Field Leader: 2026  Summer Sierra NF Backcountry Trail Team 

Sierra National Forest 

Conservation Begins Here. 

Are you ready to lead and explore iconic landscapes in the Western U.S.? Do you want to make a tangible difference in our natural spaces and communities? Join the Student Conservation Association (SCA) as a Field Leader for our 2026 Summer Sierra NF Backcountry Trail Team and embark on a journey that blends purpose with adventure. 

Schedule  

April 12, 2026 - August 29, 2026 

• Project Leader Training: April 12, 2026 - May 16, 2026 
• Summer Season: May 17, 2026 - August 29, 2026 

Why Join Us? 

This isn't your average 9-to-5 job. Field Leaders will lead and mentor a team of 5 young adults, 4 crew members and 1 senior member, as they begin their conservation journey. This role will be at the helm of hands-on backcountry conservation projects in Sierra National Forest.

Projects may include clearing trail corridors, logging out trails with crosscut saws, rock work, and maintaining tread and drainage features.  

Join SCA for an immersive opportunity to build, manage and inspire a community of like-minded individuals while completing meaningful service. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

• Act as a Crew Supervisor, by facilitating teamwork activities, managing and participating in basecamp and equipment tasks, tracking member and community wellbeing and upholding SCA's policies; 
• Serve as an Advisor, by training members in technical conservation work skills, mentoring personal and professional development, and teaching environmental stewardship; 
• Act as a Project Manager, by preparing gear and project logistics before members arrive, ensuring successful and timely completion of conservation work projects, communicating with agency partners, and upholding a positive representation of SCA; 
• Perform tasks as a Program Administrator by organizing logistics, completing documentation, managing crew budgets, and communicating with SCA staff; 

Marginal Duties:  

• Assisting in Crew Member Training
• Coordinate specific vehicle and gear repairs
• Tool and gear maintenance
• Pre- and post-season gear check-in and check-out

Required Qualifications: 

• 21+ years old
• Legal work status in the US 
• Successfully pass SCA's background check
• Valid driver's license (3+ years) and Motor Vehicle Record that meets SCA's standards 
• Successfully complete a Health Screening Questionnaire before the position start date
• Attend Leader Training: 4/12/26 - 5/16/26
• Obtain a Wilderness First Responder Certification during training
• Leadership experience in the outdoors (outdoor education, conservation work, or leading peer groups)
• Must understand, enact and uphold project, crew community, basecamp, vehicle, and additional safety standards set through SCA's policies
• Perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, hike 10+ miles in a day, exposed to the elements, and must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more
• Camping, hiking, and backcountry experience
• Work in challenging outdoor conditions, including extreme heat, extreme cold, high winds, and precipitation
• Full engagement in all work projects and community activities
• Commitment to mentorship, teamwork, learning, and problem-solving
• Live and work in a multi-gendered, multi-cultural communal environment, sharing common spaces and communal meal settings each day

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants that receive the PLC must be between the ages of 18 and 30, or veterans aged 35 or younger, at the start of the position. Participants must also be a citizen, national of the United States, or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority if eligible.   

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Current Wilderness First Responder Certification
• Experience with trail work, habitat restoration, or conservation projects
• Chainsaw or Crosscut Certification (Bonus points for B-Faller and B-Bucking certifications)
• Trailer Driving Experience

Benefits 

• Pay: $850/week 
• Travel stipend: $1,000 (split into two payments: half with your first paycheck, half with your last paycheck) 
• Phone stipend: $45/month 

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.   

• Meals: Provided during fieldwork 
• Gear: Group camping gear provided (tents, stoves, cooking supplies) 
• Uniform Package: Includes daypack, work shirts, water bladder and more! 

You'll also receive: 

• Wilderness First Responder Training (completion of this certification is required for the position)  
• Conservation trail work skills training  
• Crosscut training 
• Defensive driver training 
• Trailer driving training 

Your Impact:

Rebuilding trails: You'll play a key role in ensuring that recreation users can safely enjoy our national parks and forests, helping them connect to the outdoors. 

Inspire your team: Serve as a mentor to young adults wanting to make a difference.  

What We're Looking For 

If you're passionate about making a real difference and leading with purpose, this role is for you. Strong candidates will have a good foundation in backcountry living and experience working outdoors. Since this position may spend time in the backcountry, leaders should have solid experience managing camps and projects in rugged conditions. In addition to these technical skills, strong leader candidates are also able to stay organized, practice accountability, possess good judgement, promote belonging, and maintain an open perspective. 

Effective crew leadership revolves around building trust, problem-solving, and cultivating resilience within the team. We're seeking leaders who prioritize emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to guide others through challenges. 

Success for our teams depends on understanding and addressing both individual and group needs. Leaders must be fully invested in supporting their crew - through everything from community meetings to one-on-one check-ins - even outside of project hours. The leader will also need to establish effective communication strategies with their team and work with their crew's senior member to manage project tasks.   

Conservation work is unpredictable, and the best leaders are those who can adapt, communicate, and bring out the best in their team under any circumstances. 

Navigating inclement weather and related challenges, from waking up to frozen water tanks in single digit temperatures to all-day sun exposure, are conditions crews may face. Thunderstorms, wind and smoke can be experienced within the same workday. This position will work in extreme heat and high altitude and exposed conditions. 

There may be opportunities for leaders to work together, during trainings or at project sites. Leaders must be comfortable collaborating with other leaders while maintaining responsibility for their assigned members.  

Western Trail Corps is a substance-free program. Consumption of alcohol is never permitted when on duty, which begins at the start of pre-hitch and ends once all post-hitch activities are completed. Marijuana and illegal substances are never permitted. Participants will adhere to this policy, along with other expectations set by SCA. 

Work Schedule 

In general, leaders should expect to work on their project for 80 hours within a two-week span. This is subject to change based upon programmatic and field-based needs as different projects will require different schedules. This crew typically works 8 10-hour workdays with 6 days off. 

Off time is an opportunity to recharge before getting back on trail and activities vary from crew to crew. Some crews use off time to explore surrounding areas, like visiting local National Parks. Other crews curl up in a coffee shop to decompress. Some crews do a bit of both. A fraction of off time will be spent preparing for the next hitch, such as purchasing groceries. 

Living Arrangements 

Participants should be prepared to camp in frontcountry and/or backcountry conditions throughout the program, including off time. This means limited access to electricity, running water and showers. 

Community chores like preparing meals and washing dishes will be shared by members and leader. SCA will provide group gear such as tents, kitchen supplies (like pots, pans, and stoves), and uniform items.

What Might the Season Look Like? 

Leaders will be required to complete pre-program online course work. On your start date you will travel to Leader Training, where participants will develop leadership and conservation skills needed for a conservation corps team. Training is field-based and will include a review of sustainable trail practices, tools for building an inclusive crew and proper basecamp setup. Staff will also share administrative and risk management expectations. A Wilderness First Responder course is offered during training. If applicable for an assigned project, leaders may also participate in advanced courses, such as crosscut. 

Leaders will then travel to Ridgecrest, CA to prepare for their crew, collaborating with local staff to prep gear, outline project logistics, contact members, and other tasks to ensure a successful start to the season.   

Leaders will meet their team during Crew Member Training. Leaders will help assist with training and set key foundations for members. Upon completion of Crew Member Training, crews will travel to their work project site in Sierra National Forest for their summer season. Leaders will wrap up in Ridgecrest, CA where they will derig, submit final administrative work and review their season with staff.   

Personal Vehicle: 

Not required; Leaders are permitted to bring their personal vehicles for use during their days off, but SCA is not responsible for the fuel, parking or security of personal vehicles. Throughout the season, leaders are responsible for coordinating the travel logistics of the work vehicle. 

Equal Opportunity Statement  

The Student Conservation Association, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members and is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere where lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.