The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority seeks an Intern to support the planning work in Coyote Valley, including working on the Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan and community engagement efforts related to the plan.  

Our mission is to conserve the natural environment, support agriculture, and connect people to nature by protecting open spaces, natural areas, and working farms and ranches for future generations. Since 1993 the Open Space Authority has protected almost 30,000 acres of natural and working lands across the Santa Clara Valley. Our agency manages and conserves a network of open space lands and natural resources, while providing compatible opportunities for hiking, biking, and equestrian uses, with a focus on increasing equity of access to the outdoors for all our constituents.

We know our continued success depends on our employees and the work they do. We are committed to providing a collaborative and inclusive work environment that encourages growth and development; and acknowledges individual and team achievements.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a current student or recent graduate pursuing a career in open space planning, geography, natural resources, landscape architecture, or similar majors looking for an opportunity to apply your academic learnings in a real-world setting. This opportunity to gain public sector work experience for a mission driven organization will amplify your long-term career pursuits and expand your understanding of the Open Space Authority’s work and mission.

As a member of the Long-Range Planning Department, the Coyote Valley Planning Intern will play a hands-on role in the Open Space Authority’s planning work in Coyote Valley. You may be asked to develop public outreach communications (e.g. email, blog post, newsletter article, etc.) and community meeting materials (e.g. poster boards, presentation slides, etc.), and support in the preparation of community outreach events. You will be able to undertake a special project that will support the Open Space Authority’s mission to connect people to nature in Coyote Valley. Example project ideas include:

• Through archival research, oral history interviews, and other methods create a compelling public-facing deliverable (e.g. an ArcGIS story map) that documents and shares Coyote Valley’s history.
• Using existing conditions analyses, design guidelines, and communicating with subject-matter experts across departments, identify common goals, opportunities, and challenges associated with public use and access at the site-specific level for one of the protected properties in Coyote Valley.
• Plan and implement a community engagement activity or event in Coyote Valley which focuses on reaching populations that face barriers to accessing open space with the goal of gathering feedback about future plans for open space in Coyote Valley.

You have the ability to balance a variety of tasks, to follow through and deliver on commitments. You are coachable, curious, and want to take initiative. This internship will provide opportunities to expand your personal career development learning from colleagues, preparing meeting documentation, resources, and slide decks supporting community engagement activities.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• High school diploma or the equivalent.
• Currently enrolled in academic coursework in Environmental, Urban or City & Regional Planning, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Natural Resources Management.
• Understanding of project management.
• Knowledge of the principles of land use planning.
• Familiarity with ESRI software programs and/or Adobe creative Suite.

Note: This position is required to take and pass a pre-employment background check.

If you are excited by the opportunities and challenges offered in this position, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience is non-typical or if you are not sure you meet every one of the qualifications described.

Compensation & Shift Details

The pay rate for this temporary, non-exempt position is $31.54 hourly. This position will be enrolled in CalPERS retirement programs. This internship opportunity is expected to occur over summer of 2025. Exact hours can vary to balance with intern’s academic schedule. The Open Space Authority supports a hybrid workplace and this position may be afforded opportunities for remote work.

Application and Selection

All application materials must be received prior to January 27, 2025, at 5:00 PM. To be considered for this opportunity, submit your application materials including cover letter and a self-prepared resume at the application link provided below. The Open Space Authority utilizes a robust process that will ask qualified candidates to engage in multiple steps leading up to a final panel interview. We encourage applicants to closely monitor email communication from the Open Space Authority’s hiring team.

Go here to apply for the job:  https://bit.ly/40pdpHt

Workplace Culture Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

The staff of the Open Space Authority are passionate about conservation and driven to make an impact in the community through their work. Everyone brings a unique skillset to their role and the creative collaboration of all staff maximizes talent to realize the Open Space Authority's mission. We have established values and defined supporting behaviors that are shared and demonstrated by every employee at the Open Space Authority. Together all of these reflect the culture that makes the Open Space Authority the high performing agency that it is. We are Intentional, Respectful, Accountable, Empowering, Innovative, Collaborative, and Inclusive. You can learn more about the staff of the Open Space Authority and how everyone works together on our website here.

The Open Space Authority envisions the Santa Clara Valley as a region dense with beautiful natural areas, where a vibrant network of interconnected open spaces, trails, wildlife habitats, and thriving agricultural lands enrich our communities. Learn more about the Open Space Authority tackles these goals.

The Open Space Authority values Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access in our work to preserve the natural environment, support agriculture, and connect people to nature:

• We have Accessible, Collaborative, and Accountable processes to engage the diverse communities we serve in our programs, projects, careers, and governance opportunities.
• We have Respect for the land and all people in our community.
• We are Inclusive and acknowledge current and historic land stewards.
• We Empower future generations of conservation leaders.
• We invite everyone to join and connect to nature with us.

The Authority is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are earnest in our efforts to comply with all state and federal laws providing Equal Employment Opportunities, and all other employment laws and regulations. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation or physical disability. We are committed to creating a safe environment where people are treated with respect and appreciated for their unique differences, where issues are promptly raised and resolved and where communication flows across all levels of the agency.