Job Posting: http://civicspark.lgc.org/join-civicspark/fellow/

 

2018-2019 CivicSpark Fellowship

 

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community and eager to gain experience addressing sustainability needs?

CivicSpark is a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program dedicated to building capacity for local governments in California to address community resilience issues such as: climate change, water resource management, and access to opportunities. CivicSpark’s mission is to contribute to a more resilient and just California through National Service by:

Building local government capacity to address entrenched and emerging issues;

Serving as a social purpose career accelerator for future leaders; and

Fostering lasting, authentic community engagement.

CivicSpark Fellows support the State’s response to sustainability issues by working with local governments over the course of their 11 month-service year to complete research, planning, and implementation projects. At the same time, Fellows receive substantial professional development training and access to a network of local, regional, and state sustainability leaders.

What does it mean to be a CivicSpark Fellow?

The program offers three thematic tracks: Climate (50 Fellows), Water (20 Fellows), and Opportunity Access (20 Fellows). Fellows are matched with a host partner agency and project, which benefits at least one local government agency. Fellows will serve for 1,700 hours over the course of their 11 month service year. Projects are spread through seven regions across the state, including the Central Coast, Greater Los Angeles, North Coast, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada. Through their project work, Fellows will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in climate change response, integrated water management, affordable housing, and rural broadband, while learning technical skills and building a strong network of sustainability professionals.

 

All CivicSpark Fellows will provide support to local governments through the following four-step intervention model:

Gap Assessments:  Fellows interview public agency staff and review key documents to determine current needs relevant to their thematic track, and work with Site Supervisors to finalize their project scope.

Service Projects: Fellows conduct a specific research, planning, or implementation project based on the gap assessment results.

Volunteer Engagement: Fellows establish new volunteer programs or enhance pre-existing programs relevant to their thematic track.

Transitioning Expertise: Fellows sustain progress beyond their service year by training staff and/or sharing results of their projects with key stakeholders.

Day-to-day, CivicSpark Fellows will work on tasks ranging from data collection and analysis to community outreach. CivicSpark Fellows get unparalleled real-world experience, spending 11 months working alongside regional leaders and coordinators to implement cutting-edge sustainability projects for forward-looking communities. All Fellows will leave the service year with a better understanding of work within local governments, experience working on climate change, water resource management and opportunity access issues, and the ability to work successfully in a team office environment. Benefits include:

Intensive mentorship and supervision.

Training on the latest climate change, water management, and land-use tools and techniques.

Statewide networking with local, regional and state leaders.

An exceptional outcome-driven project management experience in a growing field.

Stipend, student loan deferral, health care, and child care support, if needed.

To view the projects and host agencies for the upcoming 2018-19 service year, visit our 2018-19 Projects list. CivicSpark recently created a Project Concept Repository, which is a searchable database that contains examples of successful CivicSpark projects and project ideas. Applicants can use this database to gain a better sense of the type of work Fellows typically complete during a service year and see some of the results of past Fellows’ projects.

 

Qualifications

CivicSpark Fellows must have completed at least a 4-year degree and ideally have relevant experience in a related field. An ideal candidate will have the following characteristics:

AmeriCorps Requirements

Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States*

Ability to pass FBI, CA Department of Justice, out-of-state (if applicable), and National Sex Offender Public Registry background checks prior to service

CivicSpark Requirements

A 4-year degree (i.e. BA/BS) from an accredited college or university

Commitment to the full term of service (11 months)

Capability to work in a professional office setting

Strong communication (both verbal and written) and teamwork skills

Strongly preferred

A degree in a related field

One year of relevant experience

Past service experience (e.g., volunteering, community service, etc.)

Experience with, or training in, outreach, facilitation and/or grassroots organizing skills

Desirable

Experience with local government operations and structures

Comfort with quantitative work, including data collection and analysis

Climate Fellows: Experience with California climate change mitigation- and/or adaptation-related policies and practices

Water Fellows: Experience with California water-related policies and practices and/or water use efficiency-related policies and practices

Opportunity Access Fellows: Experience with equity, affordable housing, or rural broadband policies and practices

This is an equal opportunity position and we prefer to place candidates who already live in the communities they will serve.

*At this time, we are unfortuantely unable to accept applicants with student visas (such as F1 or F2 student visas, J1 or J2 exchange visitor visas, G series visas, etc.), or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

Benefits

CivicSpark Fellows receive the following benefits for the term of their service year:

$16,000+ Living Allowance (before taxes) spread evenly over 11 months

$5,920 Segal Education Award

SNAP (Food Stamps) – for those eligible

Forbearance on existing qualifying student loans and payment of interest accrued during service

Health insurance

Childcare assistance to qualifying fellows, paid to an eligible provider of your choice

Significant professional development training

Network development with regional and statewide contacts in the sustainability field

Valuable experience in the sustainability field and the local government sector

Connection to a network of hundreds of CivicSpark alumni and hundreds of thousands of AmeriCorps Alums