Career Connections Engagement Partner (Yampa Valley Partnership), RPC Fellow

Note: This is a full-time RPC AmeriCorps position with Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship & Sustainability

About the Rural Partners Corps:

The Rural Partners Corps (RPC) is a new AmeriCorps service fellowship from Lead For America (LFA) that places locally rooted fellows with rural, place-based backbone organizations. Fellows already live in or near the communities they serve. They bring local knowledge, transferable skills, relationships, and a commitment to making their communities stronger.

RPC Fellows will serve 40 hours per week from December through August, working alongside Host Site staff and community partners to build organizational and community capacity and advance cradle-to-career economic mobility for rural young people.

About Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship & Sustainability

The Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship and Sustainability (YVPS3) is committed to expanding career-connected opportunities for every student throughout the Yampa Valley. Our work is grounded in the belief that a student's ZIP code, family income, school, or personal network should never determine access to high-quality career exploration and work-based learning experiences.

YVPS3 partners with schools, employers, and community organizations to build systems that remove barriers to participation and ensure students across our rural region have equal access to career-connected learning.

Position Overview

YVPS3 is building the regional systems needed to make career-connected learning equitable, accessible, and sustainable for students across the Yampa Valley. YVPS3 is developing a region-wide web-based work-based learning platform, strengthening partnerships with local employers, designing high-quality work-based learning experiences, expanding paid internships and other compensated opportunities, and piloting an integrated career advising model within schools.

The RPC Fellow will be a locally rooted member of the team who helps expand the scale, reach, and sustainability of these cradle-to-career efforts. The Fellow will support partnership building, asset mapping, employer engagement, and resource development so that more students and families can explore careers, build professional networks, and access clear pathways to education and employment.

The Fellow's service is focused on building lasting community connections and capacity through staff-directed research, outreach, resource development, and support for approved career-connected learning activities. The Fellow will work under YVPS3 staff guidance and will not independently manage the platform, direct partner organizations, or make decisions on behalf of participating schools or employers.

Key Responsibilities

• The RPC fellow will: Project 1: Regional Career-Connected Learning Asset Map
• Assist staff in collecting and organizing information on at least 25 regional resources (employers, training providers, higher education partners, nonprofits, and existing student opportunities), using staff-approved procedures and appropriate information-sharing practices.
• Record each resource in a shared, updatable format with consistent fields (sector, contact, opportunity type, student eligibility), using staff-approved procedures and appropriate information-sharing practices.
• Help set up a process for staff to update the map after the term, and document it in one how-to guide for staff review and approval.
• Project 2: Work-Based Learning Platform Launch and Adoption
• Assist with staff-directed development and population of the platform.
• Support the onboarding of at least 20 employers and all partner schools or community partners by helping share platform information, gather requested information, and provide staff-approved onboarding resources for staff review and approval before distribution.
• Help develop at least three user guides or outreach materials (for example, employer, educator, and student/family versions) about the Career Connections platform for staff review and approval before distribution.
• Support the delivery of at least 3 student and employer information sessions in coordination with YVPS3 and participating school or employer staff.
• Support staff-led outreach through social media, school announcement platforms and other avenues to increase student, teacher, and community awareness of and usage of the Career Connections platform. All communications will follow organizational procedures and be reviewed or approved by authorized staff before publication, as required.
• Project 3: Employer Partnership Expansion and Mentor Capacity
• Support staff outreach to at least 40 prospective employer partners to share information and identify potential opportunities for career-connected learning.
• Help develop one employer toolkit, one mentor orientation packet, and one feedback tool for staff review and approval.
• Assist with at least 2 employer roundtables, listening sessions, or convenings under staff direction.
• Help maintain a shared partner contact and engagement record, updated at least monthly, in accordance with staff guidance and applicable privacy and data-handling procedures.
• Support the collection of employer and student feedback after each work-based learning experience and compile findings for staff review
• Project 4: Integrated Career Advising Pilot
• Help organize and support the pilot in one to two partner schools under the direction of YVPS3 and participating school staff.
• Assist with at least 3 family-facing events or communications about career pathways, with school or YVPS3 staff present for Member-supported student activities, as appropriate.
• Support the development of one to two resource guides connecting students and families to local employers and career-connected learning opportunities, for staff review and approval.
• Help gather feedback from students and families, and participating school staff using staff-approved methods and applicable consent and confidentiality procedures.
• Contribute one written summary of feedback and lessons learned to inform expansion to additional schools for staff review and use in program planning.
• All service activities will be performed under the guidance, supervision, and direction of YVPS3 and, where applicable, participating school staff, and will be consistent with the approved RPC grant and applicable AmeriCorps requirements. The Fellow will not independently make organizational decisions, commit resources on behalf of YVPS3 or its partners, or replace paid employees or existing volunteers. Member activities will supplement staff and partner efforts and will not duplicate services already available locally. Staff will retain responsibility for program direction, platform governance, employer and school agreements, and approval of materials and work products.
• Learning & Development Opportunities
• As an RPC fellow, you will receive structured training and support throughout your service year, including:
• A week-long virtual orientation with the national cohort to kick off the service year.
• A week-long, in-person national Winter Institute convening with your Lead For America cohort — travel, lodging, and a per diem stipend are fully covered.
• Twice-monthly virtual training on skills for service, including project management, asset-based community development, grant writing, and serving vulnerable populations, plus self-paced curricula with opportunities to earn badges and credentials.
• A structured community listening tour at the start of service to understand local needs, assets, and opportunities.
• Dedicated 1:1 support from a Lead For America Program Coordinator and twice-monthly peer pod meetings for networking and professional development.
• Access to a national network of Lead For America fellows, alumni, and community partners.

Requirements

• Who We’re Looking For The ideal RPC Fellow is a community-rooted, service-oriented, self-directed professional who lives in or near the rural community where they will serve.
• The ideal candidate brings: A meaningful connection to the community and understanding of its strengths, priorities, and relationships
• A commitment to serving the community where they live
• Strong relationship-building, communication, and collaboration skills
• Initiative and independence to organize work and move projects forward
• Transferable skills in areas such as project management, community engagement, youth development, workforce development, partnership development, communications, or organizational capacity building
• The ability to work across nonprofit, government, education, business, and community sectors
• Humility and curiosity—the ability to learn from community members and local leaders rather than arrive with predetermined solutions
• Alignment with the Host Site's mission, values, culture, and priorities
• Readiness to meet LFA, AmeriCorps, and service fellowship expectations
• Eligibility: Be a U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident.
• Hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
• Be 17 years of age or older by the start of service.
• Have not already served four (4) or more AmeriCorps State/National terms.

Timeline:

We are currently recruiting fellows to serve from December 7th, 2026 - August 13th, 2027. Fellows will serve full-time (approximately 40 hours per week), completing 1200 hours of service over the course of the term.

Application Process:

Submit Your Application: Complete the application on the next page to join our general talent pool.

Host Site Review: Our host site organization will review your application, and invite those moving forward to interview.

Lead For America Interview: Finalist candidates will be invited to interview with the Lead For America team.