Staff Crew Leader- Fall USFS Region 8 Trail Crew

Title: Staff Crew Leader- Fall USFS Region 8 Trail Crew

Reports to: Program Coordinator, Program Director 

Locations: Crew will be based out of Chattanooga, TN but will be camping and working in various National Forests across the southeast region.

Season Dates: 8/12/24-11/22/24

Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Exempt 

Wages: $720-800/week DOE, paid biweekly  

Benefits: Wilderness First Aid certification, Chainsaw S212 certification, Public Land Corps Hiring Authority Certificate (upon successful completion of hours), Food & transportation provided while in the field overnight, uniform shirts, personal protective equipment, and other developmental opportunities as available  

Crew Structure: 2 crew leaders, 8 crew members 

Southeast Conservation Corps: 

Engaging future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service.

Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), a program of Conservation Legacy, is a non-profit, AmeriCorps-affiliated organization. SECC selects young adults, ages 18-30, to complete conservation work projects on public lands throughout the Southeast. SECC programs encourage environmental stewardship, foster community partnerships, and emphasize experiential learning. SECC serves a diverse population that is representative of the Southeast, including youth, graduates, veterans, and a cross-section of ethnicities and income levels. SECC is also an active member of the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team (A-DRT), and as such, selected crews may be deployed on Disaster response projects for up to 30 days. 

SECC works with a variety of land management agencies in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast region, such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, State Parks, and conservation-based non-profits. Projects vary but include trail construction and maintenance, ecosystem restoration, habitat restoration, fire fuels reduction, fencing on public lands, invasive weed removal, herbicide applications, and many others. The project work is manual labor based and most projects require a hike into and out of the project site daily carrying tools and a day pack.   

Crews work in frontcountry and backcountry locations in all types of weather conditions. Schedules may vary, but generally are 9 days on and 5 days off for camping crews. Workdays are 10-hour shifts with scheduled breaks throughout the day. Depending on project work and location, other schedule variations may be implemented. While the staff at SECC works to provide consistency throughout the season, personal flexibility is expected and should be prepared for when entering the term as schedules, times, and work locations are subject to change per project needs.    

SECC is an independent, non-residential program. Crew Leaders are responsible for finding and attaining their own housing when not in the field. On-hitch crews prepare all their own meals and work together as a group to complete all necessary chores. Community/camp chores will be completed every evening, with many evenings including group discussions, conservation and/or corps related topics. The Crew Leader must supply their own personal outdoor gear and equipment such as a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, day pack, multi-day pack, work pants, hiking/work boots, etc. SECC will provide group camp equipment, tools, protective gear and transportation between SECC Office and project sites.   

Position Summary: 

Southeast Conservation Corps’ Crew Leaders perform many roles and are the key to our program’s success. The position is multi-faceted and demanding, but with opportunity for enormous rewards. Successful candidates will demonstrate resourcefulness, effective communication skills, excellent judgement, maturity, initiative, professionalism, and the desire to devote themselves to a crew experience where the needs of others are placed above oneself. The Crew Leader position requires, mentorship, patience, technical aptitude, focus on efficiency, and a high level of comfort in the outdoors. Crew Leaders are ultimately responsible for successes and shortcomings of the crew.

Project Work:

Southeast Conservation Corps and the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service will partner to host a roving chainsaw and trail crew in support of fire management operations covering: the Cherokee National Forest, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, Francis Marion and Sumter National Forest, and National Forest in Alabama, and other region 8 locations.

Work will vary based on the priorities and direction of the Forest Service and SECC but will focus on: 

• Brushing and logging out trails for upcoming prescribed burns.
• Working to restore wilderness areas impacted by wildfires.
• Performing general trail maintenance

Hitch Schedule:  

This position will operate on a variable “hitch” schedule, but generally it will follow 9 days on and 5 days off for camping crews. Workdays follow a 10-hour shift with scheduled time for breaks. While the staff at SECC work to provide consistency throughout the season, personal flexibility is expected and should be prepared for when entering the term as schedules, times, and work locations are subject to change per project needs.  

The crew will tent camp in the field for the entire season. Workdays are typically 10 hours with scheduled breaks throughout the day. Depending on project work and location, other schedule variations may be implemented.  

While the staff at SECC and partners work to provide consistency throughout the season, personal flexibility is expected and should be prepared for when entering the term as schedules, times, and work locations are subject to change per project needs.    

Required Skills:

Minimum Qualifications:

• 1-2 years’ experience with SECC, other conservation corps or youth corps
• Willingness to commit fully to the program and its mission
• Leadership experience with youth or young adults
• Excellent organizational & communication skills
• Must be able to demonstrate strong project management skills
• Strong time-management skills and ability to work independently as well as with others
• Ability to effectively and efficiently manage all aspects of crew life and production within a hitch schedule
• Flexibility, adaptability and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment
• Willingness to learn and be a part of a dynamic community of peer leaders
• Must be adaptive, patient and able to maintain a positive perspective throughout
• Physically fit and able to work long days in adverse conditions
• Experience with backpacking, wilderness living and travel, and LNT principles
• High School diploma or GED certificate
• Current and relevant certification in Wilderness Medicine (WFA, WAFA, WFR) with CPR/AED
• Willingness to deploy on a Disaster Response

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background with experiential and/or environmental education
• Relevant Bachelor’s Degree
• Facilitation and team-building experience with diverse groups of people
• Forest Service chainsaw certifications
• Desire to work on a variety of conservation-based projects
• Strong conflict resolution skills
• Experience with Disaster Response
• Sense of humor, spirit of adventure, and desire to make a positive difference and promote leadership in others

Participant Essential Eligibility Requirements:
Essential eligibility requirements for the program must be met. If you are unable to meet certain requirements, we may be able to assist you with some modification unless it alters the fundamental nature of the program, compromises the health and safety of participants or staff, or places an undue financial or administrative burden on the organization. These requirements are written the same for all positions and therefore may not apply directly to your position.

• Frequently required to walk, hike, sit and talk or listen
• Required to use hands to operate objects, tools or controls, and to reach with hands and arms
• Regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision and the ability to focus
• Required to drive an SECC vehicle
• Must be able to speak, understand, read and write English
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• Ability to pass Conservation Legacy’s criminal history checks 
• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and provide primary documentation to support this

Leadership & Mentorship

• Manage, supervise, and lead the day-to-day details of project work
• Implement skills training on work-site and facilitate intentional discussions via informal lessons to contribute to the crew’s personal growth and group dynamics
• Promote individual corps member development and a healthy, supportive community
• Must be willing to follow and enforce all SECC policies, maintain professional boundaries, and appropriately represent Southeast Conservation Corps. This includes creating a substance free work environment, refraining from the use of tobacco products, alcohol, and drugs while involved in the program

Project Management & Implementation

• Train and motivate a crew of young adults to complete conservation projects efficiently on public lands
• Delegate project work & investment among crew
• Manage on-the-ground quality and quantity of project work
• Think critically to resolve issues and solve problems
• Communicate effectively & coordinate logistics with project partners & SECC staff

Safety & Risk Management

• Implement and enforce SECC’s COVID-19 Pandemic Policies and Procedures (when needed)
• Monitor, manage, and promote the crew’s physical and emotional safety on and off the work site
• Exhibit strong situational awareness & promote a culture of safety
• Transport crew and equipment safely in SECC’s vans or large vehicles with trailers

Administration

• Complete professional documentation of: Project accomplishments, time sheets, daily and weekly reports, corps member and peer evaluations, disciplinary action forms, incident reports, etc., and submit in a timely manner
• Responsible for all project related outcomes and deliverables
• Manage food budget and credit card purchases, including receipt reconciliation

Safety and Judgment:

• Effectively communicate danger to others in the form of either a warning of danger others may be encountering or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance. You must be able to do so at a distance of up to 50 meters and in conditions with limited visibility or loud background noise such as darkness or high winds.
• Effectively perceive, understand and follow direction by others so that you will be able to successfully execute appropriate and perhaps unfamiliar techniques to manage hazards. These directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or may need to be given during exposure to the hazard.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in varied weather conditions
• Perceive and comprehend significant and apparent hazards, including those hazards previously identified by others
• Respond appropriately to stress or crises
• If taking prescription medications, participants must be able to maintain proper dosage by self-medicating without assistance from others
• Monitor, manage, and promote the crew’s physical and emotional safety on and off the work site
• Exhibit strong situational awareness & promote a culture of safety
• Transport crew and equipment safely in SECC’s vans or large SUVs with trailers

Environmental Ethics:

• Learn, practice, and teach ‘Leave no Trace’ techniques

Outdoor Skills and Fitness (where appropriate):

• Learn and safely perform fundamental outdoor living/travel and work skills as appropriate to the project. Additionally, remain adequately hydrated, fed, and properly dressed so as to remain generally healthy and safe, avoiding environmental injuries.
• Live in a physically demanding, possibly remote environment for an uninterrupted period of up to several weeks. Conditions of this environment may vary significantly and may include severe and/or trying weather. The remoteness is such that it may require at a minimum one hour, but perhaps in excess of 12 hours, to reach the nearest advanced medical care.