The Forest Stewards Guild, a national organization of foresters and allied natural resource professionals, is dedicated to practicing and promoting values-based forestry. The Guild has 700 members, over half of whom are professionals who manage some of the best forests in the United States and Canada. The Guild maintains regional offices in New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, and Wisconsin. 

Job title: Southwest Region Project Coordinator 
Location: Santa Fe, NM  
Status: Regular, full-time  
Compensation: $22.79/hour plus benefits  
Application deadline: May 15, 2022 at 11:00 PM

The Forest Stewards Guild is hiring a full-time Project Coordinator in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a key member of the Forest Stewards Guild’s Southwest office, your position will ensure that projects meet the Guild’s objectives to promote forests and forest-dependent communities that are ecologically, economically, and socially resilient in the Southwest. Candidates should have strong communication and collaboration skills, experience in field forestry, ecological monitoring and community wildfire mitigation, and the ability to think strategically.  

The Southwest Region Project Coordinator will work closely with Managers and Directors in the region to implement projects that support all programs in the Southwest. Specifically, this position will focus on fostering fire adapted communities and community wildfire mitigation through the Guild’s Fire Adapted Learning Network and the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition, as well as supporting the Guild’s collaborative forestry projects that aim to create fire adapted landscapes and ecologically resilient forests.  

The successful candidate will have a degree in forestry, ecology, natural resource management, or related field, or equivalent professional experience. This individual will have excellent organizational, communication, and written skills, possess the ability to work independently, outdoors, and in remote locations, and demonstrate a passion for advancing ecological forestry in the Southwest. The Guild has a strong base in the Southwest, and the ideal candidate will possess the drive to sustain and strengthen the Guild’s regional presence and impact. 

Among other duties as assigned, the successful individual will:  

• Use strong communication skills to work with communities and partners on building fire adapted communities and advancing wildfire mitigation, 
• use design programs and forestry knowledge to create education and outreach materials to disseminate information to the public about wildfire mitigation and forest restoration, 
• ​​​​​​​use experience in field forestry and ecological monitoring to collect, analyze and report on socio-economic and ecological monitoring data for collaborative forest restoration projects, 
• ​​​​​​​use skills in partner collaboration and public meeting facilitation to assist Guild staff and Forest Service partners with NEPA planning and scoping, 
• ​​​​​​​assist in the implementation of the Forest Stewards Youth Corps program by conducting field visits to youth crews and communicating with the Forest Service Ranger Districts and the Guild’s Field Coordinator about the crew’s workplan, 
• ​​​​​​​use strong organizational skills to assist Project Managers with tracking budgets, match, metrics, and deliverables for projects, and 
• ​​​​​​​use strategic thinking to creatively develop solutions to accomplish project deliverables. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry or other natural resources management field, or equivalent relevant experience 
• Experience facilitating meetings and large groups 
• Ability to maintain and promote relationships with diverse project partners, funders, and the public 
• ​​​​​​​Ability to represent the Guild at professional conferences or events and occasionally perform public speaking, such as PowerPoint presentations or panel discussions 
• ​​​​​​​Experience collecting and analyzing ecological monitoring data 
• ​​​​​​​Strong verbal and written communication skills 
• ​​​​​​​Strong organizational skills 
• ​​​​​​​Ability to work both independently and on a team  
• ​​​​​​​Effective knowledge of common software applications such as Microsoft Office 
• ​​​​​​​Valid driver’s license and ability to drive off-road in inclement weather 
• ​​​​​​​Legally authorized to work in the United States 
• ​​​​​​​Ability to pass an arduous pack test and earn Wildland Firefighter certifications  
• ​​​​​​​The drive to strengthen and expand forest stewardship in the Southwest 
• ​​​​​​​Must be vaccinated against COVID-19 (medical and religious exemption requests are accepted and must follow the process outlined in The Guild’s COVID-19 Policy)   

Preferred Qualifications 

• Knowledge and experience in southwestern forest ecosystems and communities 
• ​​​​​​​Proficiency with Arc geographical information system (GIS) software 
• ​​​​​​​Grant writing and/or technical writing experience 
• ​​​​​​​Experience with wildfire or prescribed fire and relevant qualifications; willingness to support Guild prescribed fire operations, as needed 

Compensation and Benefits Package  

• $22.79 per hour.   
• Paid leave is accrued monthly from the first day of employment   
• 12 paid holidays per year   
• Employer-sponsored comprehensive health and dental care coverage is available after 30 days of continuous employment with the employee contribution at 20%    
• Short and long-term disability policies paid by The Guild after 60 days of employment   
• Accidental death/dismemberment and life insurance policies paid by The Guild after 60 days    
• Flexible compensation plan available after 60 days    
• Participation in a retirement plan with an employer match is available after 90 days 
• Family Leave after 12 months, including up to six weeks paid leave and six weeks unpaid leave   
• Compassionate leave after first day of employment, 3 paid days for a qualifying event 

The Guild is dedicated to providing an open, transparent, and just organization and workplace. We strive for clear, open, and kind communication and are committed to recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and supporting staff from underrepresented communities. We are dedicated to building a work culture that recognizes the inherent value of our employees, supports a healthy work-life balance, and provides an environment that supports personal and job growth.   

Location  

This position is located at the Forest Stewards Guild’s office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This position requires travel throughout the state, including overnight stays. All travel costs from the Guild office in Santa Fe are covered, including the use of a Guild vehicle. The opportunity to work from a home office on administrative tasks will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

How to apply  

Interested applicants should click “I’m Interested” to submit a one-page cover letter, resume, one-page writing sample, three professional references, and earliest available start date by 11:00 p.m. on May 15, 2022. We prefer all application materials to be combined into one PDF. After clicking “Next” on the initial application page, you will have another opportunity to upload more documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you are having trouble submitting materials on Smart Recruiters, you may email materials to leonora at forestguild.org. 

DEADLINE: Sunday, May 15th at 11:00 PM  

Contact us  

Questions about this position can be directed to Leonora Pepper at leonora at forestguild.org or 505-490-5567.  

We believe that a diverse workforce reflects the strengths of all members of our community. The Forest Stewards Guild strives to create a collaborative, supportive, and respectful setting for all employees and partners. To meet this goal, we recognize and celebrate the wide range of differences that characterize our members, employees, partners, and collaborators. Indeed, it is those differences that enhance our organization and help us to meet our mission and vision. The Guild values diverse forests because they are more productive, more resilient, more adaptable, and better able to recover from disturbances. Similarly, our community is healthier when we are inclusive of a diversity of people and perspectives.