Southeast Conservation Corps’ Crew Leaders and Assistant 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, 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. A leadership position with SECC requires, mentorship, self-reliance, critical thinking, problem solving, patience, technical aptitude, focus on efficiency, and a high level of comfort in the outdoors. Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew Leaders are ultimately responsible for successes and short-comings of the crew.

Applicants for this position may be considered for either Crew Leader or Assistant Crew Leader, depending on experience and qualifications. Leaders in these positions are being hired to leader two consecutive crews, one in the spring, and then one in the summer. The leaders will have a one week break between the spring and summer seasons. The first week of each season the crew leaders will assist with crew member training for the new members. 

Crew will be comprised of young adults, 18-26 selected to complete conservation work projects on public lands throughout the Southeast US. The typical schedule is nine days on the project (camping at the site as a group) with five days off. Schedules can also include five days on- two days off or four days on – three days off work weeks. Corpsmembers are responsible for finding and attaining their own housing during the off-days, this is a non-residential program.  Depending on project work and location, other schedule variations may be implemented. Community/camp chores will be completed every evening, with some evenings including group discussions on conservation and/or corps related topics. While the staff at SECC works to provide consistency throughout the season personal flexibility is expected and should be prepared for when entering the term as schedules, times, and work locations are subject to change per project needs. The first week will be a five day, camping based, field training week.

Project Work:
SECC works with a variety of land management agencies in Tennessee and throughout the Southeast region, such as the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, State Parks and conservation-based non-profits. Projects vary but include trail construction and maintenance, ecosystem restoration, habitat restoration, fire fuels reduction, fencing on public lands, invasive weed removal, herbicide applications, and many others.

This crew will be working and living in a front country or backcountry camping setting. The work will be hiking intensive and participants should be comfortable hiking multiple miles a day with a tools and personal day pack.