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Title: Staff Crew Leader- Natchez Trace Trail Crew
Reports to: Field Supervisor, Program Director
Locations: Crew will be based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Project work will take place along portions of the Natchez Trace Parkway that extends from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN
Season Dates: August 22, 2022 – November 11, 2022
Status: Seasonal, Full-time, Exempt
Wages: $685-735/per week DOE, paid biweekly
Benefits: Food & transportation provided while in the field overnight, uniform shirts, and personal protective equipment. Members will also receive orientations and trainings as available
Crew Structure: 1 Crew Leader, 1 Assistant Crew Leader, 6 Crew Members
Southeast Conservation Corps:
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), a program of Conservation Legacy, is a non-profit, AmeriCorps-affiliated organization. SECC selects young adults, ages 18-30, or up 35 if you are a military veteran to complete conservation work projects on public lands throughout the Southeast. 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. 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, young adults, 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.
Position Summary:
SECC’s Natchez Trace Parkway crew will work along the Natchez Trace National Scenic trail. This is a 444-mile area that spans across 3 states. This exciting project will have the bulk of the work on the Natchez Trace. This work may include, but is not limited to:
- Building water bars
- Corridor cleaning
- Trail repair and rehabilitation
- Water erosion
- Trial construction
- Timber construction
Hitch schedule:
The crew will tent camp in the field for the entire 12-week season. Workdays are typically 10 hours with scheduled breaks throughout the day. Depending on project work and location, other schedule variations may be implemented. This position operates on 9 days of work with 5 days off between hitches.
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:
- Full vaccination against COVID-19 by the first day of employment and ability to provide proof of vaccination before starting
- 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
Required Skills:
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 6 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
Required Experience
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.
Substance Free
In accordance to a drug free workplace, alcohol and drugs are prohibited while participating in AmeriCorps and program activities and while on organization property.
This program is available to all eligible applicants, without regard to race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation or religion.
To Apply: Complete the Application, upload cover letter and resume.
Any questions can be addressed to:
Kelsey Durr
Field Supervisor
