YCC Mentor – (2 openings)

Conservation Legacy Program: Arizona Conservation Corps

Site Location: Petrified Forest National Park (1 Park Rd. Petrified Forest, AZ 86028)

Term of Service:

Start Date: 6/1/2026 (anticipated)

End Date: 11/27/2026

AmeriCorps Slot Classification: 900 hour term

Purpose:

This is an AmeriCorps position with Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC), which is an AmeriCorps program of Conservation Legacy. The member selected for this position will be serving at Petrified Forest National Park as an AmeriCorps member with Arizona Conservation Corps, and completing service projects for the National Park Service.

AZCC aims to continue the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's, and is focused on connecting youth, young adults, and recent era military veterans with communities and conservation service projects on public lands. AZCC operates programs across Arizona that engage individuals and strengthen communities through service and conservation. AZCC has program offices in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson. 

Petrified Forest National Park:

Petrified Forest National Park blends colorful badlands, vast grasslands, and one of the world's largest and most vivid collections of petrified wood. Spanning more than 200 million years of geologic history, the park protects ancient fossils, ancestral Puebloan sites, habitat for desert animals, and a sweeping stretch of historic Route 66.

Description of Duties:

The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Mentors will serve as mentors/crew leaders for Petrified Forest’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program, leading crew members aged 15 to 18 in a variety of maintenance and resource conservation projects, and recreational days to include hiking, swimming and camping.

The YCC Mentors will lead day-to-day work of the Youth Conservation Corps Program. They will mentor and oversee the work the YCC members do and assist park staff in teaching the YCC members various aspects of park maintenance and conservation. The YCC Mentors and crew will assist park staff in trail, fence, and grounds maintenance, vegetation removal, and assist with paleontological and archeological field work. Additionally, there will likely be opportunities to assist with interpretation programs throughout the park. The YCC members will work at the park for about 7 weeks of the summer.

After the YCC program ends, the YCC Mentors will be assigned to work with the park’s trail and fence maintenance crews. The primary focus of this work this season will be repairing historic masonry structures along the trails and repairing boundary fence in order to prevent trespassing livestock from entering the park. There may be some projects that require backcountry camping in order to accomplish the work.

The YCC Mentors will gain experience in leadership throughout the YCC portion of the program and also be exposed to working with natural and cultural resource specialists, park interpretation staff, and various maintenance trades workers. Additionally, they will get exposure to other National Park sites throughout the region when the YCC crew assists these other units.

Training will be provided in crew leading/crew mentoring, hand tool use, trail and fence construction and maintenance, trailer use and safety, UTV operation, and dirt road/offroad driving techniques and safety. There will also be a parkwide introduction to the fundamentals of the National Park Service, natural and cultural resources conservation.

Shared housing is available for the YCC Mentors during their term.

Essential Responsibilities and Functions:

• Lead day-to-day YCC crew activities
• Monitor YCC members throughout the day and mentor them to stay on task, work with each other, and how to be a responsible employee with a good work ethic.
• Facilitate conflict resolution among the crew, teaching members how to work through interpersonal challenges that result in positive working relationships.
• Demonstrate safe/proper use of hand tools necessary to complete work tasks.
• Ensure safety of the YCC crew throughout the day, monitoring for inclement weather, high daily temperatures and lightning storms, and taking appropriate action for the situation.
• Perform regular one on one check-ins with crew members to monitor their physical and emotional well-being and developmental growth.
• Assist NPS program leads with project execution.
• Assist NPS staff with educational days.
• Operate a full size 4x4 SUV or pickup truck and occasionally tow a trailer throughout the park and on highways.
• Repair and construction of various trail features such as asphalt tread, dry and wet stone masonry walls, culverts, signs and other drainage structures.
• Repair and construction of various boundary fence features such as smooth and barbed wire, t-posts, gates and construction of braces.

Qualifications:

• United States citizen, United States national, or a lawful permanent resident alien.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Has received a high school diploma or equivalency certificate; or has not dropped out of elementary or secondary school to enroll as an AmeriCorps participant, and agrees to obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent prior to using the education award.
• Agrees to provide information to establish eligibility and to complete a National Service Criminal History Check.
• A self-starter that demonstrates professionalism, both in demeanor and appearance.
• Valid driver’s license (must be over 21 OR have had license for 3 years if under 21).
• Positive attitude and adaptability.
• CPR and First Aid training.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Leadership experience.
• Prior work with youth/teens.
• Experience with physical labor.
• Possessing trades skills.
• Prior natural or cultural resource work experience.

Physical Requirements:

Environmental risks include exposure to hazards such as temperatures above 100 degrees, rain, lightning, high winds, risk of injury due to over exertion during work tasks or hiking, strains, sprains, and other possible risk of injury related to physical labor and working with hand and power tools, and handling heavy and sometimes sharp objects. Possible exposure to rattlesnakes and toxic plants.

Conservation Legacy is committed to the full consideration of all qualified individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential job functions. Some positions may require periodic overnight travel, non-traditional hours, ability to move across varied terrain, use program-specific tools and a range of technology on an infrequent or frequent basis. Exerting up to 60 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Time Requirements:

Typically, this position is expected to serve Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week, but exact service schedules may vary. Some occasional weekend work may be necessary. A half hour lunch break will not be counted towards AmeriCorps service. Member may be required to participate in national, state, or local service projects or events as part of their service term.

Orientation and Training:

Member will receive an Arizona Conservation Corps Individual Placement Program New Member Orientation at start of service that will have training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities.

Benefits:

• Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.50 with successful completion of position.
• Living Allowance of $550 per week.
• Additional Benefit of $150 per week.
• Public Lands Corps Certificate*
• Qualifies for Student Loan forbearance and Interest Payment reimbursement through AmeriCorps.
• Shared housing is available for the YCC Mentors during their term.
• Healthcare Coverage provided by The Corps Network and Cigna.

*To be eligible for a Public Lands Corps certificate, members must be between the ages of 18-30, or up to 35 if a military veteran, at the time the individual begins the term of service and must complete 640 service hours or more to qualify.

Evaluation and Reporting:

As an AmeriCorps member, performance will be evaluated on whether the member has completed the required number of hours, the member has satisfactorily completed assignments, and if the member has met other performance criteria that were clearly communicated at the beginning of the term of service. Reporting requirements include, but are not limited to, bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Supervisor Name:

This position reports to James Brown, Facility Manager, Petrified Forest National Park.

To Apply:  

Please submit a resume and cover letter along with the online application at https://azcorps.org/ip-positions.

If you have questions, contact AZCC’s Individual Placement Coordinator Preston Sands at psands@conservationlegacy.org. 

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.