Position Title: Outdoor Education and Youth Development Specialist Field Coordinator
Grant Program: OYSI 25EDBDC0010003 / EAP 25EDBDC0020006
Duty Location
Primary duties are performed within the Twin Rivers Charter School in Eugene, OR. SPIKE camping trips and field service days take place at various outdoor locations throughout the region.
Program Benefits
- $25,000 total living allowance, prorated and dispersed each month
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$7,395.00 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of 1,700 hours of service and all program requirements
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Health insurance plan
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Training and professional development
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Loan forbearance and student loan interest accrual relief
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City of Eugene bus pass
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8 days of instructional break
The living allowance and education award are taxable. Members are responsible for providing housing, food, work clothing, and a pair of 8-inch-tall leather work boots. Service eligibility is contingent upon the results of a criminal and driving background check.
Schedule Requirements
- Full time, 40–45 hours per week, with a minimum of 1,700 hours during a 10-month service term from August/September 2026 to June 2027. Exact dates are subject to slight change due to snow days and other unforeseen calendar challenges.
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Service hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with occasional night and weekend hours during SPIKE camping trips and other program events.
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The member must complete a minimum of 1,700 hours by the end of their term. The member will receive a 30-minute lunch each day; this lunch break does not count toward AmeriCorps member service hours.
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Training will not exceed 20% of total member service hours.
Twin Rivers Charter School Overview:
Twin Rivers Charter School (TRCS) is a small, outdoor conservation-focused public charter school operated under Northwest Youth Corps. We serve high schoolers seeking an alternative academic setting, and many of our students bring real behavioral challenges. Our program is built around small student crews, multi-day camping expeditions, hands-on conservation fieldwork, and natural resource management coursework.
This role is rewarding and genuinely varied. You'll work as a crew lead, classroom presence, behavioral support, and field supervisor depending on the week. The work shifts across the school year, and that's by design.
Because we're a small school with a small team, flexibility matters. Priorities shift, unexpected needs arise, and our faculty step into whatever the school needs on a given day. The quarterly breakdown below describes a typical year, but real circumstances will ask you to flex beyond it sometimes. That's the nature of a small, mission-driven school.
We share all of this upfront because we want you to succeed. Candidates who understand the full scope and flexibility this role requires before they start are far more likely to thrive in it.
Position Summary:
The Outdoor Educator and Youth Development Specialist Field Coordinator serves as a frontline crew leader, classroom support, and field operations coordinator for TRCS. You will spend the majority of your time in direct contact with students: leading small groups in classroom settings, providing environmental education in the field, facilitating conservation-based service-learning projects, and managing student behavior across all settings.
TRCS operates on a four-quarter schedule. Your responsibilities shift between quarters, and you are expected to adapt accordingly. As a member of a small team, you should also expect to take on additional or adjusted responsibilities as school needs to evolve throughout the year.
The Outdoor Educator and Youth Development Specialist Field Coordinator is both highly demanding and highly rewarding, serving high school students identified as at risk of academic failure and/or presenting behavioral challenges. The Outdoor Educator and Youth Development Specialist Field Coordinators spend most of their time in direct contact with students, either providing direct student instruction in small groups in a classroom setting, providing environmental education in the field, or facilitating conservation-based, service-learning projects.
What a Typical Year Looks Like: Quarter-by-Quarter
The following describes a standard quarter structure. Actual week-to-week responsibilities may vary based on staffing, weather, student needs, and other factors.
Quarters 1 and 4: Camping Quarters
During each camping quarter, you will serve as a crew lead on two separate 4-day SPIKE (Special Projects in Knowledge and Exploration) camping trips. On SPIKE, you are paired with a core content teacher and are jointly responsible for leading one student crew (12-18 students). Your responsibilities during SPIKE include student safety and welfare, crew logistics, facilitating hands-on conservation and environmental education, and maintaining behavioral expectations in a field setting with no separation from your students for the duration of the trip.
During the remaining 6–8 weeks of each camping quarter, you will:
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Work in the classroom providing direct academic and behavioral support to students alongside the core teaching faculty
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Teach elective classes for two periods per day
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Serve as a substitute teacher when teaching staff are absent. When subbing, you are responsible for following the sub plans provided by the absent teacher and managing the classroom independently
Quarters 2 and 3: Field Quarters
During field quarters, you will typically lead students in field-based service days two days per week. Field service work covers a range of hands-on conservation and natural resource management activities, which may include invasive species removal, habitat restoration, reforestation, trail construction and maintenance, and riparian planting.
The remaining school days each week, you will be in the classroom providing academic and behavioral support and teaching elective classes.
You may be asked to cover additional field days when a fellow AmeriCorps member is absent or when program needs require it. This means that some weeks you may be in the field for three or more days. Flexibility and willingness to adjust your schedule on short notice are essential.
Throughout the Year
Because TRCS operates with a small, close-knit team, there will be times throughout the year when you are asked to step into responsibilities beyond what is described above. This may include covering absent colleagues, supporting school events, taking on logistical tasks, or contributing in other ways that keep the school running effectively. The specific needs are difficult to predict.
Core Responsibilities
Student Behavior and Professional Boundaries (25%)
You are a professional in a high school educational environment. You are expected to:
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Actively intervene in and disrupt inappropriate student behavior. You do not wait for someone else to handle it.
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Enforce school behavioral expectations consistently and fairly
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De-escalate conflicts between students
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Establish and maintain clear, appropriate professional boundaries with students at all times
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Model professional conduct, communication, and work ethic for students
Field and Service Operations (25%)
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Develop project specifications and coordinate logistics for field operations
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Lead youth on conservation service-learning projects in the field
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Develop and maintain protocols for checking out TRCS field equipment
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Document work performed on all service projects
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Transport student teams in 10-passenger transit vehicles to field sites
Classroom and Instructional Support (25%)
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Provide direct academic and behavioral support to students under the direction of the core content teacher
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Provide individualized attention for struggling students
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Teach elective classes two periods per day (when not in the field)
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Substitute for absent teachers as needed, following provided sub plans and managing the classroom independently
Program and Community Engagement (25%)
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Partner with organizations and agencies such as Eugene Parks and Recreation, The McKenzie River Discovery Center, Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management
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Attend all AmeriCorps meetings and trainings
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Take on additional responsibilities as needed to support the school's operations, programming, and mission
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Camp with students and teaching staff on up to four, 4-day trips in a wilderness setting
What This Role Demands
This position requires adaptability, physical stamina, emotional resilience, and a willingness to do whatever the school needs on a given day. You should expect the following:
- Days in the field are physically demanding. You will hike, dig, haul materials, use hand tools, and work in rain, mud, heat, or cold.
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Camping trips require multi-night stays where you are responsible for student welfare around the clock. There is no separation between work time and personal time on SPIKE.
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Students may push back against your authority, test your boundaries, and challenge your patience. You must remain calm, consistent, and firm.
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Your schedule and responsibilities will shift-between quarters, between weeks, and sometimes day to day. You need to be comfortable operating without a fixed routine.
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As part of a small team, you may be asked to take on tasks or roles beyond what is described in this document. A willingness to step outside your defined responsibilities is essential.
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Members are not allowed to engage in any prohibited activities per the AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities form.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Applying
We encourage all candidates to reflect honestly on the following before applying. These are not disqualifying factors-they are meant to help you make an informed decision about whether this role is the right fit for you at this point in your life.
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Am I comfortable spending multiple consecutive nights on camping trips in variable weather conditions?
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Am I prepared to hold firm behavioral boundaries with teenagers who may resist or push back against authority?
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Am I comfortable being the sole adult authority in a classroom as a substitute teacher?
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Can I sustain physical outdoor labor over the course of a 10-month term?
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Am I comfortable with a role where my day-to-day responsibilities may change based on what the school needs?
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Am I looking for hands-on, front-line work with students rather than an observational or desk-based experience?
Qualifications
Required
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High school diploma or GED (minimum)
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Bachelor's degree preferred, or commensurate experience in outdoor leadership, youth development, and/or conservation
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Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving history. Must be 20 years of age to qualify as a Northwest Youth Corps driver
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Current photo ID and proof of US citizenship, US national, or permanent resident status
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Willingness to undergo and pass a driving, criminal and sex offender background check
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Knowledge of and commitment to belonging and inclusion
Desired
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Experience teaching and/or leading youth in educational, conservation, reforestation, or outdoor recreation settings
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Desire for personal challenge and a genuine interest in helping youth develop leadership and job skills
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Strong communication skills and a vested interest in community service
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Ability to participate in sustained physical labor in outdoor conditions
These positions are sponsored by The Corps Network's OYSI and EAP program.
Physical Demands/Work Environment
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Work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
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Physical demands-the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.
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In the performance of the job duties, the employee will work in a variety of environments from an office setting to remote locations in the wilderness.
- This position will occasionally work outside in all types of weather conditions and environments including but not limited to high elevations, remote areas, cold, rain, snow, heat, humidity, wind, etc.
- While performing the duties of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation, the employee is required to stand; walk; use hands to handle, feel or operate objects, tools or vehicle; reach with hands and arms; sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk, hear; and smell repeatedly.
**This Position Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.**
All offers are contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check (criminal history and driving history).
Northwest Youth Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer - At Northwest Youth Corps, we believe diversity is an essential source of strength for our communities, and we strive to create a safe and empowering environment for all participants and staff from the widest range of backgrounds and abilities. While we are privileged to facilitate conservation service on our public lands, with humility, we also acknowledge that injustice and violence was at the heart of acquiring these lands. Therefore, we are deeply invested in addressing this traumatic legacy by supporting youth and young adults of all races, ethnicities, gender identities, religions, sexual orientations, economic status, and/or other socio-cultural identifiers to learn, grow, and experience success in our programs, and beyond.
Application Deadline: Open until Filled
Type of position: Individual Placement
Service Dates: August 2026 – June 2027
Length of Term: 1700 Hours (minimum of 43 weeks)
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references and completely fill out the application form found at: https://nwyouthcorps.workbrightats.com
Please select "Twin Rivers Charter School – Outdoor Education and Youth Development Specialist Field Coordinator" when applying.
Additional Information:
For specific information about the Twin Rivers Charter School or the Outdoor Educator/Youth Development Specialist position please contact the Vice Principal David Know at [email protected] or Human Resources Officer Jessica Johnson at [email protected]
The member will not engage in any prohibited activities as stated in the Member Service Agreement.
