Staff Position: Outreach Specialist

Apply in a variety of ways (see below for details) by October 13, 2022.  

BACKGROUND: 

Great Rivers Greenway is the public agency making the St. Louis region a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a regional network of greenways. 

Great Rivers Greenway’s Outreach program is hugely important to getting the word out about the greenways and connecting to community members. This is a crucial function for us, both because many people do not know about the greenways, their benefits and our future plans in the region, and also because it’s an important chance for people to ask questions and give us feedback to inform our work. The position of Outreach Specialist has been created to increase our ability to be in touch with the two million residents of St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. 

The Outreach Specialist position is a permanent, part-time, on-call position with an hourly wage of $20/hour. Benefits are paid training (including 2 hours of paid ongoing education monthly) and mileage reimbursement from the Great Rivers Greenway office (at City Foundry) to and from events, programs and duties. This position is expected to work at least 8 assignments per year. Assignments can range anywhere from 3-10 hours (including transportation and setup). This position demands a dedicated, flexible professional with excellent customer service skills including active listening and attention to detail. This position does not hold regular hours or attend any regular meetings. 

Outreach Specialists are an extension of staff, report to the Outreach Coordinator and serve the mission in many ways. Outreach Specialists are welcome to serve in any of these capacities (full, paid training provided). 

  • Staffing our booth or table at events: 
    • Outreach Coordinator makes all arrangements, Outreach Specialist, if they accept an assignment, would pick up equipment and materials, go set up and staff event – engaging with people and giving out maps and goodies – and then tear down and return gear, later evaluating the event overall. Sometimes Outreach Specialists may just work one shift and not do setup. 
    • 100+ opportunities per year, varying from large-scale events like Festival of Nations to smaller opportunities such as a corporate volunteer fair for employees to Great Rivers Greenway’s own events and programs. 
    • Events can be indoor, outdoor, general information or for a specific project.  
  • Serve as a welcoming Great Rivers Greenway representative at programs and events, including volunteer workdays or local groups meeting on the greenways.  
  • Lead walking tours or other programs on the greenways. 
  • Lead volunteer workdays (picking up trash, removing invasive plants, planting trees, etc) 
  • Speaking or presenting to groups of 10-100 people about the greenways (everything from a 2-minute announcement at a neighborhood meeting to an hour-long PowerPoint presentation). 
  • Host pop-ups on the greenways to greet people, answer questions, give out goodies. 
  • Staff the agency’s front desk (occasionally).
  • Put up or take down promotional yard signs at greenway trailheads or access points.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS: 

Reports to:              Outreach Coordinator 

Collaborates with: All staff, volunteer ambassadors 

POSITION QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Education/Training: No specific education requirements 

Experience: At least two (2) years of customer service experience 

Skills and Abilities:
(These may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.) 

  • Be self-directed and possess sound judgment. 
  • Ability to complete tasks and duties in a timely and accurate manner with minimal supervision. 
  • Excellent customer service skills including active listening. 
  • Able to learn a lot of new, complex and sometimes technical information continually and share with passion and accuracy. 
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to establish rapport quickly and maintain solid relationships with a wide range of audiences. 
  • Ability to represent and reflect organizational values. 
  • Approachable demeanor and ability to adapt to a variety of situations. 
  • Mental and physical stamina to set up and staff outreach opportunities. 
  • Team-oriented with a commitment to sustaining strong, productive working partnerships with all staff, board members, volunteers and the community. 

Computer Skills: 

  • PC or mobile phone operation at a beginner level preferred for submitting reports (through a website) and reviewing updates that are emailed. 

Machines, Tools, Equipment and Work Aids:
(These may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.) 

  • Occasional use of a tablet 
  • EZ Up Pop Up Tent, folding tables, rolling carts 

License(s)/Certification(s) Required: 

  • Driver’s license and access to a vehicle required for most opportunities, mileage is reimbursed. 

On-The-Job Training Time: 

  • Up to three (3) months of training time where an experienced staff member will attend events alongside the new Outreach Specialist. 

Physical/Visual Activities or Demands:
(These may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.) 

  • While performing the duties of this position the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to lift up to 50 pounds and navigate loading and unloading of materials and equipment. Vision requirements include close vision, ability to adjust and focus, distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more), ability to judge distances and spatial relationships. 

Work Environment:
(These may be representative but not all inclusive of environmental and atmospheric conditions commonly associated with this position.) 

  • Exposure to weather conditions when necessary. Possible exposure to loud music or noises and dangers associated with outdoor events. 

Great Rivers Greenway is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, veteran status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status or disability (in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act) with respect to employment opportunities. 

Great Rivers Greenway is an E-Verify employer. E-Verify is an internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees in the United States. More information on our jobs page at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/jobs

Great Rivers Greenway values diversity, equity and inclusion – you can read about their mission and business cases at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org

Interviews will take place in October, position will begin with paid training. 


You can apply for this job in one of two ways before October 13th, 2022:

  1. Download this PDF form and fill it out. Send it back by:
    1. Emailing it to info@grgstl.org. (can scan or just take photos and email them)
    2. Mailing or dropping it off at 3745 Foundry Way, Suite 253, St. Louis, MO 63110—– OR —–
  2. Fill out this online form below:

Spring “To Do” List: Parks & Greenspaces

Here are some tasks to add to your spring “To Do” List:

Mulch
After Spring cut back but before the flush of growth is a great time to mulch around perennials and shrubs alike. Ensure that there is no mulch piled at the base of any plant material as it will encourage disease and rot at the base of the plants. This includes trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses!

Irrigation
It’s that time of the year to start your irrigation systems up!
-Backflow testing
-Charging and running the irrigation lines and stations
-Finding those pesky leaks-if its drip line you will have the leaks!
-Testing the control box
-Setting run times and so much more…

Organic Land Care Maintenance
If you use organic practices in your gardens, now is the time of  year to add a pre-emergent. We recommend corn gluten as a great pre-emergent in your gardens and gardens only! After mulching, you can broadcast spread the corn gluten by following the product label.

Turf
Its time to get your seed, fertilizer, and soon aerate in those highly used green spaces!

Brickline Greenway Northern Segment Is Awarded $15 Million in Construction Funds From United States Department of Transportation

RAISE discretionary grant program (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) selected this St. Louis project for funding

With great support from Senator Roy Blunt and Congresswoman Cori Bush, part of the northern segment of the Brickline Greenway, from Fairground Park to Forest Park Avenue, just took an important step forward. The United States Department of Transportation awarded Great Rivers Greenway $15 million in construction funding as part of their RAISE discretionary grant program (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity).

This segment of the Brickline Greenway path will give people transportation choices and connections to nearby destinations, especially on this route with high crash, injury and fatality rates for people walking or riding bikes. The greenway will also include features along the way to enhance the environment and climate change resiliency, improve the safety of visitors and tell the stories of the place through signs, public art and programs. Another major goal is for the greenway to be a catalyst for equitable economic development to strengthen the neighborhoods and current residents in this historically disinvested area. The approach to equity means pursuing shared prosperity for people here now and driving job and population growth. Working with residents, partners and leaders, the greenway project and process strives to drive access to transportation, employment and training opportunities, affordable housing, job and population growth and overall quality of life. Great Rivers Greenway is working with many different kinds of partners to bring all of these aspects of the project to life.

The 2.16 mile section spans 4 neighborhoods, connecting destinations like Fairground Park, Boys & Girls Club of St. Louis, Saint Louis University, City Foundry, churches, businesses and the busiest transit route in the MetroBus system. The total cost of this project from Fairground Park to Forest Park Ave is $41 million and is currently in planning with community engagement, estimated to move into construction in 2025. The RAISE grant, funding a portion of the project’s construction from Fairground Park to Page Avenue, is supported by additional local sales tax dollars that fund Great Rivers Greenway and the match is being supported by Edward Jones and other private donors. Additional fundraising is currently underway. Another portion of the project, from Sarah Street to the Grand MetroLink Station, recently received $4 million in federal funds for construction through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) through East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

This segment is part of the overall Brickline Greenway, a public-private project to connect Forest Park, Gateway Arch National Park, Fairground Park and Tower Grove Park with a network of 10-20 miles of greenway paths connecting up to 17 neighborhoods and creating equitable opportunities for growth along the way. The project is driven by community engagement across all audiences. Visit www.BricklineGreenway.org to learn more about the project and subscribe for email or text updates. The full application and letters of support can be viewed at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/RAISE.