Job Opportunities
Available positions, internships, and volunteer opportunities
RESTORATION TECHNICIAN - Santa Monica Mountains & Ventura County
Santa Monica Mountains Fund is hiring technicians to support habitat restoration and invasive plant control work on public lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and Ventura County Region. Become a part of a restoration team and help restore damaged natural areas. This is a one-year position starting on June 3, 2025. Join us to help restore the country's largest urban national park!
Technicians will serve as part of a crew performing restoration duties, including invasive plant control. This is an entry level position, Experience is not required. duties common to this position:
Identifying plant species and/or working with coastal Southern California plant communities.
Planting native plants in restoration areas.
Working with, leading, or coordinating volunteers
Operating mechanical equipment, including augers, brush cutters, mowers, etc.
Hauling and loading in off-road environments (equipment, supplies, tools, trailers, etc.)
Mechanical equipment maintenance and repair
Invasive plant control
Collecting, cleaning, growing, and storing native seed.
TO APPLY, please send your resume, a cover letter, and 3 references to Joseph_Algiers@nps.gov before May 16th, 2025.
SAMO Trails Crew Member
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is seeking skilled and motivated individuals to help repair and rehabilitate damaged unpaved roads and trails caused by severe storms in recent years. Approximately 20 miles are in need of extensive maintenance. This field-based position also includes fuels reduction work for the wildland fire management program.
Position Details:
Wage range: $25.16–$27.69/hour
Estimated season: May 5–August 23, 2025 (start date negotiable; potential for extension based on funding)
Full-time: 40 hours per week, Monday-Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch.
Duty Station: Calabasas, CA. Applicant MUST have reliable transportation.
This role requires physical endurance, as you’ll hike several miles daily over park trails to job sites, carrying up to 50 lbs. of tools and equipment. Ideal candidates are hard-working, self-motivated, and eager to learn road and trail construction techniques.
How to Apply:
Submit your resume, including two references with phone numbers, via email to contact@samofund.org with “FC App 2025” in the subject line. Applications are open to the first 25 applicants or until May 1, 2025.
Native Seed Technician
SAMO Fund, the official partner of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, is seeking Biological Science Technicians to work with restoration-related projects with a focus on native seed restoration and implementation of a Native Seed Production Site. This project seeks to increase the availability of locally sourced native seed for restoration within the park and create a large seed bank for future restoration projects. Employment will consist of 40 hours of work per week, from August 2025 – July 2026. Much of the work will take place Wednesday through Saturday. The position will be paid at a rate of $17.56 - $22.05/hr., depending on experience and education.
Major Duties:
Work with the park’s Seed Program Manager to collect native seed from various sites in the Santa Monica Mountains
Assist in seed processing activities: seed cleaning, seed counting, and storing of seed collections
With guidance, implement outplanting and sowing of native plants at the Seed Production Site
Carry out maintenance of the Seed Production Site including weed control and supplemental watering
Identify populations of interest and collect data from the field and ongoing research projects
Participate in various community outreach events, including public seed cleaning workshops, outplanting, and weeding events
This position may also include some use of herbicides and mechanical equipment including mowers, augers, and brush cutters
Occasional seed collection trips to the Channel Island National Park and Cabrillo National Monument
Other nursery, restoration, and seed-related tasks as assigned, including but not limited to seed germination trials, herbarium duties, weed control and nursery maintenance
The position is open to US citizens, permanent residents, or people with valid work permits. Applicants must hold a valid driver’s license. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, with interviews occurring in late spring and early
summer.
Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to Joseph_Algiers@nps.gov
Native Plant Restoration Internship
Learn about native plant restoration and ecology while gaining valuable hands-on field experience by joining the native plant nursery team at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area!
This internship is designed to allow participants to explore a variety of aspects within Southern California native plant restoration. Interns will gain experience working in a variety of plant communities including southern oak woodland, coastal sage scrub, grassland, riparian woodland, chaparral, and more. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of restoration duties.
The schedule will be 3 days a week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) from 7am – 3:30pm. The internship
will have two cohorts; the first running from May 29, 2025 through September 20, 2025 and the second from June 26, 2025 through October 25, 2025.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, with interviews occurring as early as
February. A stipend may be available (pending funding).
To apply, submit a letter of intent (include how the position will benefit your career, your availability, which cohort you are applying to, your understanding that this internship is unpaid except for a
potential stipend and that you have a method of transportation to and from work), your resume, and 3 references to antoniosanchez@samofund.org
Santa Monica Mountains Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer
We often post jobs for Youth under age 30 as we may be limited by restrictions from the funding source to support the project
No suitable job openings at the moment?
Please consider a volunteer position instead!