Dates: May 12th-October 31st, 2025 (dates may vary depending on weather & project availability)
Wages: $925-$1125 (DOE, DOQ) per week, paid biweekly
Benefits: 5 days off in August between the summer member season and the fall member season, plus 3 additional days of flexible paid time off. Health benefits eligible. Food provided while in the field. Uniforms and personal protective equipment are also provided.
Training: USFS-recognized Chainsaw & Cross-cut training, Technical Trails Training, Restorative Justice Training, Trauma-Informed Care Training, QPR training, & other development opportunities.
Housing: While on hitch, SCC-Los Valles will be securing a camping location for crew leaders and members while on hitch. Crew leaders and members will be required to secure their own housing while off hitch. SCC may be able to help coordinate a low-cost housing option in downtown Salida, CO. More information about housing can be provided during the interview process.
Multiple positions available. Open until filled.
Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is a non-profit, AmeriCorps-affiliated organization, whose mission is to Engage future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service. The SCC Los Valles (LV) office is located on the ancestral lands of the Ute people, who continue to survive and thrive on these lands today. The SCC LV office is in Salida, Colorado with satellite operations in Alamosa, CO. SCC LV serves the Arkansas River Valley and the San Luis Valley: the two valleys, or los valles. The SCC Los Valles Adult Program engages motivated young adults, ages 18 - 30, to complete challenging and impactful conservation and service projects. Projects may include trail construction & maintenance, habitat improvement, invasive species mitigation, hazardous fuels reduction, habitat restoration, and local environmental service projects. Crews may also complete technical and/or specialized projects depending on project partner needs, including disaster relief if the opportunity arises.
Position Summary:
The Adult Program Crew Leader at SCC Los Valles is responsible for overseeing a crew of 8: crews consist of 6 members, 1 Crew Leader in Development (CLDP), and the crew leader. Crews work in front and backcountry locations in all weather conditions. The standard schedule consists of 8 days on-hitch and 6 days off, with some exceptions. On-hitch, crews camp together, prepare all meals together, and work together as a group to complete all projects and chores. SCC does not provide accommodation off-hitch and Crew Leaders will be responsible for their own accommodation during that time. Crew Leaders will lead crews in completing technical conservation projects while instilling interpersonal skills and leadership skills. Crew leaders will also be responsible for leading crews in environmental stewardship, risk management, trauma-informed care, and restorative justice.
This position requires a high degree of flexibility and a passion for working with others outdoors. The Crew Leader position also involves an administration role, where paperwork and reports are due in a timely manner to supervisors. Successful candidates will demonstrate resourcefulness, effective communication skills, excellent judgement and decision-making, maturity, initiative, professionalism, and the desire to devote themselves to the environment and the crew experience. Crew Leaders are ultimately responsible for successes and shortcomings of the crew, as well as group safety and well-being.
At SCC Los Valles, we hold that social equity and environmental justice are the responsibility of all. We will be running the following crews during the 2025 season, please be ready to speak to your preferences and how you will support them during your interview:
- Chainsaw crews – A crew for young adults that serves primarily in front country settings, focusing on sustainable forestry, fuels reduction, or invasive species removal (with the potential to use herbicide)
- Conservation/Trail crews – A crew for young adults that serves in both backcountry and front country settings, focusing on trails and a variety of conservation projects.
Responsibilities & Core Competencies:
Leadership & Mentorship
- Embody equity, ensure inclusion, and embrace diversity (equity, inclusion, and diversity) within the corps. This includes but is not limited to:
- Lead and participate in Land Acknowledgements that recognize Indigenous communities who have historically and continue to steward the Los Valles region.
- Employ a restorative justice approach to disciplinary incidents.
- Facilitate and engage in environmental education that includes the fraught history of public lands in the United States.
- Employ a trauma-informed approach to building crew dynamics and addressing interpersonal conflict.
- Foster 21st century work skills in corps members, i.e.: collaboration & teamwork, creativity & imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving, flexibility & adaptability.
- Model strong communication and conflict transformation skills.
- Mentor Crew Leader in Development (CLDP) in their growth in leadership, facilitation, and supervisory skills.
- Utilize Co-Leader Pair Evaluation as a guide to have an open conversation around performance during the season.
- Use and re-visit Co-Leader contract to make changes to leadership style throughout the season.
- Rely on program staff during weekly check-ins to provide feedback and support for mentorship.
- CL will facilitate routine check ins with CLDP, creating a culture of feedback.
- Follow and enforce all SCC policies, maintain professional boundaries, and appropriately represent Southwest Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps. This includes creating a substance free work environment, refraining from the use of alcohol and drugs while participating in the program.
Project Management & Implementation
- Instruct, train & motivate a crew to complete high quality technical conservation projects.
- Implement a 10-hour workday and ensure professionalism is maintained at camp.
- Delegate project work & camp chores.
- Effectively communicate & coordinate logistics with project partners, co-leader, & SCC staff.
Safety & Risk Management
- Monitor, manage, and promote crew’s physical and emotional safety on and off the work site.
- Exhibit strong situational awareness at worksite and campsite.
- Transport crew and equipment safely in SCC’s vans and large SUVs with trailers.
Administrative Skills
- Meet all deadlines for documentation, i.e., timesheets, evaluations, incident reports, etc.
- Record all project related outcomes and deliverables.
- Manage food budget and credit card for purchases, providing receipts for all purchases.
Environmental Stewardship
- Must have a genuine enjoyment and desire for caring for the land while living and working outdoors in a variety of environmental conditions.
- Desire for learning or building on technical skills needed to effectively maintain public lands.
Essential Functions:
- Frequently required to walk, hike, sit, talk and listen.
- Required to use hands to operate objects and tools, 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.
- Speak, understand, read, and write English.
- Enforce all SCC policies. SCC is a substance free work environment. All must refrain from the use of tobacco products, vaping, alcohol, and drugs while in the program.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Our Commitment:
Conservation Legacy is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. 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.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Outdoor leadership experience with youth and/or young adults
- Physically fit and able to work 40-50 hr work weeks
- High School diploma or GED certificate
- Must hold current/relevant medical certification (WFR, WEMT, or OEC) with CPR/AED, or receive certification prior to start date.
- Must be at least 21 years old.
- Must have had a driver’s license for 3 consecutive years with a clean driving record (insurable by SCC), and a current driver’s license.
- For leading crews with a chainsaw component (Chainsaw crews, LOC and W+): ability to test out at a B-level in chainsaw during crew leader training season.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with SCC or other conservation corps.
- Experience supervising a team or managing a classroom.
- Facilitation, team building, and conflict resolution experience.
- Experience working with trauma-impacted communities.
- Sense of humor, spirit of adventure, and desire to make a positive difference and promote leadership in others.
Other Considerations:
- Having a vehicle is important for this position to transport yourself between your living arrangement and our work base.
- The ability to live, work, and camp in rural Colorado is necessary. Weather can be extreme and variable throughout the year.
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, transfers, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
To Apply:
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply through our website. For inquiries, contact Emma Karlok, SCC Los Valles Adult Program Coordinator, and [email protected].
