Forest Management/Fire Crew Leader

Job Description

Title: Forest Management/Fire Crew Leader

Start/End Date: Early October 2022/Late April 2023

Pay:  $685-735/wk DOE

Status: Full Time Seasonal Staff, Exempt

Location:  Operations Base - North Carolina State University Hill Research Forest, Camp Slocum, 918 State Forest Road, Bahama, North Carolina 27503  

Benefits 

• Housing: Shared crew cabins at Camp Slocum
• Conservation Legacy Employee Assistance Program
• Health benefit eligible for partial health benefits after the probationary period, see personnel policy
• Food budget while on project
• Training and potential opportunities for the following certifications:
• ICS-100 Introduction to ICS
• IS-700 NIMS Introduction
• S-130 Basic Wildland Firefighting
• S-190 Basic Wildland Fire Behavior
• L-180 Human Factors in Wildland Fire Service
• FFT2 (Firefighter Type 2 – crew member)
• FAL2 (Intermediate (B) Faller)
• S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior
• Direct experience on prescribed burns with a variety of public land managers throughout the state of North Carolina

Program Summary 

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a program that is a partnership between Conservation Corps North Carolina and North Carolina State University Natural Resources Foundation.  The crew leader will help train and be the lead supervisor of a four to seven-member crew that will work on forest management projects that protect wildlife habitat, working lands, military bases, and the Southeast’s longleaf pine forest ecosystem.  The program will provide education, certifications, and on-the-job experience that will help participants pursue a variety of natural resource management careers. The crew will partner with North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Forest Service, the United States Forest Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on forest management projects, including prescribed burns, that benefit public agencies and private landowners in eastern North Carolina. The Crew Leader will be responsible for keeping track of project work and risk management while cultivating interpersonal and leadership skills with individual members and the crew as a unit.  A variety of technical competencies and soft skills are required to be successful in this position.

Program Partners

Conservation Corps North Carolina

The mission of the 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 including North Carolina Forest Service, North Carolina State Parks, and US Forest Service.

North Carolina State University Natural Resources Foundation

The NC State Natural Resources Foundation, Inc. (NCSNRF), originally called the NC Forestry Foundation, Inc., is the oldest foundation at NC State University. The Foundation strives to meet the needs of the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources, including management of land holdings that support academic and research programs.  

Required Qualifications

• Prescribed and/or wildland fire experience (Interagency Hot Shot Crew, Type-2 Hand Crew, Engine Crew, etc.)
• Chainsaw operation (felling/bucking) and maintenance experience
• Considerable experience operating and maintaining hand and power tools in a safe and efficient manner
• CPR/First Aid certification
• 21 years of age with leadership experience
• Valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record
• Have U.S. Citizenship or Legal Permanent Residency Status
• High School Diploma or GED
• Pass Conservation Legacy’s Criminal History Checks: All offers of employment are conditional upon completion of an acceptable check of the National Sex Offender Public Registry, State, and Federal Criminal History Checks
• Associates degree with 1-year experience or bachelor’s degree in forestry, biology, ecology, natural resources management or related fields
• Ability to record and maintain data and keep monitoring records.
• Excellent teaching/mentoring skills as well as strong conflict resolution and team building skills
• Flexibility, adaptability and capacity to work in a changing work environment including willingness to work a varying schedule.
• Ability to perform administrative duties, such as managing the crew budget and documents and utilizing database and Microsoft programs
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and a desire to work with private landowners and public agencies
• Willingness to learn and be part of a dynamic and evolving program
• Successfully pass the Arduous/Pack Test/3-mile hike with 45-pound pack in 45 minutes

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Conservation Corps Experience
• Wilderness First Aid/Responder certification
• Experience with backpacking, wilderness travel, camp management and outdoor leadership
• Trail Maintenance experience
• NWC or Equivalent Faller B Chainsaw certification
• Relevant Bachelor’s degree
• Sense of humor and desire to make a positive difference in people and on the land

Position Work Schedule

The crew will live, train, and work together as a team. It will be a flex schedule with a base schedule of 5 days on, 2 days off, 8-9 hours per day or 4 days on, 3 days off, 10 hours per day. The crew leader will work with CCNC and North Carolina State University staff to create work schedules and plans to complete assigned project work.  The Crew Leader will supervise the crew’s living arrangements which will typically require the crew to live in tents or cabins on or close to project locations for a variety of periods of time.  In general, hours will be 7:00 am to 3:30 or 5:30 pm and include two paid fifteen-minute breaks and one unpaid half hour lunch break.

Training

The program will begin with an intensive two weeks of training focused on certifications and outdoor leadership skills.  Informal training will continue throughout the term with on-the-ground skills training that will include things like tool maintenance, plant identification, and an overview of public land management agencies.

Supplies and Equipment

Crew members supply their own personal outdoor gear equipment such as tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, day pack, multi-day pack, and work pants.  CCNC can assist if this gear presents significant challenges to participation. CCNC will provide tools, food, group camp equipment (i.e., cook stove, water jugs), transportation to and from base camp to project locations, and Personal Protection Equipment (i.e., Nomex pants and shirt, neck and face covering, fire-rated work boots, helmet, leather gloves.) 

Required Skills and Responsibilities

Leadership and Mentoring

• Manage, supervise, and lead the day-to-day details of project work and crew logistics
• Work with CCNC staff to plan program activities, including project work, education, training, and crew/team activities
• Implement skills training on worksite
• Facilitate intentional discussions and informal lessons to cultivate individual professional and personal growth and foster a positive group dynamic
• Delegate project responsibilities and mentor crew life and member development
• Follow all Conservation Legacy and North Carolina State University policies with unwavering commitment
• Maintain professional boundaries, including enforcing a substance free work environment
• Represent CCNC, North Carolina State University, and AmeriCorps appropriately to the public 
• Follow written and verbal instructions from CCNC staff and project partners

Project Management and Implementation

• Train and motivate crew members to efficiently complete assigned forest management projects on site locations within a 10–12-hour day
• Delegate project work and expectations appropriately to the assistant crew leader and crew members
• Manage on-the-ground quality and quantity of project work
• Use critical thinking and interpersonal skills to solve problems and resolve issues
• Coordinate logistics and communicate effectively with CCNC staff and project partners
• Use, maintain, and repair machinery such as hand and power tools as necessary
• Set an example of doing long and challenging outdoor work in all types of environmental conditions  
• Apply conservation and restoration knowledge and outdoor living skills to all outdoor settings and work projects

Safety and Risk Management

• Monitor, manage, and promote the crew’s physical and emotional safety on the work and camp site
• Practice strong situational awareness and promote a culture of unwavering commitment to safety
• Drive crew members and equipment safely in CCNC vehicles with trailers
• Communicate danger to others in the form of a warning of danger others may encounter or a notification of personal distress, injury or need for assistance - 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
• Perceive, understand, and follow directions by others so that appropriate and perhaps unfamiliar techniques can be successfully executed to manage hazards - these directions may be given before the hazard is encountered or during the exposure to the hazard.
• Stay alert and focused for several hours at a time while traveling and working in a variety of weather conditions

Administration

• Professionally complete time sheets, daily and weekly reports, corps member assistant leader evaluations, disciplinary action forms, incident reports, and other documentation as needed in a timely manner
• Professionally complete all project related outcomes and deliverables
• Manage food budget and credit card purchases

Problem Solving

• Communicate ideas and concerns to assistant crew leader, crew members, CCNC staff, landowners, and project partners
• Resolve challenges that arise with and between crew members
• Resolve management problems independently or as delegated by CCNC staff
• Consult with CCNC staff to develop plans for resolution of unusual or complex problems
• Make responsible day-to-day decisions that benefit crew members and project goals

Environmental Ethics

• Teach and be a model of ‘Leave No Trace’ techniques

Essential Requirements

• Sit, stand, walk, speak, and hear
• Stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl for significant periods of time
• Safely lift 50 pounds on a routine basis
• Work in variable weather conditions at remote locations on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances
• Remain adequately hydrated, fed, and properly dressed so as to remain generally healthy and safe, avoiding environmental injuries
• Live in a physically demanding, possible isolated environment for an uninterrupted period of up to several days. 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 6 hours, to reach the nearest advanced medical care. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

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