The Prospect Park Alliance, working in partnership with the City of New York and the community, restores, develops, and operates Prospect Park for the enjoyment of all by caring for the natural environment, preserving historic design, and serving the public through facilities and programs. Prospect Park is Brooklyn’s 585-acre historic flagship park, designed by the famed Olmsted and Vaux. It is the home of Brooklyn’s only lake and forest, with nature trails, numerous recreational activities, public and school-based educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and the first urban Audubon Center.

If you’re looking for an exciting part-time seasonal position working in an outdoor environment with volunteers, the position may be just the opportunity for you! The Prospect Park Alliance currently seeks a coordinator to work in its Volunteer Office. This position is a terrific way to learn about Prospect Park and its interaction with the surrounding communities, and is an ideal position for a candidate with an interest in outdoor education and environmental sciences who hopes to develop individual leadership skills and gain project management experience.

The Volunteer Corps works with more than 5,000 volunteers annually who give close to 25,000 hours of volunteer time, playing a crucial role in the maintenance and beautification of Prospect Park. Teams, led by Volunteer Office staff, work on a variety of projects, including mulching, painting, weeding, removing invasive species, rebuilding forest and a variety of other environmental management and park maintenance projects. The staff also coordinates community groups, corporate groups, regular weekly volunteers, and volunteer events ranging in size from 10 to 250 people.

Responsibilities of the coordinator include working independently and in partnership with Prospect Park staff in leading teams of volunteers, developing volunteer projects and activities, coordinating tools and materials as needed, loading trucks, supervising and working with groups, as well as assisting with administrative needs and handling other tasks as necessary.

The ideal candidate will:
• Possess a mature, positive attitude and be willing and anxious to pitch in and help at all times
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal, supervisory and project management skills
• Have strong verbal and written communication skills
• Have good physical stamina – including the ability to lift heavy objects and work in a variety of weather conditions
• Possess a driver’s license valid in New York State and be an experienced driver
• Have some experience working with culturally diverse public of all ages, including youth

An interest in outdoor education, environmental science, horticulture, or outdoor maintenance is helpful.

The coordinator position is part-time at 21 hours per week (flexible) and pays $11 an hour. The timeline for the coordinator is August 16 through October 31, 2010.

The Prospect Park Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. Please send resume and brief cover letter as an MS Word email attachment to job117@prospectpark.org.

No phone calls, please. Although we appreciate your interest, we will only contact applicants we are considering for interview. Application deadline: August 6, 2010.