Engineering Member- Acadia National Park – Build Up Technical Internship Program

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service, is seeking one member to contribute to engineering projects alongside NPS Staff.

About Build Up Technical Internship Program: This position is part of the Build Up Technical Internship Program facilitated by the Historic Preservation Training Center. The Build Up Technical Internship Program is working to expand and diversify the National Park Service workforce while addressing critical maintenance needs by providing professional experiences in technical fields to students and recent graduates.

For more information about the Build Up Technical Internship Program, please visit the NPS website.

For more information about ACE, please visit our website.

Start Date: June 2, 2025

Estimated End Date: August 22, 2025

*a 12-week minimum commitment is required *

Location Details/Description: Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, serves as the duty station. Acadia National Park is located 50 miles southeast of Bangor, Maine, and 240 miles northeast of Boston, Massachusetts. Acadia National Park protects a landscape of rare scenic beauty. Acadia’s mountains are the highest rocky headlands on the Atlantic shore of the United States, and the vistas from these mountaintops encompass forested woodlands, shimmering lakes, quiet marshes, bold rocky shores, and coastal islands. Surrounding the park on all sides, the ocean strongly influences the park’s character. Visitation exceeds three million visits annually, with the highest visitation occurring in July and August.

Acadia National Park protects more than 47,000 acres of stunning scenery, nationally-significant cultural resources and a wide variety of natural habitats along the rocky, mid-coast of Maine “where the mountains meet the sea.” The duty station, Bar Harbor, Maine, is located 50 miles southeast of Bangor on Mount Desert Island, which is connected to the mainland by a highway with a short bridge. Temperatures generally range from under 10 degrees in the winter to 80 degrees in the summer, with the ocean influencing the park’s character and weather. Local communities offer schools, grocery stores, health care facilities, banks and small businesses. Ellsworth (20 miles away) and Bangor offer a broad range of amenities. Acadia offers almost unlimited recreational opportunities year-round; you can drive the park’s scenic and historic motor roads, hike from oceanside to mountaintop on over 125 miles of highly crafted hiking trails, bike along the gravel carriage roads that are free of motorized traffic, or explore the rockbound waters of the Atlantic or a pristine lake by boat. With four million visits per year, the park and local communities are extremely busy in the summer.

Cell reception is spotty within the park, park headquarters, and government housing accommodations. Acadia Headquarters (office and work site) is approximately 3 miles east of the village of Bar Harbor, where amenities are available such as grocery, post office, library, fire/police, restaurants, and retail.

A personal vehicle is recommended.

For more information about Acadia National Park, please visit the National Park Service website.

Position Overview: This position is located in Acadia National Park and serves as a Construction Control Representative at Acadia National Park, reporting to the Chief of Project Management.Acadia National Park has an extensive number of projects each year, to include high visibility projects funded through the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) of the Great America Outdoors Act. The park has approximately $134M in deferred maintenance, and in addition to managing major projects funded through LRF or the Line Item Construction Program, each year this position will manage $2M-$4M in cyclic and repair/rehab projects, $2M – $8M in road paving or bridge maintenance projects, and $3M-$4M in Recreation Fee supported projects. The park also works closely with its primary philanthropic partner, Friends of Acadia, to implement projects funded through donated funds.

This position will be primarily assisting the park in developing in-house construction documents and providing support during construction for a culvert replacement and new vault toilets on the Isle au Haut. Travel by boat will be required.

This individual placement is meant to facilitate professional development and promotes exposure to land management agencies and networking with professionals. This could include gaining experience in different conservation fields and shadowing different work groups.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $840/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service and 640 hours of service. If the duration of a PLC-eligible term is not long enough for Members to accrue 640 hours of service (~16 weeks), the total hours served at the completion of the term may be eligible to be combined with hours accrued from another PLC-eligible term to meet the 640 hours requirement. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general eligibility information on our website.

Housing: Park housing is available for the duration of the term.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position-specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific training may include basic Civil 3D workflow guidance, and training on operating a Trimble SX-12 scanner for capturing as-built conditions.

Qualifications

Required:

• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required by U.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required criminal history checks
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• Member may not participate in any prohibited activities as listed in the Member Service Agreement.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website.

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a minimum of a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as engineering and project management.
• Knowledge of Autodesk Civil 3D, hydrologic analysis, and land survey skills.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a team and be independently motivated.
• Deep interest in the National Park Service, the built environment, and engineering.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, hiking, carrying, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talking and hearing. Manual dexterity required for use of various tools, computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch. Ability to hike over rough terrain.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Frequently moves up to 50 lbs., ability to move up to 80 pounds.
• Environmental: Outdoor and indoor conditions. Work environment conditions can change frequently; working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates. Mainly indoor, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good and temperature is controlled.
• Noise Environment: Moderate to high noise such as gas-powered chainsaws and other hand and power tools. Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic.
• Travel: This position may require domestic travel or travel by boat to outlying islands in the park.

Environmental Conditions/Hazards: The ACE member(s) may encounter environmental conditions/hazards including extreme heat or cold, rocky terrain, swamp or wetland conditions, biting insects, and potentially dangerous wildlife. The member is expected to conduct duties in a safe and orderly manner so as not to endanger self, fellow staff/members or resources. Ticks and mosquitos are prevalent in Acadia National Park during summer months.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the NPS or ACE. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the NPS. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the NPS, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to NPS and ACE equipment training, certification and safety protocols is required.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to ACE’s online application page for this position on our website. Early consideration will be given as applications are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC NPS Historic Preservation Project Manager, Kyle Ellison.

ACE values an inclusive workforce – if you meet at least 70 percent of the qualifications, we want to hear from you!

ACE participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information when you are hired to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

EEO: Employment with ACE is based upon ability, qualifications, attitude, and job-related factors. Every qualified employee or applicant has the same opportunity for recruitment, hire, training, transfer, promotion, compensation, demotion, termination, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, citizenship status, genetic information (including of a family member), veteran or military status, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, medical condition, marital or parental status, political affiliation, ethnicity, hair texture or style, arrest record, caste, hereditary status, endogamy, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.