may be available for the selectee to rent pending staffing onboarding and availability;

Travel and Training: Not to exceed $1000.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks; 
• Hold a clean, valid driver’s license and safe driving record to operate a government vehicle;
• Ability to communicate clearly and efficiently with the public and coworkers, both orally and in writing, and respond in a professional manner to inquiries from the public regarding work activities;
• Ability and willingness to interact with visitors in a friendly and helpful way;
• Motivated, detail-oriented, self-starter who has the flexibility to handle competing and changing priorities and possesses strong organizational skills;
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds or 1/3 body weight (whichever is less);
• Ability to spend sedentary time indoors working on a government computer;
• Ability to hiking outdoors on uneven terrain in all kinds of weather – sometimes more than 5 miles per day while moving wheeled equipment;
• Zion temperatures can be over 100 degrees F in the summer at lower elevations and lower than 20 degrees F in the winter especially at higher elevations; and
• Successful applicants must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation (BI) or submit paperwork to NPS human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position. If you already have a fully adjudicated BI, please let us know in your application.

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in a liberal arts major including but not limited to journalism, journalism & media studies, communications, design, photojournalism, or other related coursework and commensurate field experience. A degree is desired but not required;
• At least 6 months experience assisting to manage and draft responses for public and media inquiries about an employer;
• At least 6 months experience managing social media for an employer;
• Skill in working within the framework of established graphic design standards;
• Skill in creating accessible documents; and
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, especially InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Physical Demands:

The technician will work 40 hours/week in office and outdoor setting. Outdoor work is often on uneven terrain within canyons, forest, or desert environments, and in adverse weather conditions (sometimes including high and low temperatures, rain, wildfire smoke, biting insects, etc.). Work may be repetitive at times. Indoor work requires prolonged sitting, frequent virtual and in-person meetings.