Volunteer Program Lead

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Tuition reimbursement

CalPERS pension

Job summary

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District seeks a Volunteer Program Lead to manage volunteer programs across preserves and to represent the district to community partners. This role motivates, energizes, and fosters meaningful experiences for volunteers while aligning projects with agency needs.

The position collaborates with maintenance, natural resources, and volunteer staff to coordinate all aspects of the program; strong leadership and organization are essential.

Qualifications

• Two years of coordinating volunteer activities or equivalent experience.
• Experience in evaluating or monitoring natural resource systems or trails.
• Bilingual skills are desirable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate all aspects of a volunteer program for natural resource management.
• Work with maintenance, natural resource and volunteer staff to support agency needs.
• Represent the district to community organizations and partners.

Skills

Volunteer coordination

Field data management

Leadership

Community outreach

Education

Associate’s degree in natural resources

Job description

Each year, hundreds of volunteers across multiple programs dedicate their time and energy to supporting the mission of Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. With increasing demand and heightened awareness of the value of volunteers, organizations rely on professional staff to manage this great resource of people. Do you enjoy working outdoors, have a knack for field data management, and the technical and organizational skills required for volunteer coordination? Do you have a passion for seeking out new audiences to connect to the importance of land stewardship? If so, we invite you to apply for the position of Volunteer Program Lead. The anticipated start date for this position is mid-September 2026.

About Midpen

Midpen helps plants, animals and people thrive throughout the greater Santa Cruz Mountains region by preserving a greenbelt of more than 70,000 acres of public open space with 250 miles of trails in 27 extraordinary preserves, permanently protected for natural resource conservation and ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education. Midpen is a public agency with a focused mission that guides our work, and where every employee makes an impact. Working at Midpen video! If you are looking for an outstanding opportunity to contribute to the legacy of open space protection, natural resource restoration and outdoor recreation, working with an incredible team of like-minded colleagues, we invite you to apply for this position! At Midpen, we believe open space is for all. Our public lands are shared spaces provided for the community by the community. All people, regardless of background, deserve respect, dignity, safety, and a sense of belonging. Midpen welcomes all people to enjoy the public open space preserves we hold in trust, supporting the mental, physical, and social well-being of our region.

About the Position

The Volunteer Program Lead is the face of Midpen to volunteers working on resource management efforts in the preserves as well as being a representative to community organizations and partners. This position motivates, energizes, and appreciates volunteers and ensures projects provide a safe and meaningful experience that support established agency needs. This is an excellent opportunity for a creative leader committed to strategizing and enhancing a strong volunteer program.

Responsibilities include working with maintenance, natural resource and volunteer management staff to coordinate all aspects of a successful volunteer program for natural resource management. Click to view the full Job Description.

A Few Reasons Why You May Love This Job

• Collaborative work that directly supports Midpen’s mission to protect and restore the natural environment by organizing and leading rewarding volunteer projects
• You’ll coordinate with talented and dynamic coworkers across multiple departments whose work contributes to the strategic resource management goals at Midpen.
• Excellent employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision, tuition reimbursement, and a retirement pension through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)

Work Environment

• Reporting Location: This is a full-time position working under the supervision of the Volunteer Program Manager in the Visitor Services Department. This position will primarily report out of the Foothills Field Office in Cupertino located at 501 Rancho San Antonio Drive. Administrative tasks will be performed in the field, from home (as approved) and occasionally at the Administration office in Los Altos.
• Schedule: The Volunteer Program Lead’s schedule requires regular weekend work plus occasional evenings and holidays. Weekend coverage is essential to support volunteer activities.
• Working Conditions: The Volunteer Program Lead is a fairly independent position requiring solo work in the field, frequent site visits, and hiking sometimes steep terrain in wildland areas with poison oak and wildlife. Field work will also require driving a District truck in remote areas on unimproved dirt roads in inclement weather conditions. Ideal candidates will be comfortable working in these types of field conditions, as well as in an office environment including some full days of program administrative tasks using various software programs and applications on a computer, phone, or tablet. This position wears a prescribed District uniform and adheres to strict safety procedures and work habits. Depending on the exposure, employees may be required to wear head, hearing, eye, foot, face, hand, or other protection equipment.

Benefits

Midpen provides an excellent benefits package including health, life & disability insurance as well as CalPERS pension. See the Benefits page on our website for details.

How to Apply

apply online at CalOpps.org. The deadline to apply is Sunday, August 2, 2026. Applicants with the most relevant experience and qualifications suitable for the position will be contacted for an interview.

Required application items

1. Fully completed CalOpps employment application
2. Cover letter
3. Resume
4. Supplemental question responses

*Incomplete CalOpps employment applications, or applications without the required application items listed here, will not be considered for the position.

Interview Schedule

• First Interview (Virtual): Wednesday, August 26, 2026
• Second Interview & Written Exercise (In-Person): Monday, August 31, 2026

Midpen reserves the right to limit or deny off-duty employment or business ownership which creates a conflict of interest or an incompatibility with District employment. Additional information can be found in the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual Section 4.13 Off-Duty Employment and Business Ownership.

A note to applicants who currently live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area

before committing to the application process, and if you haven’t done so already, we suggest evaluating the feasibility of relocation. We recommend researching the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area, the cost to relocate, and typical commute times to Los Altos from outlying areas.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation

by contacting the Human Resources department at [phone]

Put your passion for Open Space to work!

Education & Experience

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Equivalent to an Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in natural resource management, biology, ecology, natural lands or park management, or a related field combined with two (2) years of relevant experience working with the public and coordinating volunteer activities.

Additionally

One (1) year of experience in one of the following areas (which can overlap with the above experience):

• One (1) year of experience in evaluating, surveying, or monitoring of natural resource systems, OR
• One (1) year of experience in trail construction, maintenance, and/or repair of parks, open spaces, and/or related facilities.
• Bilingual skills are highly desirable.

Licenses & Certifications Required

• Possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, Basic First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification within six (6) months of employment.