Parks and Recreation Aide 6-7 (Regional Trails Project Leader - Saratoga Region)

Description

Duties Description

The Regional Trails Project Leader will assist the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) in the enhancement of its extensive network of over 228 miles of trails within the Saratoga Capital Region. The Saratoga Capital region includes parks, historic sites, campgrounds, boat launches, preserves, and more across Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Washington, Schoharie, Greene, Columbia, and Essex Counties. The Saratoga Capital Region offers an exciting mix of history, culture, sports and performing arts all surrounded by the tranquil beauty of its forests, lakes, mountains, and farms.

This position will have opportunities to work at more than a dozen state parks and historic sites with a wide range of responsibilities and opportunities to get engaged in the workplace. The successful candidate will supervise and lead regional trail staff on assigned trail projects, trail maintenance work orders, trail initiatives, and general operational needs. The successful candidate will possess strong attentiveness to details, critical thinking skills for problem solving, a drive to be organized for balancing multiple things at once and a team-oriented mentality. This position will predominantly perform field work with routine opportunities for office work, though the ratio is flexible dependent on the workplace needs and the candidate’s skill sets.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Assisting with the recruitment and training of trail technicians, and other department staff
• Supervising and leading regional trail technicians during the field season (April-October) and off-season (November-March) on trail projects, trail maintenance work orders, trail initiatives, and general facility & grounds maintenance
• Leading field projects that are both new construction and maintenance; that involve technical rock work, signage installation, tread & drainage improvements, carpentry of dimensional lumber, compact equipment operation, hand tool usage, power tools, and rigging equipment
• Leading trail initiatives assigned to you that involve promotion, development, and management of trails, trail infrastructure, trail resources, and trail features across the region
• Performing & supervising routine inventorying, servicing, and maintenance of trail operational tools, gear, equipment, vehicles, and facilities & grounds
• For staff under your supervision; reviewing, approving, and submitting their timesheets for every pay period, facilitating time off requests, completing seasonal progress reports, enforcing appropriate PPE use for the right task, and working with the regional trails specialist for onboarding & offboarding needs
• Maintaining a clean, organized, productive, and professional workspace in the office, workshop, vehicles, project sites, and project staging areas
• Tracking, capturing, and reporting progress of trail projects, trail maintenance work orders, and trail initiatives assigned to you to the regional trails specialist on a routine basis
• Filling out completed trail projects forms & completed trail maintenance work orders forms for assigned projects, work orders, and initiatives
• Working with the regional trails specialist on various tasks including-field planning, data collection (photos, GPS tracks, field maps use), layout and design work for; assigned projects, work orders and initiatives; office needs; writing project narratives, State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR); response plans and job hazard assessments for project sites, developing alternative inclement weather & different season assignments for staff; project planning and operations.
  
  

No Minimum Qualifications Per Civil Service.

Minimum Qualifications

See Additional Comments section for operating needs.

Operating Needs

Additional Comments

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to legally operate a motor vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment.
• Comfortable and physically able to work on uneven and steep terrain, carrying and moving tools, materials, and equipment up to 50lbs or more.
• Ability to operate and perform routine maintenance on a variety of power tools; chainsaws, pole saws, demo saws, cordless tools, generators, backpack blowers, weedwhackers, rotary hammer drills, grinders, air compressors.
• Experience rigging equipment, compact mechanized equipment; Mini excavators, tractors, stand on loaders, vibratory rollers, material crawlers, etc..
• Experience with a variety of hand tools; pick mattocks, rouge hoes, shovels, rakes, rock bars, stone busters, loppers, double jacks, etc..
  
  

Preferred Experience

• At least one year of experience performing and supervising people that were performing new trail construction projects and existing trail maintenance tasks which includes; construction & restoration of trail tread, drainage structures, dry stone structures such as staircases & retaining walls, signage installation, carpentry of trail bridges & boardwalks,
• At least one year of experience using hand tools, power tools, compact equipment operation and performing/troubleshooting basic maintenance
• Working knowledge of both modern and traditional sustainable trail building techniques
• Demonstrates leadership, communication, time management, organization and problem-solving
  
  

This position is eligible to receive certifications for the following but not limited to:

• CPR/First Aid
• NYS OPRHP Safety Operators Training for mini-excavator, vibratory roller, tractor, skid steer, UTV, Woodchipper, Fall Protection, and Equipment Trailering/Load Securement
• NYS OPRHP Sawyer Certification level 1, 2, and 3
  
  

Benefits

This position has the option to join the NYS Employee’s Retirement System and may be eligible for health insurance, dental and vision coverage. There is opportunity for paid time off in the form of vacation, sick, personal and holiday leave after time & service requirements has been met.