Now hiring!
Winter Hiking Challenge Intern
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is seeking a highly motivated intern to help facilitate our 7th Annual Winter Hiking Challenge (WHC). This community program encourages hikers of all levels to get outdoors between January and March.
The WHC Intern is the day-to-day engine behind the Challenge: keeping participants informed and engaged online, supporting hikes and events in person, and helping close out the season with a celebration the whole community remembers. You’ll work closely with SAHC’s Development & Communications and Outreach teams, gaining hands-on experience in community engagement, event support, and nonprofit program administration.
Position Details
Work Environment: Hybrid — most work completed independently online, with at least one in-person workday per week based out of SAHC’s Asheville, NC office, plus additional in-person time as needed for hikes, events, and meetings
Dates: November 2, 2026 – March 14, 2027 (17 weeks; off the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Christmas) — required in-person attendance March 13–14, 2027, for the Closing Celebration weekend
Hours: 10–15 hours/week, hourly and tracked; some weekend availability required throughout the season
Pay Rate: $16.50/hour with mileage reimbursement for required work travel. This is a temporary, non-exempt position and does not include benefits
Supervision: Co-supervised by the Development & Communications Manager and the Outreach Program Manager
Key Responsibilities
Community Engagement & Communications
- Monitor and administer the Winter Hiking Challenge Facebook and Strava groups
- Monitor and respond to WHC participant questions via email
- Gather information and help write emails for the WHC audience; cross-posting updates across platforms
- Collaborate with the Development & Communications Manager on social media content and promotion for the Challenge
Events & Field Support
- Help staff with in-person events, including group hikes throughout the season
- Help plan and execute the season’s Closing Celebration weekend, March 13–14, 2027
- Scout hikes with the Outreach Program Manager
Program Administration
- Provide Runsignup related customer service
- Other duties as assigned, including picking up printed materials and posting flyers around the community
Qualifications
SAHC recognizes that strong candidates bring diverse professional and lived experiences. We encourage individuals passionate about our mission and who believe they can succeed in this role to apply.
Required Qualifications
- Customer service experience
- Social media fluency, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
- Strong writing skills
- Familiarity with Google Suite
- Comfortable with regular computer work; must have access to a smartphone with reliable internet
- Local to the Asheville, NC area
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity with the following: Strava, AllTrails, Avenza, GPS software, Salesforce, ActiveCampaign (or similar email service), Canva
- Access to a personal vehicle for local travel to events and scouting
- Access to a personal computer
Working Conditions
Physical requirements for the in-person portions of this role include:
- Ability to hike 6 continuous miles outdoors on trails with uneven surfaces and varied elevations
- Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs of event or trail materials
- Ability to tolerate a range of outdoor winter weather conditions during hikes, scouting, and events
- Ability to sit at a computer for extended periods for remote administrative work
These are the essential functions of the position; reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform them.
To Apply
Please submit a cover letter and resume to Development & Communications Manager Emma Goldrick at emma@appalachian.org. Include “Winter Hiking Challenge Internship” in the subject line. References will be requested from finalist candidates.
Priority consideration will be given to applications received by October 1, 2026. Position open until filled.
If you need an accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please contact Emma Goldrick at the email above.
About Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is an established land trust serving a 10-county region in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Since 1974, we have conserved more than 100,000 acres of the region’s most important lands, including places that offer opportunities to all people to enjoy outdoor recreation, protect scenic beauty, protect rivers and streams that serve the region’s water needs, connect places for wildlife and plants to ensure resilient landscapes in the mountains, and preserve working farmland that supplies local foods.
Equal Opportunity Employer
SAHC is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recognize historic inequities in the conservation field, including in access to and ownership of land, and we are committed to building an organization where people of widely diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities can lead and contribute. However you identify, and whatever your background, if this position excites you, we encourage you to apply.
