Vegetation Management Crew Leader

Staff Crew Leader

Reports to: Program Coordinator, Program Manager   

Locations: Crew will be based out of Bahama, NC but will be camping and working on various federal and private land agency locations across North Carolina. 

Season Dates: Training: March 4th-March 8th, 2024, Start: March 12th, 2024-May 29th, 2024 (option to extend through summer and/or fall season)

Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Exempt  

Wages: $685-$785 /week DOE, paid biweekly 

Health Benefits: Medical benefit options may be available for individuals serving 6 months or longer. 

**You must upload a resume in addition to your application**

Conservation Corps North Carolina:   

 The mission of Conservation Corps North Carolina (CCNC) is to empower young adults through meaningful outdoor work that benefits North Carolina’s land and water and creates healthy communities. 

CCNC is a program of Conservation Legacy that partners with public land managers in North Carolina to engage motivated young adults (ages 18-30) to complete challenging and impactful conservation service projects throughout the region. Projects may include trail construction & maintenance, habitat improvement, hazard fuel reduction, and ecological restoration. Crews may also complete technical and/or specialized projects depending on project partner needs.

Projects take place across North Carolina, including work with the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, State Parks, and other land managers. During their time in the field, CCNC field crews camp overnight and work outdoors in all types of weather conditions, performing heavy manual labor related to environmental conservation and restoration projects. These hands-on projects include visitor access improvements, trail construction and maintenance, habitat restoration, invasive species treatments, historic restoration, disaster relief, and much more. Most projects require hiking out to remote work sites for the day with tools, equipment, and day pack.

CCNC is an independent, non-residential program. Staff Crew Leads are responsible for their own housing, food, and transportation when not in the field unless otherwise specified. Some equipment is available to borrow throughout the season, but Staff Crew Leaders are asked to supply as much of their own personal outdoor gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, day pack, multi-day pack, work pants, hiking/work boots, etc) as possible. In the field, CCNC will provide food, group camp equipment, tools, protective gear, and transportation between Camp Slocum and project sites. 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.

Project Work:

The Vegetation Management crew will work with the Croatan National Forest focusing specifically on vegetation management. This could include using a chainsaw to cut invasive plant species, manually pulling invasive plant species, applying herbicides to target invasive plants, brush cutting, tree planting, and other Forest Management practices relating to the continuing health of the ecosystem and native flora and fauna. During their time in the field, crews camp overnight and work outdoors in all types of weather conditions, performing manual labor related to environmental conservation and restoration projects that allow native species to thrive.

Position Summary:  

Conservation Corps North Carolina’s Staff Crew Leaders perform many roles and are the key to our program’s success. Leaders are expected to provide project expertise and offer mentorship, training, and support to crew members. The position is multi-faceted and demanding, but with opportunity for enormous rewards. Successful candidates will demonstrate resourcefulness, situational flexibility, 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.  

The crew structure will be 1 Staff Crew Leader, 1 Assistant Crew Leader, and 4 Crew Members. This position will be joined by an Assistant Crew Leader, an AmeriCorps leadership position focusing on the continued development of leadership skills. While this will be a collaborative relationship, the Staff Crew Leader bears ultimate responsibility for member development, as well as high quality and high quantity project accomplishments for our partners.  

This position is expected to uphold safety protocols and regulations required by CCNC and the U.S. Forest Service and to ensure all members are adhering to said strict guidelines. The Crew Leader will also be responsible in mentoring, training, and fostering a healthy crew environment for each member.

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 CCNC 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 in working with conservation programs
• Willingness to commit fully to the program and its mission
• Physically fit and able to work long days in adverse conditions
• Technical trail construction and maintenance experience
• 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
• Experience with backpacking, wilderness living and travel, and LNT principles
• Must be 21+ years of age
• Have or able to get a B-Faller Saw Certification

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Background with experiential and/or environmental education
• Current and relevant certification in Wilderness Medicine (WFA, WAFA, WFR) with CPR/AED
• Forest Service chainsaw certifications (S-212 or similar)
• Facilitation and team-building experience with diverse groups of people
• Desire to work on a variety of conservation-based projects
• Strong conflict resolution skills
• Relevant Bachelor’s Degree
• 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 a CCNC 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
• Mentor AmeriCorps Crew Leader while delegating project responsibilities, crew life oversight, and member development to them.
• Must be willing to follow and enforce all CCNC 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 5 young adults to complete conservation projects efficiently on public lands
• Delegate project work & investment among co-leader and 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, co-leader, & CCNC staff

Safety & Risk Management 

• 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 CCNC’s vans or large vehicles with trailers

Administration 

• Complete professional documentation of time sheets, daily and weekly project reports, corps member and peer evaluations, disciplinary action forms, incident reports, emergency response plans, 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 CCNC’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

 CCNC is a drug-free organization.  Alcohol and illegal substances are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps/program activities and on CCNC, North Carolina State University, and program partner property.

To Apply: apply with a resume attached. Cover letters are optional. 

**You must upload a resume in addition to your application**

Any questions can be addressed to: 

Mallory James

Crew Program Coordinator

mjames@conservationlegacy.org

“Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring a breadth of diverse professionals and encourage members of diverse groups to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.”