US Naval Academy Crew Leader & Assistant Crew Leader
Apply Below
Program Description
In partnership with the US Naval Academy, SAWS fields a crew every year that provides wilderness and outdoor leadership field training to USNA students. Participants (referred to as Midshipmen) have the opportunity to join a Wilderness trail crew, run by SAWS staff and led by a pair of SAWS Crew Leads, to work on projects helping to steward public lands in the southeast. Over the course of the season, three “blocks” will rotate through assignment on the crew, with each block working two hitches. The goals of the program are to introduce participants to the field of conservation and public land stewardship, both in a general sense and as a potential post-service career, by executing projects in the field that meet SAWS’ standards of excellence.
Position Duration: April 7, 2024 to August 22, 2024 (Potential option to extend into the Fall depending on funding and capacity, please inquire if interested)
Status: Temporary/Seasonal
Compensation: $19.00/hr for Crew Lead and $18.00/hr for Assistant Crew Lead, paid every two weeks; time-in-grade increases may be possible for returning crew leaders
Training Schedule: Training schedule is variable and will switch from 8 days on, 6 days off to 5 days on, 2 days off as training requires. Anticipated start and end dates for training will be early April to late May in 2025.
Hitch Schedule: 8 days working, 6 days off (8 10-hour days).
Anticipated Season Schedule:
Hitch 1: May 28 - June 4
Hitch 2: June 11 - June 18
Hitch 3: June 25 - July 2
Hitch 4: July 9 - July 16
Hitch 5: July 23 - July 30
Hitch 6: August 6 - August 13
*Week of August 18th SAWS midseason gathering
Location: Crew will be based out of Roanoke, VA but will be camping and working within various National Forest locations across Virginia.
Supervisor: Northern Wilderness Program Manager
Crew Structure:One Crew Leader, one Assistant Crew Leader, 5 Naval Academy Crew Members
Hiring Timeline:
*Dates are ideal but positions will be filled on a rolling basis.*
December 30, 2024: Applications close.
January 5, 2025: All applicants contacted by this date.
January 19, 2025: Reference checks completed.
February 2, 2025: Positions hired by this date.
The Crew Leader, with help from the Assistant Crew Leader, will lead five Crew Members while camping and working on remote projects with limited to no cell service. Crews are expected to backpack and live in physically demanding, remote environments for at least 8 (and sometimes 10) days at a time. Conditions of this environment may vary significantly including freezing temperatures, high humidity, persistent rain, and high elevation. The remote nature of our work may mean delayed access to medical care. Leadership of the crew will require excellent communication skills and judgment, maturity, ability to train in the field, professionalism, initiative, emotional maturity and resilience, resourcefulness, patience, ability to delegate tasks, technical trailwork skills, and comfort in the outdoors with minimal contact with others while on hitch. Crew leaders are expected to make decisions in the field to keep their crew safe and provide a high quantity and quality of work for our partners. The Crew Leader is ultimately responsible for successes and shortcomings of the crew. The Assistant Crew Leader is expected to work under the leadership of the Crew Leader and help make decisions in the field to keep their crew safe and provide a high quantity and quality of work for our partners. If a Crew Leader must leave the field or cannot head into the field, the Assistant Crew Leader is expected to fulfill the Crew Leader responsibilities.
A typical work hitch includes meeting at the SAWS office, driving a SAWS vehicle several hours to a trailhead, backpacking into the project site, staying in the field for up to ten days at a time, hiking out, traveling back to the office, cleaning gear, tools, vehicles, completing reporting requirements, and preparing and prepping your crew for the next work hitch.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
* For Assistant Crew Leader, duties are performed under supervision of the Crew Leader
Complete crew leader training
Submit paperwork (timesheet, hitch report, incident reports, project photos) in a timely manner
Manage credit card purchases and receipt reconciliation
Adjust plans and make decisions as the season, work week, or day unfolds
Transport crew and equipment safely in SAWS 11-passenger vans or SAWS truck
Manage, train, supervise, and lead the day-to-day details of project work in varied weather conditions
Communicate directions and project specifications to Crew Members
Monitor, manage, and promote the crew’s physical and emotional safety on and off the work site
Maintain a crew cache of tools and equipment
Use a variety of hand tools and understand complex rigging systems
Assist SAWS staff in developing and maintaining strong, positive relationships with agency personnel, partner organization staff and volunteers
Craft and curate media (blogs, photography, video, etc.) to share for reporting and documentation
Learn, practice, and teach ‘Leave no Trace’ techniques
Follow and implement SAWS organizational policies in the field
Maintain high standards for project completion and quality work
Maintain an inclusive, safe, positive, and fun working environment
The Field Crew Leader and Assistant Crew Leader will go through 7 weeks of pre-season training (described below) followed by a 12-week summer season and a the potential for extension into the fall (details to be determined)
The pre-season training for the leadership team consists of:
Crosscut saw training
Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification
Trail building and maintenance instruction
Leadership skill development
Backcountry camp and hygiene procedures
Organizational policies and procedures
Project scouting
Wilderness Skills Institute attendance and instruction experience
Once the season starts, all field crews may address projects including, but not limited to:
Trail relocations
Erosion control (installation of water bars, grade dips, log or stone steps, etc.)
Reestablishing trail surface
Brushing trail corridors and removing downed trees
Rockwork
Public education (Leave No Trace, bear safety and awareness, Wilderness education, etc.)
Training and Work
Benefits
Crosscut saw certification (level depends on proficiency)
Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification
Food stipend is provided ($10/day) during hitches
May qualify for Public Land Service Corps (PLC) Hiring Authority certificate
Opportunities for professional network growth and leadership development
Sick time accrual
Holiday Pay
Opportunities for pro-rated gear deals
Qualifications
Commitment to SAWS’ Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion values and dismantling racist systems and barriers to access to public lands.
Ability to travel on foot over rough terrain for up to 10 miles per day while carrying 60 lbs. or more
Ability and desire to create a safe and inclusive work culture
Knowledge about group dynamics and conflict resolution
Ability to live and work in a remote and primitive setting with a diverse group of people without an ability to communicate with folks outside the crew
Desire to be a member of a hard-working team and transformative non-profit organization
Six to nine months of trail work experience; backcountry trail work experience preferred
Three months of leadership experience in a field-based position.
Ability to regularly lift and/or move up to 60 pounds
Required to drive a SAWS vehicle
Must be able to speak, understand, read, and write English
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
Ability to pass a background check
Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
About Us
Founded in 2010, the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is a conservation non-profit organization with expertise in federally designated Wilderness. We are dedicated to educating, cultivating, and empowering an engaged public and the next generation in the stewardship of public lands in the Southeast. At SAWS, we believe that taking care of our public lands and connecting them to the next generation matters. We also believe that it is our shared responsibility to care for these lands; to advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors; and to educate, train, and develop a skilled workforce to be the next conservation stewards and conservation leaders.
Headquartered in Asheville, NC and with an office in Roanoke, VA, we focus our efforts on wilderness areas in National Forests throughout the southern Appalachian region. We regularly work in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, and respond on a case-by-case basis to requests for assistance in other locations.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter and resume at the bottom of this page. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Applications will be accepted until positions are filled.
Questions regarding the application may be submitted to Blake Garrison, Field Crew Coordinator at blakegarrison@wildernessstewards.org.
SAWS is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug-free workplace. SAWS values a safe, inclusive work environment, free from discrimination of any kind.