Conservation Project Manager

American Conservation Experience (ACE) is a dynamic non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities that harness the idealism and energy of a volunteer labor force to help restore America’s public lands. ACE has a national reputation for providing exceptional training and support to enable crews to safely and economically implement technically complex and physically demanding conservation projects for the US Forest Service, BLM, National Park Service, USFWS and numerous state and local land management partners.

Job Title: Conservation Project Manager – USVI

Location: St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Department/Division: Crew, Eastern Division

Status: Temporary, Full-Time (Exempt)

Start Date: August 19, 2024

Schedule/Hours: Monday – Friday with a typical schedule of 8 hours/day; Full-time, 40 hours/week with additional hours as needed. Some evening and weekend hours may be occasionally required.

Compensation: Starting annualized salary of $40,000.00 (40 hours/week for 52-weeks), paid bi-weekly.

Wellness Allowance: ACE provides a monthly health/wellness allowance of $120 for full-time support staff located in specific geographic locations or outside the U.S. 

Retirement Plan:  ACE Staff members are also eligible to participate in ACE’s 403b retirement plan with a 2% employer contribution.

Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time: As an ACE staff member, you will be eligible to accrue up to 80 hours of paid vacation time annually during your first two years of continuous employment, then it increases to 120 hours annually. ACE observes 13 paid annual holidays (floating holiday flexibility). ACE provides 10 days (or 80 hours) of paid sick time annually.

Reports To: Associate Director of Operations.

Travel: Significant travel (20-40%) and field time could be required. Most travel will be day trips on St. Croix but could expand to other islands.

Position Summary:

ACE’s Eastern Crew Region program operates year-round with young adult volunteer AmeriCorps crews completing trail, ecological restoration, historic preservation and conservation field projects throughout the Eastern Region of the US, from the ancient forests of the Appalachian Mountains to the barrier islands on Atlantic Coast and other inspiring landscapes of the Eastern United States, including the Caribbean! As a Project Manager, you will play a crucial role in advancing ACE’s core values of safety, professionalism, integrity, flexibility, quality, enthusiasm, dedication, and passion along with ensuring critical project communication, coordination and logistical organization for ACE crew projects in their assigned base location.

As the Project Manager in St. Croix you will function as the main point of contact for our partnership projects in the USVI. Strong communication skills are essential in this position and fluency in English is required. 

During the day-to-day, you will supervise and occasionally work alongside ACE Crew Leaders and crew members at various National Parks, Fish and Wildlife refuges, and other natural areas. The Project Manager ensures that ACE crews are fully prepared and equipped with the necessary project supplies, transportation, and equipment. You are responsible for overseeing quality control, safety compliance, equipment maintenance, and perform related work as assigned.

The Project Manager in St. Croix must have strong management skills and will be responsible for crew performance evaluations, managing attendance, ensuring project objectives, administering verbal or written warnings when necessary, and maintaining a high professional standard overall for ACE crews working on USVI based projects. 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Train and mentor ACE Crew Leaders and members on field projects and during trainings.
• Lead crew leaders and field crews whilst completing various conservation projects. Related tasks may include construction or maintenance of  trails, construction or maintenance of erosion control features, invasive plant removal, planting and seeding of native species,  preservation of historic city walls, landscaping, and general maintenance
• Removing vegetation and assisting in the excavation of soil, rock, and roots along the trail corridor, leveling of excavated trail surface utilizing hand tools, removal or treatment of invasive plants, moving materials in wheelbarrows, constructing stone edging and/or retaining walls, forming steps and staircases, revegetating and finishing impacted construction area, encroaching native woody plants will be cut, stumps may be sprayed, and the debris will be removed from the worksite.
• Assist with planning, scheduling, developing, and coordinating field projects with ACE staff and project partners.
• Assist with preparing project logistics including developing project itineraries and training of crew leaders for projects.
• Oversee proper maintenance and use of tools, vehicles, field-related equipment, including organization of ACE equipment and supplies that have been issued to specific projects.
• Train Crew Leaders and members in the proper maintenance and upkeep of chainsaws, brush cutters, herbicide equipment and other equipment relevant to restoration projects while ensuring that the ACE tool warehouse is organized and maintained to OSHA standards.
• Manage Crew Leaders and members including conducting progressive corrective action.
• Assist in interviewing and hiring crew members.
• Assist in onboarding processes for crew members.
• Assist crew members in administrative tasks.
• Communicate with project partners and crew leaders during ACE field projects.
• Uphold ACE/partner relationships with professionalism and courtesy.
• Assure accurate, timely compliance with project tracking records when needed, including submitting weekly reports, accomplishment reports, incident reports, safety sheets, end of project checklists, OSHA injury reports, etc.
• Perform work tasks with the crew, lead by example, and participate in crew daily tasks as available.
• Support ACE Staff in recruitment of ACE crew members including conducting interviews, and providing on site orientation.
• Generate and submit ACE Project Reports prior to established deadlines.
• Guide Crew Leaders in reporting including tool logs, herbicide, and GPS data.
• Arrange post-project meetings with project partners and solicit post-project feedback.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Experience and Qualifications:

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak).
• Possess a high school diploma or GED certificate. BA/BS degree from an accredited college/university preferred.
• 1-2 years of experience working in field conservation positions, with 6-12 months serving in a leadership role, preferably within a Conservation Corps or with volunteers.
• Working knowledge of young adult development, team-building and motivational techniques.
• Considerable experience and demonstrable knowledge of methods, materials, tools, and techniques used in a wide variety of conservation field work including environmental restoration, trail construction and maintenance, and other conservation tasks.
• Current Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and BBP certification or willingness to obtain within 90 days of appointment.
• Ability to occasionally perform a wide variety of heavy manual labor, for extended periods of time, often under adverse weather conditions and in various climates.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing field operations in environmentally sensitive areas.
• Ability to prevent (when feasible), analyze and resolve safety issues; possess knowledge of safety procedures as applied to field operations and experience in encouraging and enforcing compliance with safety policies.
• Ability to maintain a positive, constructive work environment conducive to team performance.
• Ability to analyze and resolve complex issues.
• Ability to prepare and maintain records and reports.
• Ability to understand and follow ACE systems and processes including key responsibilities of crew leaders.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with members, partner agency staff, and the general public.
• Ability to adapt to dynamic work environments and conditions that can change frequently.
• Ability to handle concurrent operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be flexible and possess a high work ethic.
• Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
• Strong organizational and communication skills and experience leading, training and motivating diverse groups of young adults in a safe, organized and professional manner

Other Requirements:

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Strong preference will be given to local residents.
• Valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record.
• Ability to pass a federal criminal background check.
• Willing to abide by ACE Policy and Federal Drug Free workplace policies and laws. ACE reserves the right to drug test at any time.

Individuals who identify with groups typically under-represented in the conservation industry, including women, non-binary individuals, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color are particularly encouraged to apply.

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 hand and power tools, computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch. Ability to hike over rough terrain, and camp overnight under field conditions.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Sometimes moves up to 25 lbs., ability to move up to 60 pounds.
• Environmental: Outdoor and indoor conditions. Work environment conditions can change frequently; working under adverse weather conditions and in various climates.
• Noise Environment: Occasionally will work in moderate to high noise such gas-powered chainsaws and other hand and power tools.
• Travel: This position may require occasional domestic travel.

Additional Benefits:

Outdoor Perks – As an ACE staff member, you will be eligible to receive pro deals which include deep discounts on outdoor gear providing 30 – 50% off retail prices on 100s of established outdoor gear brands.

Trainings and Certifications – Project Managers receive industry recognized certifications provided by ACE including: Wilderness First Aid (WFA) – equivalent cost of $280 and is a two-year certificate with recertification options. Depending on projects, you may receive a 32-hour Chainsaw Training based on the NWCG S-212 training with the possibility of receiving an official Forest Service Saw Certification.