Regional Coordinator (East of Hudson)

Position Summary
The new position of East of Hudson Regional Coordinator will serve as the Trail Conference’s primary staff representative in New York State east of the Hudson River (primarily the counties of Columbia, Duchess, Putnam & Westchester as well as New York City). S/he will be responsible for delivering and supporting the organization’s programs in the area to promote, plan, build, manage and protect high quality trail experiences. S/he will facilitate the cooperative work of staff, agencies and volunteer groups responsible for the trail experience.

It will be important for the person in this position to work with partners and volunteer leaders within the region to collect information and establish priorities that will set the regional partnership in the right direction to accomplish broad overall goals for the trail system. As a part of this process it is likely that it will be possible to accomplish the following tasks over the course of the first year.

Partnerships
Establish a meaningful, concrete working relationship with agency partners at the municipal, county and state level, and engage in planning processes of key relevance to the east of Hudson trail system. Expand and support regular means of communication and planning between partners and within the volunteer community. Serving as a catalyst and central coordinator for staff, volunteers and partners is a key part of the position. Equally important is the development of new sources of volunteers, materials, methods, and funding.

Volunteer Development
Develop new sources of volunteer manpower to work with existing volunteers and focus their involvement by identifying key project areas and addressing training and resource needs. Supporting the recruitment, screening and assignment of volunteers will be an essential responsibility of the regional coordinator. The regional coordinator will cultivate potential volunteer leaders and familiarize them with central staff support and trail management responsibilities, and work to develop their knowledge and skills in the wide variety of areas that are critical to east of Hudson trails.

Trail Development & Management
The regional coordinator will work with volunteers and their agency partners to tackle a half dozen significant projects during 2008. The regional representative should organize or identify training opportunities for volunteers and agency partners.

Trail Protection
Protecting quality trail experiences will be a primary responsibility of the regional coordinator. S/he will work with agency staff and volunteers to review the policy and land acquisition needs for the region, create a prioritized list of objectives, and represent the Trail Conference in working with partners and volunteers to assure that the high quality trail experiences are optimally protected and promoted.

Resource Development
The regional coordinator will seek out and develop sources for funding of regional projects and programs in coordination with the Trails Council, Trail Conference central office staff and volunteers. This will include general outreach and recruiting volunteers and members as well as cultivating relationships with park and commercial partners and seeking charitable donations.

Information
The regional coordinator is expected, over time, to serve as the primary clearinghouse for information about Trail Conference-maintained trails in the region and developing a coordinated communications plan. S/he will have responsibility for gathering trail condition information, a and communicating that information to central office staff, volunteers, trail management partners and the public.

Education and Training

• Bachelor’s degree in natural resource management, outdoor recreation, landscape design, planning, public administration, environmental education or related field, or equivalent experience.

Experience Required

• Minimum of two years of relevant professional experience or five years of substantial volunteer experience.
• Experience working with a wide variety of volunteer, field staff, agency personnel, contractors, recreational users and other stakeholders to accomplish trail projects.
• Must be a self-starter, able to prioritize, to handle multiple tasks and projects across a diverse region, use good judgment and offer recommendations to solve problems.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a regional team.
• The ability to travel on backcountry trails and perform physical trail work with volunteers and partners.
• Ability and willingness to travel and work a variable schedule including evenings and weekends.
• Proficient using Windows, Word, PowerPoint and Excel or equivalents.
• Must have valid drivers license and insurance.

Desirable Qualifications

• Trail design, construction and maintenance skills.
• Experience in recruiting, training and managing volunteers.
• Proven experience and success in working with public land managing agencies.
• Familiarity with New York State land use regulations and procedures.
• Experience in using GIS and resource management data programs.
• Certification and/or proficiency in technical skills such chainsaw operation, and wilderness medical training,.
• Experience working with youth and/or in trail or environmental work, environmental education, backcountry travel or service learning.
• Success in supervising permanent and seasonal employees

Supervision and Work Environment
The Regional Coordinator works under the direct supervision of the Trail Conference Executive Director; however he or she will be expected to prioritize his or her work to meet the day-to-day demands and ongoing assignments. The East Hudson Regional Coordinator is expected to communicate regularly on work projects and seek advice on new or controversial aspects of the work. The Executive Director will complete performance reviews on at least an annual basis. The Trail Conference fosters a collegial work environment within a management team that includes volunteers and staff, as well as our partners. This position will have office space in Mahwah NJ at the Trail Conference headquarters but eventually may have an office in the East of Hudson region. Travel throughout the region and an irregular work schedule that includes weekend and evenings is a regular part of the position.

Background
Created in 1920 to assist area parks with trail construction and maintenance, the Trail Conference now represents 100 member clubs and 10,000 individual hiking enthusiasts in the greater New York metropolitan region and outlying areas. Since opening the original section of the Appalachian Trail in 1923, the trail network that we cooperatively manage has grown to 1,700 miles. Over a thousand Trail Conference volunteers contribute 40,000 hours to this and other conservation efforts annually.

The Trail Conference is supported through charitable giving, donated services and earned revenue. Located in Mahwah, NJ near the New York state line, our offices offer a friendly and professional work environment with frequent member/volunteer interactions. For more information about the NY-NJ Trail Conference, see http://www.nynjtc.org.

Application
To apply, please submit the following items via email attachments (start all attachment filenames with your last name) to jobs@nynjtc.org: All application materials will be kept confidential.

• A resume
• A cover letter addressing why you are interested in this position and why we should be interested in you
• Your salary requirements or history

The position is available until filled. Candidate interviews will begin immediately and continue until an offer is made. No calls please. Check the http://www.nynjtc.org/employees/ job posting to determine if the position is filled.

V3 Last updated: April 8, 2008   Copyright © 1996-2006  New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Privacy Statement.