Field Crew Lead - Native Pocket Prairie Landscaping

Job Description - Field Crew Lead - Native Pocket Prairie Landscaping

Position: Native Pocket Prairie Landscaping Field Crew Lead

Location: Pullman, Washington

Employment Category: Temporary (~ April - September 2024)

Full/Part Time: Part Time (Up to 20 hrs/wk) available; potential to increase hours to Full-time

Position Summary: Conduct-site field operations of The Phoenix Conservancy’s Palouse Prairie subprojects.

Salary: $20/hr

Additional Benefits: N/A

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To Apply: 

Submit an application as a single pdf document that includes:

• A letter of interest;
• Resume or curriculum vitae;
• Contact information for three professional references to: careers@phoenixconservancy.org AND palouse@phoenixconservancy.org

The Phoenix Conservancy is growing quickly, and we accept and review resumes and applications from interested candidates on a rolling basis. 

The Phoenix Conservancy's Pocket Prairies program is now hiring crew leads for Spring 2024, and accepting applications for Fall 2024. Designed to weave native plant communities into the urban landscape, these tiny prairies serve a number of vital functions, including: 

• Pollinator habitat
• Improved soil health and water retention
• Establishing urban native plant seed sources
• Beautification with low-maintenance, low-water native plants
• Generating funding for larger-scale restoration

If you've got a passion for native prairie restoration, love working outside with landowners interested in the benefits of native plant landscaping, and building foundations for pragmatic ecosystem restoration, then The Phoenix Conservancy is looking for you!   

Position Description: Field Crew positions are responsible for on-site project execution for the Palouse Prairie subprojects. The principal goal of this position is to complete restoration tasks within a timeline identified and assigned by the Palouse Prairie Manager. The overall goal of the Field Crew position is therefore to leverage TPC resources to their maximal extent in order to accomplish field-based restoration deliverables.

To fulfil this role, the Field Crew has supervisory authority of field staff, interns, and volunteers, subject the oversight of the Executive Director. Sample duties include (but are not limited to):

-Participating in any and all on-site restoration activities and ensuring effective and efficient execution of projects.

-Adapting to and maintaining a positive, strong work ethic in variable field conditions.

-Ensuring that all required tools, PPE, plants, seeds, and other supplies are present at a given site in adequate supply for a given day’s tasks.

-Supervising field staff, interns, and volunteers in safe and effective implementation of tasks in compliance with all TPC policies outlined in the Employee Handbook.

-Maintaining close communication with the Palouse Prairie Manager on status and progress, and with the Executive Director on needs and challenges for field work at Phoenix Conservancy project sites. 

-Demonstrating competence in restoration protocols for Phoenix field staff, interns, and volunteers, including invasive species removal, safety, seed collection protocols, and identification of native and invasive species. 

While execution of field work is the priority of the position, members of TPC’s Field Crew will secondarily be responsible for participating in occasional non-restoration organizational tasks, including (but not limited to):

            -Fundraising and public outreach events

            -Biochar production and processing

            -Inventory and facilities maintenance

            -Assisting with grant writing and project development

            -Staff meetings

            -Professional development

            -Assisting with other projects and tasks, depending on availability and at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Required Qualifications:

• A passion for building a startup into a major conservation nonprofit organization that uses social enterprise to fund restoration of endangered ecosystems.
• Experience in field restoration, landscaping, gardening, outdoor project coordination, or similar work.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‐paced environment, and work independently.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to periodically work under physically demanding conditions, including cold, wet weather and hot conditions.
• Ability to walk on uneven terrain for long distances, operate hand and power tools and other mechanical equipment.
• Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record.
• Must be willing to be located in the greater Palouse region (i.e. Pullman, WA; Moscow, ID; or associated area).
• Proven commitment to personal growth and understanding concepts of racial diversity, equity and inclusion.

Desired Qualifications:

• Strong preference will be given for knowledge and background in grassland ecology, native plants of the intermountain west, and native plant propagation experience.
• Candidates with a BS or higher in an environmental or restoration related field, nonprofit experience, landscape architecture, or similar field are preferred
• Ecological restoration experience in the Pacific Northwest and prairie ecosystems.
• Proven ability to successfully manage multiple complex projects.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Washington State Pesticide Applicator license.
• Experience with securing and managing grants.
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Interest in community service and the environment.

Supervisory Considerations: The Field Crew Lead reports directly to the Palouse Prairie Manager and Executive Director, and is therefore additionally subject to oversight and decision-making authority of these staff members. Field Crew members work closely together with other Field Crew, Palouse Prairie Manager, and Native Plant Horticulture Staff as part of the Palouse team, and supervises field staff, interns, and volunteers during field work, restoration projects, and all prairie restoration operations.

The Phoenix Conservancy General Employee Expectations: As an employee of The Phoenix Conservancy, interns are expected to meet general expectations for TPC employees. The expectations laid out herein provide a generalized code of conduct for all employees, board members, volunteers, and staff of The Phoenix Conservancy. All organizational members are expected to uphold the following baseline expectations in addition to those specified by each individual role. 

Each expectation follows directly from core organizational values of The Phoenix Conservancy. 

These expectations are in place to ensure a culture of mutual respect, foster effective communication, and to maintain an efficient working environment to move the organization closer to our North Star goals. At all levels, employment and participation in the organization are contingent upon upholding these basic expectations.

-All employees conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the protocols and policies outlined in The Phoenix Conservancy Employee Handbook.

-All commitments are honored, both within and outside our organization. 

-Project execution is the responsibility of the employee that proposes it.

-Requests for communications are honored within a maximum of 48 hours.

-New documents that are generated in the organizational Google Drive are correctly cataloged 

and filed.

The Phoenix Conservancy Organization Background: Founded in late 2016, The Phoenix Conservancy (TPC) has rapidly grown as a grassroots, startup nonprofit, having put in thousands of hours of work restoring Palouse prairie, Great Plains shortgrass prairie, and rainforests in Madagascar. Though seemingly disparate, these ecosystems were selected for their close fit with our three project selection criteria on a local (Palouse Prairie), national (Great Plains shortgrass prairie), and global (Madagascar rainforest) scale. Our project sites represent ecosystems that 1) Have less than 10% of original ecosystem intact, 2) Have high biodiversity, as measured by a combination of species number and/or uniqueness, and 3) Present pragmatic opportunities for our organization to have an impact.   

The Phoenix Conservancy is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. The Phoenix Conservancy makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.