Staff Crew Leader - Seasonal
Title: Staff Crew Leader
Date: 2021 Seasonal Field Position (Spring, Summer, and/or Fall)
Reports to: Operations Coordinator
Starting Salary: $685.00/ Week, Paid Bi-Weekly
Location: Harrisonburg, VA
Status: Seasonal, Exempt
Position Summary:
Appalachian Conservation Corps’ Staff 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, 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.
This position will be joined by an AmeriCorps 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.
Schedule:
Typically, Staff Crew Leaders will meet at the ACC Office, travel in a crew vehicle to their project site and remain in the field for 9-10 days at a time, followed by 4-5 days off. While in the field, Staff Crew Leaders work 8-10 hours a day. The day starts with a stretch circle and safety meeting and includes two fifteen-minute breaks and a half hour break for lunch.
Once Staff Crew Leaders are selected and prior to their start date, they are required to complete an online enrollment process that includes completing e-forms, uploading IDs, and beginning their background check process. For those with limited access to online platforms, accommodations may be available and can be discussed during the interview process.
Project Work:
Projects take place across the Appalachian Region, including work with the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, and other land managers. During their time in the field, Staff Crew Leaders 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.
Essential Responsibilities, Functions & Competencies:
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.
- 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 ACC 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
- Must successfully pass Conservation Legacy’s criminal history checks.
Responsibilities:
Leadership & Mentorship
- Manage, supervise, and lead the day-to-day details of project work.
- Implement skills training on worksite 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 ACC policies, maintain professional boundaries, and appropriately represent Appalachian Conservation Corps. This includes creating a substance free work environment, refraining from the use of alcohol and drugs while involved in the program.
Project Management & Implementation
- Train and motivate a crew of six to eight young adults to complete conservation projects efficiently on public lands.
- Delegate project work & investment among ACL 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, ACL, members, and ACC 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 ACC’s vans or large vehicles with trailers.
Administration
- Complete professional documentation of time sheets, daily and weekly reports, corps member and peer evaluations, disciplinary action forms, incident reports, etc., and submit in a timely and highly detailed manner.
- Responsible for all project related outcomes and deliverables.
- Manage food budget and credit card purchases, including VISA receipt reconciliation.
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 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.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Leadership experience with youth or young adults.
- Must be able to demonstrate strong project management skills.
- Technical trail construction and maintenance experience.
- Physically fit and able to work long days in adverse conditions.
- Experience with backpacking, wilderness living and travel, LNT principles.
- High School diploma or GED certificate.
- Must hold current Wilderness First Responder Certification with CPR/ AED.
- Must be 21, have a clean driving record (insurable by ACC) and a current driver’s license.
- Ability to pass Conservation Legacy’s criminal history checks
- Must be willing to deploy on a Disaster Response projects.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 1-year experience with ACC or another Conservation Corps
- Background with experiential and/ or environmental education.
- Facilitation and team-building experience with diverse groups of people.
- Strong conflict resolution skills.
- Experience with Disaster Responses.
- Forest Service chainsaw certifications.
Conservation Legacy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
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.