Title: Eastern Operations Technician
Starting Salary: The starting salary range for this position will be in the $23.75/hr to $24.46/hr range, depending on experience, education, and skills relevant to the position. Please note that the indicated starting salary range describes the range for an incumbent in this position. Most new staff generally start at the beginning of the range percentile to ensure internal salary equity.
Location: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, or within eastern program service region
Status: Full-Time, Non-exempt
Benefit Eligible: Health, Vision, Dental, Short/Long-Term Disability, Basic Life Retirement, Paid Time Off per Personnel Policies, Supplemental benefits including critical care, pet insurance, supplemental life, and others
Reports to: Western Operations Specialist
Posting Period: Please apply before March 15th, 2026

Organizational Summary:
Conservation Legacy is a nationwide non-profit. The Corps programs within the organization engage participants in diverse conservation and community projects that serve public and private lands. These projects provide opportunities for personal and professional development and strive toward a high priority of needs for public land managers and community partners. Through the mission of engaging future leaders who protect, restore, and enhance our nation’s lands through community-based service, Conservation Legacy works toward a world with healthy lands, air, and water; thriving people and resilient communities.

Position Summary:

This position is responsible for supporting local programs across the region in developing participant and staff technical skills, assisting programs with strategic projects and operational needs, and engaging in the quality assurance of local programs within the region. The primary focus of this position is to ensure programs are equipped to execute high quality and safe project work. This position will work directly with the Operations Specialist to prioritize needs across the region and support local program staff in the execution of programming. This position is required to stay up-to-date on industry standards in conservation, trail construction, forestry, restoration, and other land stewardship work, and actively works with regional and national operations teams to ensure these standards are met.

This position contributes to Conservation Legacy’s effort to further develop facilitation and technical skillsets of program staff. Some focus areas may include: providing training and technical support for crew-based programs’ staff and participants, reviewing and delivering curriculum for skills training, working with program staff and/or partners to develop technical specifications and standards for projects, and supporting national and regional program development strategies. This position may also support intern program staff as needed by helping develop training, work, and partnership plans related to technical skills-focused internships.

The position may spend 50% or more of their time in the field, traveling to Conservation Legacy program locations throughout the region. This may vary depending on season and programmatic need. This position participates as needed in national operations and management teams. Additionally, this position will work with the Operations Specialist to maintain an active presence in internal and agency working groups focused on technical skills utilized by programs. This position is expected to use wide knowledge of conservation practices to foster collaboration between programs, other cooperators, and federal and state agencies.

Outcomes & Functions of Position:

Field Skills Training

• Identify and prioritize regional field presence with programs based on need, skillset, and capacity.
• Assist Operations Specialist in the planning and facilitation of training opportunities for Conservation Legacy staff to improve field skills.
• Coordinate with Operations Specialist to facilitate skills trainings, including chainsaw, crosscut, trail construction/maintenance, herbicide, fencing, and wilderness medicine.
• Assist program staff in the planning and execution of field trainings for participants and crews.

Training and Operational Standards

• Deliver trainings to address challenges in field operations for staff and participants.
• Monitor field operations and industry trends to keep Conservation Legacy programs relevant and outstanding.
• Facilitate trainings to diverse groups with different learning styles, and be adaptable to the different needs of members, leaders, staff, and external participants.
• Maintain individual professional skill set and develop new skills relevant to program needs.
• Strategize to diversify and compliment technical skillsets within the Western Region team, as well as among staff throughout the region.
• Attend conferences, workshops, or other industry events as a representative of Conservation Legacy.
  Assist with development and review of operational systems, training resources and standards, and risk management protocols.

Partnership and Cooperator Liaison

• Collaborate with Operations Specialist to maintain partnerships with agency personnel and community partners specific to the objective of advancing Conservation Legacy’s training and technical skill capabilities.
• Support program staff and project partners in developing project specifications for highly technical projects and promoting best practices for gathering reportable accomplishments.

Organizational Advocacy

• Successfully engages, leads and supports a positive work environment for all within the organization and the communities we serve.
• Leads and/or participates in organizational-wide teams, projects and initiatives that support the work of the Strategic Plans goals.
• Reports any potential complaints within the organization as identified in the Personnel Policy Manual.
• Assists or leads other responsibilities, as assigned.

Our Commitment:

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. Physical requirements may include periodic overnight travel, non-traditional work 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 25 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. The ability to safely drive an organizational vehicle may also be required for some positions. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to the hiring manager.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in conservation corps, land management, or similar applicable industry.

• Minimum of 3 years of practical experience training and teaching field skills.

• Experience with chainsaw and/or crosscut operations and training.

• Advanced conservation project skills such as trail building/maintenance, fuels reduction, fencing, and pesticide/invasive species management, and a desire to enhance and hone these skillsets.

• Current Wilderness First Aid Certification.

• Experience managing crews and people on conservation projects.

• Experience with the planning and facilitating a wide variety of training topics in environmental and experiential education.

• Ability to spend long stretches of time in the field and comfortable in that environment.

• Flexibility, adaptability, and capacity to work in a fluid, changing work environment.

• Ability to operate Microsoft Office programs and applications, or similar platforms.

• Ability to keep others and oneself, in remote locations, accountable to expectations.

• Valid Driver’s License and Insurable Driving Record per Personnel Policies.

• Must be able to pass the organization’s criminal history check requirements.

Other Competencies Desired for this Position’s Success: Manage Complexity, Resourceful, Effectively Communicate, Cultivate Innovation, Drive and/or Influence Results, Plans & Aligns.

• USFS Chainsaw B-Faller, or equivalent.
• USFS Crosscut B-Bucker, or equivalent.
• Current Wilderness First Responder.
• Wilderness First Aid Lead Instructor.
• Pesticide Applicator license, especially from Arizona, New Mexico, and/or Colorado.
• Experience with field data systems, GIS, emergency on-call networks, or other similar systems.

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.