Position Duration: ASAP to end of October 2025

Status: Temporary/Seasonal

Compensation: $19.00/hr paid every two weeks

Hitch Schedule: 8 days working, 6 days off (8 10-hour days) with potential at the end of the season to require 10 days working, 4 days off (10 8-hour days).

Season Schedule:

Hitch 1: June 4 - June 11

Hitch 2: June 18 - June 25

Hitch 3: July 2 - July 9

Hitch 4: July 16 - July 23

Hitch 5: July 30 - August 6

*Week of August 18 SAWS midseason gathering

Hitch 6: August 27 - September 3

Hitch 7: September 10 - September 17

Hitch 8: September 24 - October 1

Hitch 9: October 8 - October 15

Hitch 10: October 22 - October 29

Location: Crews are based out of Roanoke, Virginia but will be camping and working within various National Forests across the southeast region.

Supervisor: Northern Program Manager

Crew Structure: One Crew Leader, 1 Assistant Crew Leader, 4 Crew Members

Hiring Timeline: *Positions will be filled on a rolling basis.*

Description

Under leadership of the Field Crew Leader, the Assistant Crew Leader will help lead four 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, organization, an 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 to others while on hitch. Assistant Crew Leaders are expected to help Crew Leaders 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

Duties are done under supervision of the Crew Leader

• 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 a safe, positive, and fun working environment

Training and Work

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.)

Benefits

• Crosscut saw certification (level depends on proficiency and timing of hire)
• 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 when applicable
• Opportunities for pro-rated gear deals

Qualifications

• 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

Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) sets standards of excellence that inspire, connect, and equip people to steward wild landscapes. We provide stewardship to protected public lands in the Southern Appalachian region, including Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Founded in 2010, SAWS partners with federal agencies, including the Forest Service, to supplement existing stewardship efforts and provide additional support for training, skill-building, and community engagement. SAWS works to support safe access to public lands, preserve natural resources, and develop the next generation of conservation stewards. SAWS is headquartered in Asheville, NC with an office in Roanoke, VA.

SAWS is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug-free workplace. SAWS values a safe work environment, free from discrimination of any kind.