Field Leader - Sequoia Western Divide Team

Field Leader: 2026 Summer Sequoia NF Western Divide Trail Team (GAOA)

Sequoia National Forest 

 

Conservation Begins Here. 

Are you ready to lead in one of the most rugged and beautiful 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 2026 Sequoia National Forest Trail Team and embark on a journey that blends purpose with adventure. 

 

Schedule  

• Project Leader Training: May 11, 2026 – May 16, 2026 
• Summer Season: May 17, 2026 – September 5, 2026 

Why Join Us? 

This isn’t your average 9-to-5 job. You’ll manage and mentor a 5-person crew consisting of 1 leader, 1 senior member, and 3 crew members. The crew will work on trail maintenance projects that promote safe recreational experiences in Sequoia National Forest. This role will be at the helm of hands-on frontcountry and/or backcountry conservation projects in Sequoia National Forest. Projects may include clearing trail corridors and logging out trails with crosscuts, and maintaining tread and drainage features.  

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, by facilitating teamwork activities, managing and participating in basecamp and equipment tasks, tracking member and community wellbeing and upholding SCA’s policies; 
• Serve as an Advisor, by training members in technical conservation work skills, mentoring personal and professional development, and teaching environmental stewardship; 
• Act as a Project Manager, by preparing gear and project before members arrive, 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, by organizing logistics, completing documentation, managing crew budgets, and communicating with SCA staff; 

Marginal Duties:  

• Assisting in Crew Member Training; 
• Coordinate specific vehicle and gear repairs; 
• Tool and gear maintenance; 
• Pre- and post-season gear check-in and check-out; 

 

Required Qualifications: 

• 21+ years old; 
• Legal work status in the US;   
• Successfully pass SCA’s background check; 
• Valid driver’s license (3+ years) and Motor Vehicle Record that meets SCA’s standards;   
• Successfully complete a Health Screening Questionnaire before the position start date; 
• Attend Leader Training: 4/12/26 - 5/16/26; 
• Obtain a Wilderness First Responder Certification during training; 
• Leadership experience in the outdoors (outdoor education, conservation work, or leading peer groups); 
• Must understand, enact and uphold project, crew community, basecamp, vehicle, and additional safety standards set through SCA’s policies; 
• Perform manual, physical labor for up to 10 hours per day, hike 10+ miles in a day, exposed to the elements, and must occasionally lift and/or move 40 pounds or more; 
• Camping, hiking, and backcountry experience; 
• Work in challenging outdoor conditions, including extreme heat, extreme cold, high winds, and precipitation; 
• Full engagement in all work projects and community activities; 
• Commitment to mentorship, teamwork, learning, and problem-solving; 
• Live and work in a multi-gendered, multi-cultural communal environment, sharing common spaces and communal meal settings each day; 

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants that receive the PLC must be between the ages of 18 and 30, or veterans aged 35 or younger, at the start of the position. P