The Forest Stewards Guild, a national organization of foresters and allied natural resource professionals, is dedicated to practicing and promoting responsible forestry as a means of sustaining the integrity of forest ecosystems and the human communities dependent upon them. We use innovative, science-based solutions to meet the challenges of forest conservation and management. The Guild has over 700 members, over half of whom are professionals who manage over 42 million acres of forestland in the United States and Canada. The Guild maintains regional offices in New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Southwest office has ~15 full time employees and a history of working alongside place-based communities and Tribes for 35 years including longstanding programs related to youth education and workforce development, fire adapted communities, and collaborative forestry.  

The Youth Program Coordinator position will work primarily to support the Forest Stewards Youth Corps (FSYC) program (www.foreststewardsguild.org/fsyc). This is a 25-year-old program with a mission to provide training, education, and employment in natural resource management fields for 16–25-year-olds from forest dependent communities in New Mexico. FSYC supports high school aged youth with our summer program and 18–25-year-old young adults with the fall Fire & Fuels program. Crews are embedded at host units including Forest Service Districts Offices and Jemez Pueblo and complete a wide variety of natural resources projects. FSYC has crews in the field from May through November.

The successful candidate will have leadership experience managing field crews and a passion for youth development. During the field season when crews are working the coordinator will spend approximately 50%-75% of their time in the field supporting crews, with some overnight travel. The remainder of their time will be spent supporting crucial training, logistical, and administrative tasks.

During the portion of the year when the crews are not active in the field, the coordinator will work on tasks necessary to maintain the youth corps program, including recruiting, hiring, working with partners to prepare for the field season, and completing tracking, reporting, and proposal writing. When not supporting the youth corps program, the coordinator will support other projects within the Guild, such as mentorship and education efforts, building fire adapted communities, prescribed fire support, etc. These duties will be assigned based on organizational needs as well as the coordinator’s skills and interests. This position also includes the opportunity to grow projects and programs within the Guild’s mission to further support youth in New Mexico.  

Duties for the Coordinator include:

• Working alongside a team to recruit, hire, and onboard FSYC and other field-based staff.
• Coordinating FSYC Crew Leader and Crew Member training, leadership development, and educational curriculum development and delivery.
• Performing and coordinating regular field visits during the field season to ensure the quality of FSYC crew experience.
• Supporting the Southwest Associate Regional Director with administrative tasks such as overseeing timesheets, invoices, performance reports, vehicle rentals, AmeriCorps awards, and expense reporting.
• Acting as a liaison between FSYC Crew Leaders, work partners, and the Southwest Associate Region Director.
• Working with collaborators and partners such as Tribal and US Forest Service staff to coordinate crews and facilitate and develop FSYC projects.
• Building a culture of physical and mental safety for crew members and leaders.
• Representing the Forest Stewards Guild and FSYC at conferences and events through presentations and career booths and developing communications products to raise the profile of the Guild’s youth programming.
• Supporting field crews by coordinating logistics related to travel, food, and lodging.
• Supporting and participating alongside FSYC, field crews, and Guild staff on prescribed fires.
• Supporting other Guild projects based on organizational needs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience working with youth ages 16+ with a variety of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
• Experience in a field-based leadership position.
• Experience leading training and developing learning curriculums.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Well-organized and detail oriented.
• Proven problem solver.
• Self-directed and able to work independently.
• Experience driving vehicles on rough roads and using 4WD.
• Ability to pass a criminal background check.
• Ability to work in an office setting and outdoors under adverse weather conditions.
• Ability to pass an arduous work-capacity test within 2 months of hiring  https://www.nwcg.gov/term/glossary/work-capacity-test-wct
• Bachelor’s degree in science communication, forestry, environmental science, or other applicable field, or equivalent experience of professional work 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience delivering environmental education curriculum and on the job training.
• Project management experience including developing proposals and managing budgets.
• Basic First-Aid and CPR certification or higher emergency medical training. Training can be provided for this position.
• Experience performing natural resource management projects in the field.
• National Wildland Fire Coordinating Group (NWCG) qualification as a Fire Fighter Type 2 or higher. Training can be provided if not currently qualified.
• Chainsaw experience, especially certification as Faller 2. Training can be provided if not currently qualified.

Compensation and Benefits Package

• $26.39-$28.82/hour plus benefits
• Paid leave and sick leave are 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 six weeks paid leave and six weeks unpaid leave 

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. A hybrid schedule is acceptable and remote work is evaluated on a case-by-case basis as long as the candidate can complete the field-based requirements of the position in northern New Mexico.  This position requires frequent travel throughout the state, with some overnight travel required if travel distances deem it necessary. All travel costs from the Guild office in Santa Fe are covered, including the use of a Guild vehicle.

How to apply

Interested applicants should visit the Smart Recruiters posting here,

https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/ForestStewardsGuild/743999970545634-southwest-youth-program-coordinator

and click “I’m Interested” to submit a one-page cover letter, resume, three professional references, and earliest available start date. This position is open until filled. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis after March 20th.  

NOTE: After clicking “Next” on the initial application page, you will have an opportunity to upload the cover letter and reference documents.  

The one-page writing sample format is flexible. It can be on a natural resource subject of your choice; it can be a press release, newsletter article, research brief, or other sample of your writing capabilities. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Contact us

Questions about this position can be directed to Sam Berry at Sam at forestguild dot org.