Naturalist

The Hike Inn is a sustainably designed, LEED certified, Georgia State Park facility nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of Chattahoochee National Forest near the Appalachian Trail. Located five miles by trail above Amicalola Falls State Park, all guests hike in traversing rolling forested ridges, clear streams, and open mountain vistas. Open year-round, the Hike Inn offers unique guest experiences in a backcountry wilderness setting. Delicious home-cooked meals, a fun community atmosphere, engaging education programs, simple bunk rooms, fresh linens, hot showers provide satisfying touches of comfort and inspiration.

The Hike Inn’s mission is to facilitate a connection with nature, conservation and sustainability and to protect Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation. Serving as a wilderness retreat and learning resource center, a visit to the Hike Inn inspires a love for hiking, nature and environmental stewardship.

The Hike Inn is well-known for providing exceptional guest services with welcoming Southern hospitality and offering quality environmental education programs. We are looking for a passionate ‘people’ person with a friendly, positive attitude who enjoys helping others and a supportive team player with strong interpersonal and communication skills. 

If you like working and living in an area surrounded by beautiful nature, are conservation minded, and enjoy people - joining our staff may be for you. The Hike Inn is a special place where a small team of dedicated people work hard, have fun and love what we do. We share a common interest in hiking, enjoying and protecting the outdoors, and contributing to the Hike Inn mission. Our great staff is the key to our guests having a positive experience.

NATURALIST POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Hike Inn is seeking a passionate individual to conduct quality environmental education programming and support overall general operations and guest services. Inspiring connection to nature and conservation, Hike Inn naturalists have an important role in fostering environmental knowledge and support for sustainability to our guests.

The Hike Inn Outside School program hosts school and youth groups for overnight educational trips to the Inn. On the hike, the students may learn about the history of the Appalachian Trail and public lands, Leave No Trace principles, natural history and ecological processes of the Southern Appalachian forests. At the Inn, the students participate with hands on learning of green building and sustainability practices, focusing on solar energy, both photovoltaic and solar thermal; energy efficiency; water conservation with composting toilets, rainwater catchment and native garden design; soil conservation with vermiculture and bin composting; and participation with our infamous Zero Food Wastetradition during meals.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct all around guest services; support overall general operations and staff; provide quality educational programs. 
• Operate the front desk welcoming and assisting guests; conduct merchandise sales and organize inventory; perform general office duties; generate daily reports.
• Provide a helping hand to kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance staff, as well as Friends of Hike Inn volunteers, as needed.
• Present an interactive, educational facility tour offered daily for guests. 
• Develop two to three presentations for the evening program offered nightly for guests.
• Coordinate planning and logistics for educational groups; develop or adapt curriculum.
• Evaluate education programming: review evaluations from guests, students and teachers; propose new ideas to further improve programming and implementation process.
• Prepare monthly newsletter; write, edit and publish content; coordinate tasks with team.
• Generate social media content on Instagram and Facebook.

• Perform additional functions assigned at the discretion of the Executive Director and Managers.

  QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCES: 

• Bachelor’s degree in natural science, environmental education or a related field. 
• Strength in public speaking, with formal and informal outdoor and environmental education experience; quality program development and presentation experience required.
• Exhibit knowledge of regional natural history and ecology, Georgia conservation issues and solutions, green building/LEED certification and sustainability practices.
• Demonstrated outdoor recreation skills and experience; familiarity with the Appalachian Trail, the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and Leave No Trace principles.
• Hospitality experience with welcoming customer service.
• Effective interpersonal skills; communicates well with team; leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and independently of supervisor with a high degree of initiative, motivation and attention to detail; comfortable with adjusting plan and problem solving.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills; must be able to manage multiple projects, keep accurate records and work efficiently without direct supervision.
• Personal qualities of integrity, positive attitude and commitment to the Hike Inn education, conservation and responsible outdoor recreation mission. 
• Proficient with computers and general office software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Have current CPR and First Aid certifications or willingness to complete training shortly after being hired.

• Ability to perform physically challenging work outdoors and in all weather conditions; must be able to hike five miles.

  APPLICATION PROCESS:

  Submit a cover letter detailing interest in the position with relevant experience and qualifications, and a resume with three professional references to: Corinne at ilovehikeinn@gmail.com 

  Phone interviews will be conducted with qualified applicants. Strong candidates may be invited to the Hike Inn for an overnight working interview where they will help the staff with the daily guest services routine as well as present a short education program. This will give the prospective employee a good sense of who we are, what we do and how they may best complement and support the Hike Inn team in meeting our mission. 

  To learn more about the Hike Inn, visit the website at www.hike-inn.com

  The Len Foote Hike Inn is owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and operated by Hike Inn, Inc. which is a non-profit 501-c corporation formed solely to operate the Inn.