Field Leader - 2025 Summer Sequoia National Forest Trail Team

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 2025 Summer Sequoia National Forest Trail Team-Fire Recovery and embark on a journey that blends purpose with adventure.

Schedule

• April 7, 2025 - August 23, 2025
• Project Leader Training: April 7, 2025 – April 24, 2025
• Summer Season: April 25, 2025 – August 23, 2025

Location

• Springville, CA

Why Join Us?

This isn't your average 9-to-5 job. Field Leaders will lead and mentor a team of young adults as they begin their conservation journey. This role will be at the helm of diverse hands-on conservation projects in remote locations throughout Sequoia National Forest. Projects may include clearing trail corridors and logging out trails, installing rock structures, and maintaining tread and drainage features. Share sunrises with sequoias, and explore vast landscapes with your crew.

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

As a Field Leader:

• Act as a Crew Supervisor, facilitating teamwork, managing basecamp and equipment tasks, overseeing member wellbeing, and guiding crew dynamics;
• Serve as an Advisor, training members in technical conservation work skills, mentoring personal and professional development, and teaching environmental stewardship;
• Act as a Project Manager, ensuring successful and timely completion of work projects, communicating with agency partners, and upholding a positive representation of SCA;
• Perform tasks as a Program Administrator, organizing logistics, completing documentation, managing crew budgets, and communicating with SCA staff;

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. In addition to these technical skills, strong leader candidates also excel in fostering team dynamics, navigating interpersonal relationships, and creating a strong sense of community.

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, all while creating a positive, inclusive environment.

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.

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.

Required:

• 21+ years old;
• Must have the ability to legally work in the US;
• Valid driver's license (3+ years) and Motor Vehicle Record that meets SCA standards;
• Must be able to attend Crew Leader training: 4/7/2025 – 4/24/2025;
• Leadership experience in the outdoors (outdoor education, conservation work, or leading peer groups);
• Ability to perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, exposed to the elements, and must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more;
• Camping, hiking, and backcountry experience;
• Commitment to teamwork, learning, and problem-solving;
• Ability to obtain a Wilderness First Responder Certification during training;

Preferred but Not Required:

• 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 is a plus;

Why You'll Love This Job:

• Meaningful work: You'll be contributing to a positive recreational experience for years to come.
• Skills for life: Learn wilderness medicine, outdoor risk management, conservation practices, and how to build a cohesive, high-functioning team.
• Real connections: Create lifelong friendships with people who share your passion for the planet.
• Adventure lifestyle: Live off the grid for most of the season. Camp under the stars, cook over a camp stove, and work without the distractions of modern life. (Yes, cell service and showers are limited—but trust us, you won't miss it.)

Benefits

• Pay: $800/week
• Travel stipend: $1,000 (split into two payments: half with your first paycheck, half with your last paycheck)
• Phone stipend: $45/month
• Meals: Provided during fieldwork
• Gear: Group camping gear provided (tents, stoves, cooking supplies)

You'll also receive:

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

Living Arrangements

Participants should be prepared to camp in frontcountry and/or backcountry conditions throughout the program. 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. Leaders and members will be expected to bring their personal items such as a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothing, and mess kit. To support the crew's efforts, Leaders are issued an SCA vehicle and trailer for transportation and storage, and a field budget to purchase groceries, supplies, and fuel.

Expect to be camping for the duration of the crew, during work and off-time. This means limited access to electricity, running water and showers.

What Might the Season Look Like?

Begin at Project Leader Training, where participants will develop leadership and conservation skills needed for a 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 chainsaw or 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 assist with training and set key foundations for members. Upon completion of Crew Member Training, crews will travel to their work project site in Sequoia National Forest for their summer season. Crews will wrap up in Ridgecrest, CA where they will derig, and leaders will review their season with staff.

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. Different projects will require different schedules. Some crews work 8 10-hour workdays with 6 days off, others may work 4 10-hour days with 3 days off. Check-ins with members or managing incidents may happen at any time during the season.

Join Us. Apply Today!

Ready to lead, learn, and make a difference? Create a profile and submit your application through SCA's website. For questions, reach out to [email protected].

Let's build a better future—together.

Equal Opportunity Statement

SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members. SCA is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally.

Physical requirements and working conditions specific to the position are available in the full job description.