Position: Troops to Timber Coordinator

Status: Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Faculty & Staff

Department: Academics/Battlefish Academy

Reports to: Dean of Faculty

Compensation: $90,000.00 Annual Salary

Background:

Paul Smith’s College is a small, private, experiential college located in the heart of New York’s six million acre Adirondack Park in northern New York State. Founded in 1946 with early programs in forestry and hospitality, PSC has a deep history as a working forestry school that uses its 14,000 acre forest as a living laboratory for silviculture, forest operations, and natural resource management education. Many of the College’s first students were WWII veterans, and that legacy continues through veterans focused initiatives such as the Troops to Timber program and Battlefish Academy, which together create pathways for servicemembers and veterans into forestry, conservation, and outdoor careers while leveraging PSC’s strengths in hands on training, fieldwork, and strong ties to the regional workforce.

Description:

The Paul Smith’s College Troops to Timber Coordinator will serve as the primary manager and point of contact for the Troops to Timber (T2T) Workforce Initiative, leading day-to-day operations, coordination, and partnerships that support veterans, military families, and other jobseekers into forestry careers in the northeastern US. The Coordinator is responsible for implementing and growing the Troops to Timber Micro-Credential and Forestry Certificate programs, coordinating recruitment from Fort Drum and beyond, liaising with industry partners, and ensuring participants receive high-quality training, support, and job placement assistance. The Coordinator will also teach or assist in teaching a variety of the forestry courses within the program. The Coordinator will report to the Dean of Faculty, and will work closely with the forestry faculty, the Director of Battlefish Academy, and the Director of Veterans Programs. The position is full-time, salaried, and funded through the federal Northern Border Regional Commission Troops to Timber Workforce Initiative. There is the option for the coordinator to work remotely but it is an expectation that they will travel regularly to Fort Drum and Paul Smith’s College as well as regional employer sites.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead day-to-day T2T program operations, including annual delivery of six on-base Micro-Credential cohorts at Fort Drum and one 15-week hybrid Forest Management Certificate cohort with summer field session at Paul Smith’s College.
• Coordinate outreach, marketing, and recruitment in collaboration with the PSC Veterans Programs Office, Battlefish Academy, and Fort Drum Transition Assistance Program, with a focus on transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses.
• Organize and facilitate program activities such as short courses, field-based learning, employer site visits, safety training, and networking events.
• Build and maintain partnerships with forestry employers, industry associations, and state/regional workforce entities to support internship, apprenticeship, and job placement pathways.
• Coordinate data collection, tracking, and reporting on key performance indicators, including enrollment, credential attainment, job placement, and regional job retention outcomes.
• Support continuous improvement of curriculum and program design by gathering and synthesizing feedback from participants, faculty, employers, and partners, and working with academic leadership on refinements.
• Contribute to long-term sustainability planning by assisting with integration of T2T offerings into PSC’s forestry curriculum, supporting external funding efforts, and representing T2T in regional, state, and national forums.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree in forestry, natural resources, or related field preferred.
• Prior military experience, close familiarity with military culture, or demonstrated experience effectively with veterans and military families preferred.
• Experience in forestry, logging, natural resources management, skilled trades workforce programs, or related applied technical fields.
• Proven project or program management skills, including the ability to coordinate logistics, manage timelines, and collect and report outcome data to meet grant deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to build partnerships with employers, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with aptitude for advising adult learners and non-traditional students.
• Comfort working in field-based environments and willingness to travel regularly to Fort Drum and employer sites across the northeastern US.

Essential Physical Requirements:

• Ability to travel regularly to Fort Drum, Paul Smith’s College, and regional employer sites (including driving and occasional overnight and weekend trips).
• Comfort working in field-based forestry and outdoor training environments in a range of weather conditions, including walking on uneven terrain, and standing for extended periods during site visits, field sessions, and trainings.
• Ability to lift and carry equipment or materials (e.g., field gear, training materials) up to approximately 50 pounds as needed.

Paul Smith’s College is an equal opportunity employer. Position descriptions are created that focus on essential functions, using inclusive language, and avoid unnecessary or discriminatory requirements.