Restoration Technician/Fire Specialist
Classification: Non-exempt
Reports to: Restoration Project Manager,
Full-time (40 hours per week), $20 per hour
ORGANIZATION Sonoma Ecology Center is a 31-year-old nonprofit with a mission to work with our community to identify and lead actions that achieve and sustain ecological health in Sonoma Valley. We are respected throughout the North Bay and beyond for our contributions to important land, water, biodiversity, and climate initiatives. We have 30+ professional, dedicated staff members and manage numerous large grants and contracts, often in partnership with other nonprofits and agencies that, by working together, significantly leverage our work and impact.
POSITION SUMMARY SEC seeks a full-time Restoration Technician/Fire Specialist to help fulfill the organization’s Restoration Program initiatives. The Restoration Program is dedicated to repairing, enhancing, and stewardship over 4,000 acres of private and public lands in the Sonoma Valley, including Sonoma & Nathanson Creek, Montini Preserve, Sonoma Overlook Trail Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve, Sonoma Garden Park, and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. Our ecological restoration services include biological site assessments, native plant seed collection and propagation, invasive plant mapping and treatments, streambank stabilization and erosion control, trail maintenance, debris management, and fire fuel management. The position will also assist with the Biochar Program through fuel reduction projects and forestry pile burning, offering an opportunity to travel out of state. Technicians report to the Restoration Project Manager and, ultimately, to the Restoration Program Manager. The position will primarily be in the field with some office work. Office work will include data collection for field research projects, documenting and mapping distributions of native resources and invasive populations for project sites, reporting, and photo point monitoring. Additional activities may include community outreach, volunteer leadership, and tool and vehicle maintenance.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (including but not limited to)
- Perform various aspects of fieldwork, including vegetation management, habitat restoration, native plant installation, irrigation design and installation, and project site maintenance
- Conduct ecological fuel breaks in wildland-urban interface locations
- Lead post-fire debris/toxins containment (wattles, jute, & BMP erosion control measures)
- Mapping invasive species population distribution and conducting control efforts
- Streambank stabilization and bioengineered erosion control installation
- Trail installation and maintenance
- Assist with the propagation, inventory, and maintenance of our native plant nursery
- Track and document work through photo point monitoring and reporting
- Design and conduct research to provide meaningful information to the field of restoration
- Attend program and staff meetings, and periodic check-ins with Project and Program Managers
- Conduct outreach to property owners
- Help with the supervision of college or high school interns
- Occasional weekend work is required
- Available for occasional overnight stays with advanced notice
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
- Committed work ethic
- Works well independently and as part of a team
- Ability to respond positively and quickly to training and feedback
- Reliability and punctuality
- Ability to work on multiple assignments and meet multiple deadlines
- Professionally represents the organization at all times
- Shows initiative, produces quality work and is efficient
- Prioritizes safety in the workplace
DESIRED COMPETENCIES
- Experience using and maintaining hand tools, i.e., Pulaski, Mcloud, handpick, etc.
- Experience using and maintaining mechanical equipment, i.e., chainsaws, brush cutter, power hedge trimmer, and auger drills
- Experience in ecological restoration, fuel reduction, and invasive species control
- Familiarity with flora and fauna of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Ability to use a taxonomic key
- GPS/GIS mapping
- Ability to troubleshoot problems with pumps, hoses, torches, propane tanks
- Experience with propane torches
- Experience driving trucks with trailers
- Valid Driver’s License and can pass a DMV background check.
- Strong writing skills
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s or Associates Degree, with coursework in a related field; or
- 1-3 years of similar work experience; or
- Related internship
IDEAL EXPERIENCE, BUT NOT REQUIRED
- Wildland Firefighter Type II-I
- Chainsaw safety certificate or willing to obtain one after 90 days
- Experience with prescribed burns
- Biomass pile burning
- QAC or QAL
- Irrigation Technician Certification
- Spanish speaking
- A desire for further education and Certifications
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT Work is performed in the field and in the office. One will use a computer, phone, copier in the office and may sit for long periods. Fieldwork includes bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, climbing, crawling, kneeling, wading or standing in water, and standing for long periods. The candidate must be able to safely lift, carry, push and pull up to 60 lbs. Occasionally, one will be asked to perform light construction work. Techs are exposed to inclement weather, including rain, heat, exposure to the sun, high winds, cold and prescribed fire. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety precautions are mandatory. Sonoma Ecology Center is a drug-free workplace and an EEOC employer. All staff members are expected to follow all current Sonoma County Health Orders regarding Covid-19. Masks are provided, as are a limited number of testing kits. No staff member should come to work with C-19 symptoms.
BENEFITS On the first of the month following hire, full-time employees are offered the following: Eligibility to enroll in one of two Kaiser Permanente health insurance plans, of which, SEC pays 70% of the employee’s premium (not that of dependents). Upon hire, you will begin to accrue vacation time, sick time, and the ability to enroll in a self-funded TIAA 403(B) account. Full-time employees are paid six (6) paid holidays and are offered one additional day for your birthday (taken any time in the month of your birth.) And professional development opportunities.
All qualified applicants will be given equal consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding, veteran, military status, genetic information, and marital status or familial status. Sonoma Ecology Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal access to programs, services, and employment is available to all persons.
Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify our Human Resources Department. People of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The preferred way to apply: Please submit a resume, cover letter, and a list of three references here:
Apply Here
Or directly to Celina Briggs, Human Resources Manager at [email protected], with Resto Tech in the header.
No phone calls, please. For more information about the Sonoma Ecology Center, please visit www.sonomaecologycenter.org.
