TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit organization that mobilizes individuals, families, communities, philanthropists, and public agencies to work together to create green, resilient communities by providing education on the benefits of planting trees, capturing rainwater, greening schools, and providing fun environmental educational activities. TreePeople unites with communities to grow a greener, shadier and more water-secure region at homes, neighborhoods, schools and local mountains.

The Community Forestry Foreperson will implement and support the development of a project that provides training and educational activities to advance the careers of individuals in environmental sectors. The Community Forestry Foreperson will manage and train a workforce crew to support urban forest expansion projects in South Los Angeles. This project will plant and care for approximately 4,000 trees through a combination of a workforce crew, youth interns, and volunteers. This position will be responsible for delivering technical training to the workforce crews in order to successfully implement the projects and provide the crews with professional skills in arboriculture, landscaping, natural resource management, and related fields with the support of TreePeople staff.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, evaluate and expand workforce development programs to ensure career advancement opportunities for participants while meeting project deliverables.
• Manage crews of young individuals conducting urban forestry activities that result in widespread canopy expansion.
• Develop and implement multiple trainings for workforce program participants in the fields of arboriculture, landscaping, natural resource management, and other related fields.
• Provide instruction to the workforce development program participants that emphasizes the importance of natural resource management.
• Provide instruction and demonstration of field activities such as site assessment, GPS inventory tracking, tree planting, and tree care. 
• Provide support for workforce development program participants to obtain trade certifications such as the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist.
• Interpret technical resources such as best management practices, professional publications, and project specifications into training material understandable for entry-level personnel.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with local community-based organizations, elected officials, public agencies, businesses and other community stakeholders to expand TreePeople’s social and environmental impact.
• Develop and implement project work plans, including event scheduling, dig alert, tree sourcing and inspection.
• Manage and maintain vehicle, supply and equipment inventories.
• Gather, monitor and track data on tree plantings for reporting requirements and to ensure successful implementation of tree maintenance plans.
• Support contract and funder reporting requirements, including documentation and presentation of project deliverables, including photos and sign-in sheets, preparation of narrative summaries, and GHG calculations.
• Support community engagement to grow interest in volunteer event opportunities, urban tree canopy expansion and community-led tree care.
• Support organization and implementation of volunteer events.
• Participate and represent TreePeople at meetings, fundraising, marketing, membership and volunteer events.
• Assist efforts across departments that include but are not limited to climate and water resilience, urban heat island mitigation, urban cooling, reforestation, wildland management, and equity.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Strong foundation of urban forestry principles and best practices, including experience planting and caring for street trees.
• Experience working on urban forestry projects in the City of Los Angeles preferred. 
• Highly-organized, strong work-ethic, friendly, smart, proactive and a quick-learner.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: engaging, listening, negotiating, public speaking and writing.
• Strong leadership, team-building and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with staff supervision, project management and community organizing.
• Familiarity with local climate and water resilience and environmental issues impacting diverse communities throughout Southern California.
• Solid computer skills, including email, document and spreadsheet basics.
• Direct experience with communities in South Los Angeles is preferred.
• Spanish fluency is preferred.
• ISA Certified Arborist designation is highly desired. A candidate can be considered qualified if they can demonstrate they will obtain certification within 3 months of hire.
• GIS and GPS data collection familiarity is preferred.
• Experience driving stakebed trucks in urban settings.
• Work demands physical energy, twisting, safe heavy lifting ability, and hand-to-eye coordination.
• Uses machines, equipment, and work tools including but not limited to shovels, breaker bars, rakes, brooms, general hand tools, lift gates, water tanks, blowers, augers.
• Must be able to carry and walk with 50 pounds for at least 50 feet.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds overhead.
• Must be able to load and unload 15-gallon trees from a stakebed truck.
• Must be able to enter and exit a vehicle numerous times a day.
• Must be able to withstand exposure to all kinds of weather while completing work assignments, i.e., rain, heat, sun, cold.
• Must be able to stand for extended periods of time.