Environmental Justice Organizer, Catalyst Urban Forest Program

Position Summary

As a Catalyst Environmental Justice Organizer, you will:

1. Create and lead opportunities for community stakeholders to inform the vision, strategy, and goals of NYC’s first Urban Forest Plan. This includes contributing strategy, tactics, and direct implementation in our city-wide campaign. Our efforts will center and engage key Environmental Justice communities where urban tree canopy improvements yield vital community benefits while reaching citywide to enable broader participation in the Plan’s formation.
2. Build constituencies for the Plan, bringing in key new stakeholders to the growing community of stewards and advocates. A key objective is connecting community members to local next steps for growing, caring for, and protecting our Urban Forest. This also includes pathways into citywide stewardship, monitoring, and advocacy efforts.

This role involves a mix of in-person, office, home, and hybrid work. Significant in-person, place-based organizing, programming, and Plan input facilitation events are required. You will report findings and facilitate communication among Plan writers, implementers, and stakeholders, including the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, City Parks Foundation, Natural Areas Conservancy team members, and Forest For All NYC coalition leadership.

This grant-funded position is for one year, with a prioritized opportunity to be considered for future work based on performance and outcomes.

Compensation

$50,000 – $60,000 per year

Responsibilities

Outreach, Engagement, & Facilitation of Community Input for the Plan

• Organize workshops, community conversations, nature walks, and stewardship events supporting the Urban Forest Plan (UFP).
• Facilitate or support workshops as needed.
• Create and disseminate outreach and engagement materials in coordination with citywide efforts.
• Provide efficient and accurate reporting reflecting community input and priorities.
• Synthesize community input to highlight key stakeholder-generated themes, opportunities, challenges, and best practices for the Plan.
• Build and grow the NYC Urban Forest constituency by engaging and connecting participants to ongoing actions and next steps.
• Facilitate collaboration among partners and leverage local/regional resources to amplify community efforts.
• Work nights and weekends as needed and support other priority initiatives as directed.

Overall Context, Collaboration, and Relationship Building

• Build effective, collaborative relationships with campaign leaders, including Partnerships for Parks, City Parks Foundation, NYC Parks, Natural Areas Conservancy, and Forest For All NYC Coalition members.
• Support projects and initiatives from campaign leaders in a collaborative manner.
• Connect communities to Partnerships for Parks and related programs, events, and skill-building opportunities.
• Participate in work plan development and strategic planning.
• Work closely with the Catalyst Urban Forest Program Manager and Director.

Qualifications

• Motivated, resourceful, and creative self-starter with a passion for sustainable community engagement.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in community organizing, coalition-building, public service, or related fields.
• Skilled in outreach, flyering, and door knocking.
• Experienced in planning community-led events and collaborative projects.
• Proficient in qualitative and quantitative data collection.
• Strong public speaking, writing, and listening skills.
• Familiar with office software and Google apps.
• Responsible, detail-oriented, and organized with strong project management skills.
• Capable of effectively representing NYC government programs and policies.

Additional Requirements:

• Regular in-person and digital engagement with stakeholders across NYC.
• Availability for evening and weekend work.
• Physical ability to lift up to 40lbs and participate in physical activities, including leading stewardship projects.
• Driver’s license preferred (required within one year of hire).
• Multilingual candidates strongly preferred; Spanish is a priority.

About City Parks Foundation

City Parks Foundation (CPF) transforms New York City parks into vibrant urban centers through arts, environmental education, sports, and community-building programs for all New Yorkers.

Community Engagement Programs:

• Partnerships for Parks, supporting community leaders who care for and advocate for parks.
• NYC Green Fund, a regranting program for parks and open space organizations.

Cultural and Educational Offerings:

• SummerStage, an outdoor performing arts festival featuring world-class artists.
• Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and PuppetMobile presenting marionette puppet theater citywide.

Environmental and Sports Programs:

• Connecting youth to nature through experiential learning in urban forests, coasts, and gardens.
• Free golf, tennis, track & field, soccer, and fitness programs in underserved areas.

Learn more here