Assistant Crew Leader

Final date to receive applications: September 1st, 2026

Hourly wage will start at $21/hour, with adjustments based on experience. Benefits include paid holidays and limited paid time off.

The Assistant Forestry Crew Leader will work with the Crew Leader as part of a small team conducting hemlock restoration activities on national, state, and otherwise conserved forests, including parks, game lands, and private lands across Western North Carolina. These activities will consist of conducting chemical treatments for HWA, scouting and assessing the health of hemlock stands, writing and updating hemlock treatment plans for each site, installing and collecting data from impact monitoring plots, and to a lesser degree supporting other HWA control strategies, including biological and silvicultural control strategies.

This work is done mostly in the field, in backcountry wooded terrains. Work days are generally 10+ hour days, spent outside. The technician crew regularly works with others (such as volunteers, Job Corps, ACE, BRDIGE, or other agency staff, etc.) to accomplish the above tasks. This position is an excellent opportunity to be a member of a dynamic team, gain leadership experience, play an influential role in addressing an important forest health issue, and work in ecologically special and often stunningly beautiful natural areas across Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachians.

This role is intended to prepare somebody to take on a Crew Leader role with HRI in the future. The ideal candidate will believe in the program’s mission, embrace a positive, collegial culture, and be excited for the possibility to advance into a role with increased leadership responsibilities within the program.

We envision forest stewardship as a nationwide imperative.