Jobs & Internships

MountainTrue’s staff care deeply about our environment and the communities of the Southern Blue Ridge. As a team, we’re committed to hard work but also having fun with each other. Accountability, camaraderie, and fidelity to our Guiding Principles: this is what makes MountainTrue a wonderful place to work.

MountainTrue is committed to the principles of equity, inclusion, and non-discrimination. We do not discriminate against individuals, communities, or organizations on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or physical/mental disability.

We recognize and honor diverse cultures and traditions and proactively seek individuals for all aspects of our work from varied backgrounds for the greater enrichment of the organization. To address structural bias, MountainTrue intentionally invests in diverse leadership within our programs, staff, board, volunteer base, and membership.

We are committed to a proactive and strategic equity approach at an institutional and societal level. We understand this work to be an ongoing learning journey as we build an understanding of how structural differences in power impact and inform the work we do in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Our board and staff work together to continually build our analysis and invest in capacity-building opportunities (e.g., workshops) that can deepen and inform our commitment to fostering equity through our work

Open Positions

Click any of the openings below to see job descriptions and application instructions:

Position Summary

Reporting to the River Clean-Up Operations Manager, the People Operations Coordinator provides administrative and operational support for human resources and payroll functions for MountainTrue’s River Clean-Up program. The role works closely with Team Leaders, the Program Assistant, the Logistics Manager, the Director of Finance, and external HR and payroll partners to support compliant, consistent, and mission-aligned people operations. The role does not interpret policy or serve as the final authority on employee relations or compliance matters.

Duties and Responsibilities

Human Resources Support

  • Assist with recruiting, interviewing, and hiring activities for River Clean-Up staff, in accordance with established policies and applicable employment laws
  • Coordinate and administer onboarding and orientation for all River Clean-Up staff
  • Maintain electronic and physical employee files, including tracking and updating records, forms, and required documentation, while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with recordkeeping requirements.
  • Serve as a first point of contact for employee questions, directing more complex issues to the Operations Manager or external HR partners
  • Coordinate benefits administration activities with brokers and vendors, including enrollments, waivers, terminations, and open enrollment
  • Support workers’ compensation administration, including documentation, reporting, and coordination with insurance partners and leadership
  • Assist with compliance-related tracking and documentation in accordance with federal, state, and local requirements

Payroll Support

  • Support payroll processing for River Clean-Up staff using MountainTrue’s payroll system
  • Audit employee timesheets for accuracy and policy alignment prior to biweekly approval by the River Clean-Up Operations Manager
  • Track and communicate with staff regarding time-off requests and balances, ensuring accurate recording through collaboration with supervisors to complete review procedures as needed.
  • Maintain working knowledge of payroll processes and deadlines to support timely and accurate payroll administration, year-end preparation and W-2 audits

Communication and Coordination

  • Provide routine updates to the River Clean-Up Operations Manager regarding people operations activities, issues, and progress
  • Relay staffing needs, scheduling considerations, and administrative concerns from Team Leaders and crew members to management
  • Maintain assigned administrative records, including property access agreements, in accordance with program procedures

Safety and Compliance Support

  • Follow and support established safety standards and organizational policies
  • Assist with insurance-related documentation and reporting as assigned
  • Escalate safety, compliance, or risk-related concerns to appropriate leadership

Working Conditions

Work is primarily performed in an office environment, with regular use of a computer and other standard office equipment, and periodic field or job-site presence. The position may require prolonged periods of sitting or standing; frequent use of a computer, including visual acuity sufficient to read screens, review documents, and enter data; and effective verbal and written communication.

An in-person presence is generally required to support program operations; however, limited remote work may be approved on a case-by-case basis based on operational needs and job responsibilities.

The role may also involve periodic local travel to job sites and program locations, including driving, walking on uneven terrain, navigating outdoor environments, and moving about work sites as needed to support program operations. Occasional lifting or carrying of materials weighing up to 25 pounds may be required.

MountainTrue is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the position, in accordance with applicable laws.

Minimum Qualifications

  • At least 1 year of experience supporting payroll processing and/or timekeeping
  • At least 1 year of administrative experience supporting human resources functions
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
  • Ability to travel to job sites and program locations as required.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation for this role is $27/hour and full-time (32 to 40 hours per week). A flexible schedule may be required to meet the needs of Debris Clean-Up projects. This position is eligible for MountainTrue benefits, including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick leave, jury duty, and bereavement leave), and participation in the organization’s retirement plan.

Apply here. 

Internship overview:

MountainTrue’s Southwestern Office is located in Murphy, NC, and covers six counties in Southwestern North Carolina and two counties in North Georgia. This paid internship is within the Clean Water program and is part-time for a total of 150 hours. The intern must live (or at least have summer housing) within 50 miles of Murphy, NC, as the majority of the work will be within that radius. However, the work schedule within the week is somewhat flexible.

Position summary

The intern’s primary responsibilities will be to assist with collection and analysis of weekly E.coli samples for our Swim Guide monitoring program and to manage the microplastics sampling program in the Hiwassee River basin. This work involves traveling around a 4-county area, collecting water quality samples, interacting with volunteers, and conducting lab analyses. 

Another major focus of the internship is to assist with distribution of supplies and recertification workshops for the long-established volunteer water quality monitoring program in the Hiwassee River watershed (Cherokee & Clay counties in NC and Towns & Union counties in GA). And helping plan a summertime social event for all water program volunteers.

Other responsibilities may include sampling natural drinking water sources and helping with educational events related to water quality in rivers, lakes and streams.  

Eligibility:

  • Must have completed your junior year of high school (at minimum).
  • Must have independent, reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license and be willing/able to travel alone within a 50-mile radius of Murphy
  • Must be committed to completing the whole internship (12-week minimum)

Desired skills:

  • Organized, with a high level of attention to detail
  • Comfortable working both inside and outside
  • Experience working with volunteers, or as a volunteer
  • Ideally some background in water quality monitoring and/or science lab skills, but not required

Application deadline: March 27, 2026

Start date: May 18, 2026

End date: Early August 2025

Work schedule: Internship is approximately 12.5 hours/week for 12 weeks. Tuesday-Thursday are the preferred days of the work week, but the intern will often be working independently and some work can be done remotely.

Location: The intern must live within a 50-mile radius of Murphy, NC, during the internship period. 

Compensation: The intern will receive a taxable stipend of $1,500 and mileage will be reimbursed at $0.725 per mile.

How to apply: Apply through this form. Including a resume is optional. 

Internship overview & position summary:

French Broad Water Quality Interns will assist our water team with a variety of tasks needed to help improve ecosystem health within the French Broad River Basin. We’ll teach on-the-job skills — prior experience is not necessary but is helpful. Examples of tasks include, but are not limited to the following:

  • collecting water samples from streams
  • processing water samples in our lab
  • analyzing water sample results
  • data organization/analysis
  • preparing organizational resources
  • research projects based on current program needs

Application deadline: March 15, 2026

Flexible start date: May 2026

Flexible end date: Late July or early August 2026

Work schedule: Approximately 15-20 hours per week

Compensation: Mileage will be reimbursed at $0.725 per mile

Location: This position will work with staff in our Asheville office. The samples will be collected throughout the French Broad Watershed.

How to apply: Apply here. Including a resume or cover letter is optional. 

Internship overview & position summary:

The Healthy Communities intern will work with Chris Joyell, Healthy Communities Director, to research issues involving housing, transportation, land use controls and health, and assist in engaging communities in designing their future. Our work is rooted in the principles of Smart Growth, and we encourage prospective interns to familiarize themselves with these principles prior to engaging with us. A background in design and/or planning is preferred, but students studying health, environmental management, geography/GIS, and economics have also found their niche in our program.

Application deadline: March 15, 2026

Flexible start date: May 2026

Flexible end date: Early June 2026

Work schedule: Approximately 10-40 hours per week. 

Compensation: Mileage reimbursed at approximately $0.725 per mile

Location: This position will work with staff in either our Asheville or Hendersonville offices, and much of the work can frequently be done remotely.

How to apply: Apply here. Please answer the following questions in your cover letter and attach that document when

submitting your application form:

  • What skills and experience can you bring to this internship? 
  • What skills and experience are you hoping to gain from the internship?
  • Is this internship for school credit or for personal experience?
  • What connection do you see between the built environment and the natural areas MountainTrue is working to protect?
  • How do you hope to leverage your internship experience in furthering your career?

Including a resume is optional.