Natural Lands Assistant

St. Olaf College•Northfield, MN

6d•$22•Onsite

About The Position

Description Position Title: Natural Lands Assistant Department: Natural Lands Classification: Non-Exempt. FTE: 0.56. Seasonal Position: Early June – Late December. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM with occasional evening and weekend hours. Work Location: On Campus. Hourly Rate: $21.50 NOTE: This position is open only to Graduating St. Olaf Students (Class of 2026). Applications received by end of day February 16, 2026, will receive priority consideration. Essential Job Duties: Ecosystem Restoration and Habit Management. Invasion species control using mechanical and chemical treatments. Serve as line boss on controlled burns, including preparation of burn breaks. Plant trees. Collect long term monitoring data and establish new monitoring plots. Help with STOGROW farm as needed. Participate in restoration activities through seed collection, sowing, and planting. Educational Outreach. Organize nature walks and other outreach activities with the student naturalists. Train student naturalists. Assist faculty with incorporating the natural lands in their teaching. Update Natural Lands Google Drive and website. Give tours of the natural lands for outside groups. Provide natural history training. Perform General Office and Supervisory Responsibilities. Attend meetings. Supervise student Lands Tech work crews in coordination with Lands Manager. Support, respect, and commit to embracing diverse backgrounds, values, and points of view to build a strong and inclusive community. Complete and meet deadlines for required training and performance management cycle. Perform other duties as assigned. Supervision Received and Exercised: This position reports to the Director of Natural Lands. This position supervises students. Required Qualifications: Education: St. Olaf college graduate; maintain a valid driver’s license and meet St. Olaf College driver authorization criteria with a satisfactory driving record. Preferred Qualifications: Education: Bachelor’s degree in biology or environmental studies. +1 year of experience working outdoors in either natural lands management, landscaping or agriculture. Prerequisites: Employment in this position is conditioned upon successful completion of a background check which may include: criminal background checks, reference checks, verification of work history, verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, a motor vehicle check, verification of DOT certification, a credit check, employment eligibility verification, and/or a pre-employment physical. Whether a background check is deemed successfully completed will be at the sole discretion of St. Olaf College. Please note, St. Olaf College reserves the right to conduct periodic background checks at its sole discretion. Disclaimer: This position may require you to report early, stay late or work different shifts depending on staffing levels. It may also require you to perform all essential job functions whenever needed and during campus emergencies when necessary. This job description is for general information purposes. It is not intended to list all duties and responsibilities of the position. This job description is subject to change at any time by St. Olaf College, with or without prior notice. Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the hire is complete. We accept only online applications.

Requirements

St. Olaf college graduate
maintain a valid driver’s license and meet St. Olaf College driver authorization criteria with a satisfactory driving record.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in biology or environmental studies.
+1 year of experience working outdoors in either natural lands management, landscaping or agriculture.

Responsibilities

Ecosystem Restoration and Habit Management.
Invasion species control using mechanical and chemical treatments.
Serve as line boss on controlled burns, including preparation of burn breaks.
Plant trees.
Collect long term monitoring data and establish new monitoring plots.
Help with STOGROW farm as needed.
Participate in restoration activities through seed collection, sowing, and planting.
Organize nature walks and other outreach activities with the student naturalists.
Train student naturalists.
Assist faculty with incorporating the natural lands in their teaching.
Update Natural Lands Google Drive and website.
Give tours of the natural lands for outside groups.
Provide natural history training.
Attend meetings.
Supervise student Lands Tech work crews in coordination with Lands Manager.
Support, respect, and commit to embracing diverse backgrounds, values, and points of view to build a strong and inclusive community.
Complete and meet deadlines for required training and performance management cycle.
Perform other duties as assigned.