2025 CREW LEADER POSITION DESCRIPTION

AmeriCorps Position: Crew Leader (ages 18-30), 450 hour

 Living Allowance: $600/week stipend before taxes, paid out every two weeks

Service Term: May 12th-August 7th ; Extended Season Crew August 18th – October 17th

Service Schedule: Flexible, often Monday-Thursday (40-hour week)

Reports to: Field Manager and Field Coordinators

Criminal History Check: NSOPW, FBI & State(s), the member does have recurring access to vulnerable populations.

Location: This is a residential program; participants will be camping throughout the summer in front-country campgrounds (water, toilets, etc.). In some instances, crews will have bunkhouses provided by the US Forest Service or National Park Service. Depending on crew location, crews may spend anywhere from 30% to 100% of their season living in tents. Please note certain activities such as food shopping, meal prep, eating meals, cleaning your bunk/tent/room, and evening activities do not count toward your term hours.

Crews work in the following locations:

• Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park area, or Grand Lake area)
• Arapaho National Forests (Sulphur Ranger District)
• Roosevelt National Forest (Boulder and Canyon Lakes Ranger Districts)

Position Summary: The Crew Leader position is integral to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy AmeriCorps Conservation Corps. The Crew Leader helps accomplish the Conservancy’s goals of completing conservation projects, supporting crew members' development of personal and professional skills, working directly with agency partners, and fostering a conservation ethic amongst the crews. Crew locations vary throughout Northern Colorado. Service will involve extensive periods of camping. Projects can include, but are not limited to, trail maintenance and construction, vegetation management, wildfire mitigation, habitat restoration, historic structure stabilization and restoration, and basic carpentry. Projects are completed alongside the National Park Service and USDA Forest Service staff, along with occasional interaction with several local nonprofits.

The Crew Leader leads a crew of 4 to 7 Crew Members and is responsible for the crew’s service and safety during each project. The Crew Leader and Crew Members are supervised by the Field Coordinators and Field Manager. The Agency Partner’s responsibility is largely project-focused. The Crew Leader Manages their crew. Additionally, the crew leader is responsible for monitoring the crew’s use of meal funds throughout the season ($10/person/day while working), and submitting receipts for use of that card.

Qualifications:

• Strong communication skills - verbal and written
• Demonstrated strong leadership and supervisory skills to lead by example – on and off-duty
• Preferred experience in trail work and wilderness travel
• Current Wilderness First Aid certification (reimbursement for certification)
• Ability to motivate and create an excellent team environment and work ethic
• Proven organization and time management skills
• Mature judgment to solve problems while supervising others with diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Assess tasks, develop work plans, delegate assignments, and monitor work
• Demonstrated ability to complete administrative tasks in a timely manner
• Ability to foster a positive crew dynamic and help mediate internal problems that arise
• Robust interpersonal communication skills
• Proven ability to adapt to changing work schedules
• A proven ability to empathize with others and work through adversity
• Passion for service-learning activities
• Experience with safety protocols and precautions related to hand tool use and backcountry travel
• General experience with money and receipt management
• Dedication to complete the full term of AmeriCorps service

Requirements:

• Must be a US Citizen, US National, or Lawful Permanent Resident of the US
• Must pass the National Sex Offender Public Registry and applicable State and Federal background checks
• Must complete physician’s review
• Be between 18-30 years old
• Strong prioritization of safety for oneself and others. This includes but is not limited to knowing your physical limits to reduce strains and sprains, using caution when lifting and using team lifts when possible, being aware of your surroundings, and careful foot placement when walking on uneven ground.
• Demonstration and continued respect of RMC property including but not limited to RMC vehicles, equipment, etc.

Essential Service Functions: Ability to perform the *Essential Service Functions 40 hours per week

• Long (10-hour) days of shoveling, digging, and swinging heavy tools repetitively
• Heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds
• Walking and working on steep or uneven terrain
• Carrying a 40lb backpack up to 10 miles
• Occasionally having to work in adverse weather
• Working, eating, and camping outdoors in all weather conditions

*Adequately performing essential service functions is a requirement of this position. Flexibility and adaptability can be made in certain scenarios within reason.

Position Responsibilities and Tasks:

Crew Leaders must:

• Actively participate in technical and personal skills training, strive to develop these skills in the field, and serve as a resource to mentor members
• Set goals with the Field Coordinator, participate in personal development, receive feedback on performance, and adjust accordingly
• Support training and educational activities by facilitating learning opportunities
• Help lead and assist with Corps-wide training and education week programs
• Coordinate and fully contribute to service projects to the best of their ability
• Must serve safely, effectively, and efficiently to ensure that projects are completed to the satisfaction of project hosts
• Foster a positive crew dynamic and help mediate conflict among crew members
• Foster personal development of crew members through goal setting and performance reviews, lead debriefs to build positive crew dynamic
• Must be able to provide emotional support to members (within reason), and facilitate constructive conversations around mental health
• Communicate effectively with crew members, program staff, and agency liaisons
• Organize crew gear, tools, and work supplies throughout the season
• Be always on duty/on-call and after work hours to assist in case of an emergency
• Must complete and return all administrative forms and tasks (timesheets, project accomplishments, incident reports, meal receipts) promptly

Leaders are expected to serve a minimum of 450 hours and complete the entire service term per the start and end dates listed on the Member Service Agreement. Due to the brevity of the position, no vacation, sick leave, or personal time is granted. Each day of service, training, or education, members will take a required ½ hour lunch that does not count towards term of service hours.

I.     To actively participate and support training to help facilitate learning opportunities for members, Crew Leaders must:

• Attend all provided training and orientation activities
• Be prepared to take notes, complete assigned tasks, and actively participate in interactive sessions
• Attentively listen to and demonstrate respect towards presenters
• Prepare lesson plans for training on LNT, backcountry preparedness, camp cooking, and situational awareness for their crew
• Identify goals and pursue achieving them throughout the season
• Help crew members achieve their goals throughout the season
• Facilitate the “Crew Leader of the Week” experience for crew members to practice leadership

skills

II.    To plan and fully contribute to service projects and provide a safe work environment, Crew Leaders must:

• Meet with the crew at the predetermined time set by the agency to discuss daily plans and assign tasks, starting service on time
• Manage crew time and breaks throughout the day
• Plan daily project schedules to maximize productivity, safety, and crew efficiency, in consultation with agency staff
• Coordinate tools, equipment, and materials for service Load vehicles properly. Do not leave needed tools behind and do not leave tools at the service site unless specified by the agency partner
• Assist with on-site skills training for project-related work
• Meet with agency staff to review project expectations
• Monitor project progress and model a strong work ethic for crew members
• Complete a vehicle safety check each day (“walk around”)
• Complete daily work reports on at least a weekly basis
• Comply with Conservancy and agency safety protocols during project work by ensuring crew members are using tools properly, wearing required PPE, and managing their personal health
• Conduct morning stretch and safety talks daily to review job and environmental hazards
• Submit receipts on a weekly basis, and manage crew food funds.

III.  To foster a strong crew dynamic and mitigate conflict among crew members, Crew Leaders must:

• Address and strive to resolve crew conflicts or personal member issues informally through individual or group If conflicts cannot be resolved or are policy violations requiring disciplinary action, contact the Field Coordinator or Field Manager
• Host daily debriefs to review successes, lessons learned, and areas of improvement for future days
• Facilitate off-duty crew activities (i.e., crew dinners, hikes, teambuilding activities), but encourage alone/personal/reflective time when necessary
• Maintain strong one-on-one communication with individual crew members through weekly informal conversations about progress towards goals, experience working, and any concerns
• Prioritize fostering a positive learning experience for crew members

IV.  Communicate effectively with program staff and agency liaisons, Crew Leaders must:

• Provide work and crew updates weekly to the Field Manager
• Communicate in an efficient and timely manner with agency staff and Stewardship Director or Field Manager regarding project needs, schedule changes, vehicle incidents, and housing concerns
• Relay necessary information from agency partners to Field Coordinators and Field Manager
• Inform the Field Manager of any interpersonal or work-related issues on the crew
• Receive feedback constructively regarding project outcomes and crew progress

In accordance with 45CFR 2520.65, AmeriCorps members may not perform prohibited service activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in the activities. Prohibited service activities are outlined in the Service Agreement section VII and AmeriCorps member manual.

Training: As an AmeriCorps service learning program and to prepare Crew Members for work in the field, the Corps provides orientation and technical skills training at the start of the program year and additional region or project-specific training throughout the service term including AmeriCorps benefits, team building and conflict resolution, diversity, safety and risk management, tool safety and use, tool maintenance, defensive driving, Leave No Trace, and backcountry skills. No more than 20% of the term hours will be spent on education/training.

Role Clarification: This is an AmeriCorps member-level position, NOT a staff member. While serving in this AmeriCorps position, AmeriCorps members need to abide by the below restrictions:

• AmeriCorps members may NOT sign/approve official documents such as AmeriCorps paperwork, member timecards, performance evaluations, disciplinary contracts, project contracts or any similar documents
• AmeriCorps members may NOT be directly involved in project acquisition or contracting
• AmeriCorps members may NOT discipline other AmeriCorps members. While they may provide guidance, facilitate crew meetings, motivate, reward, and uphold safety policies on the service site, all policy violations and disciplinary action must be directed to and handled by Staff.