Join our Team and Help Plant Trees in Boston
We are pausing acceptance of applications for this position.
Speak for the Trees is hiring for a full time Community Tree Specialist. The Community Tree Specialist will lead the organization’s projects related to tree siting, tree planting, and tree care. This will include scoping and selecting sites at the parcel level for tree planting, determining the best tree species for each site, and developing programs to support training of staff and volunteers on best practices regarding tree planting and tree care.
The ideal candidate will have a love for nature and trees, a commitment to issues of environmental justice, a knowledge of tree care, tree planting, and trees species (especially of the Northeast), and a dedication for working collaboratively.
Salary and Benefits:
$53,000 – $60,000 / year + health, dental, retirement benefits + generous time off policy
Essential Functions:
- Develop, implement, and manage SFTT’s tree planting and tree care programs, including:
- Corporate, community, and yard tree planting projects – including event planning and coordination and volunteer management and engagement.
- In partnership with other staff, tree stewardship programs, including tree education, watering and pruning programs
- Consult and strengthen the relationship with the Urban Forestry Division and the Parks and Recreation Department for collaborative and project-aligned work
- Use GIS to incorporate Tree Equity Scores and environmental, demographic, and health data to assess site suitability for species, sizes, number, and location of trees
- Conduct site visits and outreach to property owners, both individual, institutional, and municipal, of sites identified as prospects for tree planting
- Select, source, order, and coordinate deliveries of trees for plantings, giveaways, and other events
- Develop best practices and guidelines for tree species selection
- Actively solicit and develops planting projects for long-range organizational growth
- Coordinate with SFTT staff in projects that support community outreach and education work
- Monitor, assess, and develop reports demonstrating program success
- Work closely with organizational staff to support current and future programming and training related to urban forestry, tree plantings, tree care, and community engagement
Requirements:
Any combination of experience or education of the below requirements will be considered.
- 1–2 year experience in urban forestry or related field
- AS or BS in arboriculture, plant science, forestry, urban forestry, or a related field
- Strong knowledge of plant ID and woody plant species growing requirements
- Experience in community-led tree planting, tree care, and working with diverse populations
- ISA or Massachusetts Certified Arborist certification
Skills:
- Excellent communication skills and ability to develop effective working relationships with to a diverse audience
- Strong organizational skill and attention to detail
- Project management and tracking
- Commitment to tree equity and social, racial, and environmental justice
- Ability to take initiative and be a self-starter.
- Ability to develop and analyze maps through GIS
- Fluency in a language(s) spoken by local immigrant groups is desirable. These include Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, among other languages common in Boston
- Have a passion for issues related to environmental justice and racial equity
- Ability to lift over 50 pounds and dig holes with a shovel and perform physically demanding functions associated with tree planting
About Speak for the Trees:
Founded in 2018, Speak for the Trees (SFTT) is an urban and community forestry nonprofit in Boston with the mission to work together with Boston community members to plant, preserve, care for, and advocate for trees and expand canopy in order to rebuild resilient neighborhoods and safeguard the health of all residents, repairing historic injustices that persist today as environmental inequities in urban communities. The organization is composed of a small staff with an office in Dorchester, MA. Employees work from the office 3 days a week and remotely 2 days per week.
How to Apply:
We are currently accepting applications and will fill the position as soon as possible. The application period will stay open until the position is filled. Please submit the following:
- One-page cover letter
- One-page resume with three references
Please send resume & cover letter to:
- Send an email to [email protected]. If sending by email, please include your last name and Community Tree Specialist in the subject line
OR - Mail a hard copy to Speak for the Trees, 60 Clayton Street, #201 Dorchester MA 02122
