Environmental Education - Adult Crew Leaders YCC; CSA II's, Ages 18 Continuous

Overview

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.

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://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).-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 se 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. We encourage applicants who may speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Chinese, or Russian.

• 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 per hour, depending on experience and training

Crew leaders participate in professional development, networking, and growth opportunities. This may be a path into ongoing work with Portland Parks & Recreation. Alumni are encouraged to apply.

Portland Parks & Recreation is dedicated to ensuring everyone can enjoy our parks and services, with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage people who speak other languages to apply.

Youth Conservation Crew (YCC) crew leaders co-lead and supervise a crew of up to 10 teenage youth while completing hands-on conservation projects in Portland’s parks and natural areas. Working with a co-leader and crew sponsor, crew leaders mentor youth (ages 14–18) in their professional growth and first-time work experiences. They teach essential job skills in natural areas maintenance, teamwork, and leadership while fostering an inclusive environment.

Projects include trail building, habitat restoration, community gardening, and tree care, with safety and project timeliness as priorities. Daily responsibilities include creating a safe work environment, teaching technical skills and ecological lessons, tracking crew activities and youth progress, and attending weekly collaboration meetings.

• Mentor and lead teenage youth: Build connections with each teen, guide job skills development, teamwork, and professional goals; foster a sense of belonging.
• Co-lead field-based projects: Plan daily schedules and lead restoration projects, including gardening maintenance, invasive plant removal, native planting, trail maintenance, and tree care.
• Teach: Mentor youth in work readiness, staying on task, teamwork, leadership; teach tool safety and ecological lessons.
• Collect data and report: Track crew activities and youth progress; participate in weekly meetings and mid/end-of-summer evaluations.
• Additional duties: Assist with other programmatic duties as needed.

The ideal candidate is comfortable leading outdoors, enjoys connecting with teens from diverse backgrounds, balances warmth with high expectations, and can manage multiple responsibilities in dynamic outdoor settings. They should be committed to culturally responsive leadership and creating an inclusive environment where all crew members can grow.

• Support Equity and Inclusion: Commit to an inclusive environment for all participants and staff.
• Engage with Youth: Experience working with and leading youth ages 14–18 in outdoor/conservation settings.
• Communicate and Collaborate: Strong communication skills with youth, partner organizations, and Parks staff.
• Be Adaptable and Organized: Manage multiple tasks, adapt to changing…