Data Science Steward – AmeriCorps

Position Title: Data Science Steward – AmeriCorps

Conservation Legacy Program: Stewards Individual Placements

Site Location: 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (This Position is Not Remote)

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants that submit application by 6/20/2025

Terms of Service:

• Start Date: 8/18/2025
• End Date: 11/7/2025
• AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 450 Hour

Purpose:

Stewards Individual Placements (Stewards), a program of Conservation Legacy, provides individuals with AmeriCorps service and career opportunities to strengthen communities and preserve our natural resources. Participants serve with federal agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofits to provide institutional capacity, develop community relationships, and support ecosystem health. Stewards in partnership with the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division will host a Data Science Steward.

This Data Science Steward is an AmeriCorps position that will join the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) of the National Park Service (NPS). The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division preserves and restores acoustic and photic environments, increases scientific understanding, and inspires public appreciation of soundscapes and dark night skies. This Steward will work as part of the NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) in Fort Collins, CO to organize a large acoustic monitoring record in preparation for public dissemination. The acoustic monitoring record constitutes approximately 80 TB of audio data across over 1000 monitoring sites and spanning 20 years. This task will involve the development of a systematic workflow for logical data organization. This task may involve the development of Python coding pipelines or other tools to automate data management, the monitoring and troubleshooting of data management scripts, and the creation and updating of standard operating procedures. This task will require the intern to be present at the Fort Collins, CO office to interact with the acoustic archive, and some telework may be possible. It is preferred that the Steward possesses knowledge of the Windows environment and has experience with Python and SQL programming/scripting languages.

Description of Duties:

• Develop a systematic workflow for logical data organization. This includes:
  • Work with supervisor to understand data organization needs.
  • Develop a systematic workflow for logical data organization through coding pipelines or other tools to automate data management.
  • Monitor and troubleshoot data management scripts.
• Initiate the process of packaging up and transferring data. This includes:
  • Review National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) data structure requirements.
  • Work with supervisor to package organized datasets for inclusion in NCEI passive acoustic data archive.
• Document standard operating procedures. This includes:
  • Document, in written form, methods and protocols used to organize acoustic datasets.
  • Share final commented/annotated code versions.

Qualifications:

• Preferred area of study in data science, information science, or computer science
• Not a remote position, must be able to work at 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins CO during business hours, though some additional telework may be possible
• Knowledge of the Windows environment
• This position will require sitting (or standing, if preferred) at a computer
• There is no travel or field work involved in this position
• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien
• Applicants must be between ages of 18-30 years old, or up to 35 for veteran, based on Public Land Corps Act of 1993 authorizing this AmeriCorps opportunity.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Prefer experience with programming/scripting languages such as Python and SQL

Additional Position and Community Information

The duty station for this position is Fort Collins, Colorado. As described on the city’s website (www.fcgov.com), Fort Collins is nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. The city lies approximately 5,000 feet above sea level. Residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate with an average of 300 days of sunshine and 14.5 inches of precipitation a year. July is the average warmest month (Avg. High 86°F – Avg. Low 57°F). January is the average coolest month (Avg. High 42°F – Avg. Low 14°F). Fort Collins encompasses 55.58 square miles (2009) of area and has a total of 492 street miles (2006).

The current estimated number of housing units in Fort Collins is 71,625. Fort Collins has a population of 169,810. The average annual population growth rate is 1.9 percent (2010 Census). Median household income is $81,883. Approximately 64.5% of the population has completed four or more years of college. 

The city maintains more than 875 acres of parks, 40,000 acres of natural areas, 20 miles of off-street hike/ bike trails, three golf courses, a racquet center, three swimming pools, an ice rink and a community center. Fort Collins supports multiple transportation options including 21 bus routes and 280+ miles of wide bike lanes, and 30+ miles of paved trails for pedestrians and bicycles.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,956.35
• Living Allowance of $600.00 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $100.00 per week.
• Student Loan forbearance if Eligible (administered by MyAmeriCorps, directly)
• Interest Payments if Eligible (administered through MyAmeriCorps, directly)

How to Apply
Apply on-line at: https://stewardslegacy.org/open-positions.  In addition to your resume, please submit a one-page cover letter highlighting why you are interested in this position and how your background and experience will help you succeed in this position.

Application Timeline: Preference given to applicants who submit applications by June 20th, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Supervisor Name and Contact Information:

• Program Contact information: Roddy Cobb, Jr. at rcobb@conservationlegacy.org
• Service Site Contact information: Emma Brown at Emma_Brown@nps.gov

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager. 

Additional Details

Physical Requirements:

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

• Term of positions is 12 weeks; full-time 40 hrs/wk. However, part time also available to meet the needs of selected candidate.
• Lunch breaks will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service.
• Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

• Member will receive an orientation that includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.
• Steward host can offer a customized introduction to applying for Federal job opportunities, and will encourage participation in relevant NPS trainings and discussions such as those hosted by Data Science Community of Practice

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service.

Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.