Wood Innovations Grant Coordinator – ONSITE – Pacific Northwest Region, State, Private, and Tribal Forestry

Start/End Dates: July 2024 – March 2025

Compensation: $650 per week + $1000 monthly for housing

Medical Insurance provided upon request

Application Due: Apr 26, 2024

The Resource Assistants Program seeks to engage ethnically and racially diverse young professionals in natural resource careers. You must be:

• a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• a college graduate.

* A personal vehicle is required for this position. 

Position Description: 

The position will provide technical assistance and grant management for the Wood Innovations group. This will include working with partners that harvest, transport, manufacture, and market wood products within Oregon and Washington. Target areas include mass timber (construction), wood energy (heat and power), biochar, and any use for small-diameter and low-value wood (such as firewood, insulation, compost, etc). The work will revolve around tracking the 70-plus, Wood Innovation grants. Additional work will include organizing and updating the equipment files, analyzing mass timber projects to identify what has been funded and where more work is needed, and helping to coordinate efforts to map timber market information.

Responsibilities:

The primary duties of the position are to provide technical assistance and grant management for forest biomass harvest, transportation, manufacturing, and marketing to partners of National Forests. 

• Manage Wood Innovation grants and equipment purchased by the Forest Service through grants; assess new technologies, policies, and proposed business developments; and support markets for low-value wood and biomass
• Evaluate proposed projects requesting grant funds and their alignment with Forest Service regional and national goals for wildfire risk reduction, climate resilience, and economic opportunity
• Capacity for extensive collaboration and communication with state, local, and non-profit partners, Forest Service leadership, and staff. Briefing papers and presentations that synthesize and assess related issues and opportunities, infrastructure status, and implications for Forest Service regional and national goals are frequently necessary on short notice
• Target areas of the programs center around, but are not limited to, Mass Timber (construction), Wood Energy (heat & power), Biochar (agriculture & other), and low-value wood (firewood, insulation, compost, etc)
• Setting up, closing out, and managing grants
• Track equipment purchased through grants
• Assess the mass timber industry for strengths and weaknesses
• Help create a map showing the timber market network
•  Learn about innovations within the wood product market

Qualifications:

Major studies relevant to this position are Forestry (any focus area) and Engineering (Structural or Civil), possibly Architecture

• Academic knowledge of forestry or design/construction
• Excellent communication skills (both oral and in writing), attention to detail
• Solid work ethic and ability to take initiative
• Desire to learn about the wood products industry

Direct Hire Authority (DHA)

All RAP interns receive Direct Hire Authority (DHA) at the successful conclusion of their internship. DHA status enables an agency to hire, after public notice is given, any qualified applicant. A DHA expedites hiring by eliminating competitive rating and ranking, veterans’ preference, and “rule of three” procedures. For more information, please click HERE.

EEO Statement

Environment for the Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training