top of page
Senior Conservation Crew Leader

Permanent, Full-Time
 

Reports to: Senior Conservation Field Supervisor

​

About Howard EcoWorks

Howard EcoWorks is an environmental nonprofit in the greater Baltimore region dedicated to restoring local ecosystems and creating green career pathways. Our mission is to empower communities and diverse workforces to conserve and restore our natural systems for future generations. Our hands-on conservation crews install and maintain rain gardens, conservation landscapes, and stormwater management projects across Howard County and the region, and we train the next generation of green-industry workers while we do it. We are a growing, mission-driven team that cares about both our ecosystems and the people working to restore them.


Our values: Stewardship · Impact · Accountability · Growth · Inclusion · Safety

​

About the Role

The Senior Conservation Crew Leader is an essential part of the Howard EcoWorks field team, leading our permanent Senior Conservation Crew in the installation and maintenance of environmental services, including conservation landscapes, tree installations, rain gardens, stream restoration maintenance, and more. The Senior Crew delivers HEW’s fee-for-service projects and grant-funded projects, performs work at HEW’s Holly Hills headquarters, and takes on other projects as identified and developed by the Operations team. Much of this work is client-facing and involves hands-on project delivery from start to finish.

 

As the direct supervisor of Senior Conservation Crew Members, the Crew Leader leads, instructs, and supervises the crew to safely execute project work that meets quality standards and defined schedules. You will provide the experience, knowledge, support, and guidance that keeps the crew running, and you will serve as the main link between the field team and the Operations team. On occasion, you may also support HEW’s training crews (which include minor program participants in the UpLift and READY programs) by providing in-field instruction on tool usage, site safety, and field skills.

​

Responsibilities and Duties

  • Supervise Senior Conservation Crew Members, including goal setting, performance management, conflict resolution, disciplinary actions as needed, and team building

  • Direct crew members throughout daily field operations (e.g., morning meetings, loading and unloading of work vehicles, project work, job-site clean-up, and end-of-day processes) and manage daily crew attendance and morning communications

  • Review and approve crew members’ timesheets weekly, and confirm the accuracy of daily time-reporting allocations

  • Safely drive company vehicles and trailers to transport crew and materials to and from job sites, in accordance with company policies

  • Participate alongside the team in the construction and maintenance of environmental landscaping practices such as conservation landscapes, rain gardens, native tree plantings, and stream restoration maintenance projects

  • Read and implement work plans and project designs to ensure proper execution of services, and ensure projects are completed to quality standards within set timeframes

  • Collect project metrics and reporting, including photos, and serve as the main liaison between the field team and Operations staff

  • Ensure the proper use, storage, care, maintenance, and upkeep of all equipment, tools, and materials used by field crews

  • Enforce safety protocols, including incident reporting; monitor conditions to keep work safe; and ensure all vehicles, equipment, and team members are accounted for and that equipment and barns are locked up at the end of each day

  • On occasion, provide in-field training and support to program participants, including tool usage, site safety, and field skills

  • Support a culture that reflects HEW’s values of stewardship, impact, accountability, growth, inclusion, and safety

 

Qualifications:

Required

  • Must be at least 18 years of age

  • Previous experience working in landscaping, stormwater management, or other similar environmental field work

  • Proven track record of strong leadership, communication, and process-improvement skills, with the ability to lead a team as well as work independently.

  • Able to communicate clearly and effectively with crew members, management, clients, and the general public

  • Ability to work in a variety of outdoor settings, including forests and streams

  • Able to perform physical outdoor work: stand, bend, squat, and lift up to 50 lbs

  • Minimum basic level of native and invasive plant species identification

  • Consistently reliable, with reliable transportation to the meeting location in Glenwood, MD

​

Prefered

  • Completion of a Howard EcoWorks program (UpLift / READY)

  • Valid driver’s license and clean driving record, with the ability to obtain DOT medical examiner certification

  • Experience driving a truck and trailer

  • Passion for the outdoors and for conservation, restoration, and environmental issues

  • Flexibility with changes in day-to-day tasks

 

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

  • Performs outdoor fieldwork in varying weather conditions

  • Positions self to install and maintain plantings and site features (e.g., bending, kneeling, crouching)

  • Transports and moves materials and equipment weighing up to 50 lbs. regularly

  • Operates a truck with a utility trailer

  • Remains in a stationary position and/or moves throughout field sites as needed

​

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role. To request an accommodation, contact the Administrative Services Manager.

​​

Hours & Schedule:

  • Full-time, 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday

  • Standard field crew hours: 7:00 AM–3:30 PM (subject to project needs)

  • No mandatory weekends; occasional weekend opportunities available

  • Field work is weather-dependent; indoor training and professional development may be offered on inclement-weather days when possible

  • This role is In-Person, based in the field and at our Glenwood office

​

Compensation & Benefits:

​

Salary

The wage for this position is $18.50-$20.00/hour, commensurate with experience.

​

Benefits

  • Health coverage: medical, dental, and vision insurance

  • Employer-provided life and AD&D insurance

  • 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer matching contributions (after 1 year)

  • Generous paid time off: paid vacation (annual) leave that grows with tenure, paid sick & safe leave, paid holidays, and a floating holiday

  • Additional paid leave for bereavement, jury duty, and voting, plus military and parental leave protections

  • Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

  • Workers’ compensation insurance (no cost to you)

  • Professional development opportunities, including green-industry certifications

  • A clear pathway for advancement within the organization

​

Our Commitment to an Equitable, Diverse & Inclusive Workplace:

Howard EcoWorks is committed to building a culturally diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, and strongly encourages applications from candidates from underrepresented communities, including program alumni and those with non-traditional career pathways. We value lived experience alongside formal qualifications.

 

Howard EcoWorks does not discriminate on the basis of race or color (including hair texture and protective hairstyles under the Maryland CROWN Act), religion or creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, occupation, personal appearance, political opinion, source of income, or citizenship or immigration status. Consistent with our workforce-development mission, we also do not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status or prior justice involvement. This applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, compensation, job assignment, training, promotion, discipline, and termination.

 

HEW does not ask about criminal history on employment applications or during initial screening. Any criminal-history inquiry occurs no earlier than the first in-person interview, and we conduct an individualized assessment before any adverse decision.

 

This position involves direct contact with minor program participants and is subject to a mandatory background check under Maryland law and HEW policy.

 

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants and employees with disabilities, for sincerely held religious beliefs, and for pregnancy-related conditions. To request an accommodation during hiring or employment, contact the Administrative Services Manager.

 

Application Process:

​To apply, submit a resume and a brief cover letter to careers@howardecoworks.org. The position will remain open until filled. Applicants who need an accommodation during the hiring process may contact careers@howardecoworks.org.

bottom of page