Outdoor Adventure Manager

Wilderness Kids Alexandria seeks experienced Outdoor Education leaders for our new position of Outdoor Adventure Manager. The role will begin part-time (25 hours per week) and we hope it will evolve to full time by January 1, 2025.

​You are the right person for this role if you have:

• 5 years or more experience leading young people in backcountry experiences, such as backpacking, paddling, biking, and/or similar activities.
• Designed backcountry experiences for young people.
• Developed outdoor education curricula that teaches basic environmental science and that draws upon the unique experiences of outdoor adventure to help students grow personally and to help a group of students grow as a community.
• Excellent communication skills that you have put to use with students, parents, co-workers, and supervisors.
• Experience implementing, and perhaps developing, risk management and safety protocols for an outdoor adventure program.
• Expertise in purchasing and maintaining outdoor gear, including tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, cook stoves, etc.
• Experience in, and passion for, working with young people from low income families, with immigrant children, and with children from the BIPOC community. Your passion and skill may come from having worked with such children before and/or from lived experiences similar to those of the young people we serve.
• Training to respond to emergencies in outdoor settings. Preferred that you have Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification.
• A driver's license of at least 5 years with a good driving record. We strongly prefer candidates with experience driving a 15 passenger van.
• A B.A. in a relevant degree (education, outdoor/experiential education, environmental education/science, etc) or relevant lived experience and employment in lieu of such education.

​Responsibilities:

The OAM is responsible for co-designing the Wilderness Kids curriculum, leading development and implementation of our Weekend and Summer Programs, contributing to development and implementation of our other programs, overseeing gear acquisition and maintenance, and overseeing risk management. The position reports directly to the Director of Programs & Communications (DPC).

Among other things, you will:

Program Management

• Lead the development of Wilderness Kids curricula that serves students in grades 6 through 12, with guidance from the DPC. This work will include the development of overarching learning objectives, age-appropriate lessons to achieve such objectives across the variety of programs we offer, guidance for teachers on how to teach/implement such curricula, and a method for ensuring that our teaching is effective.
• Manage our Weekend Outings and Summer Experience programs. Work with DPC to develop schedules for each program, ensuring a diversity of experiences and levels of challenge that appeal across our student body and a progression of experiences that serves students who are with us over the course of months and years.
• Create day-long, overnight, and backcountry opportunities during Weekends and over Summer.
• Identify and evaluate Program Providers (e.g. climbing, paddling, biking outfitters, etc.); build and maintain those relationships.
• Lead staff in ensuring the physical and emotional well being of our students, staff, and volunteers on Outings.
• Work to make outings fun for all, opportunities for students to learn new skills, enjoy nature, and connect with peers.
• Manage the Program Budget in collaboration with other team members.
• Ensure that Risk Management is infused throughout programs.

Teaching Roles

• Teach in our After-School Program most weeks (2:30 to 6:30 p.m., though not daily)
• Teach  on Weekend Outings.
• Lead summer programs.

Other Responsibilities

Note: When the position becomes full-time, these will be added as required responsibilities. In the meantime, they will be on an "as time allows" basis.

• Assist the DPC to develop and supervise a Wilderness Kids Club at Alexandria City High School.
• Contribute to the development of Risk Management Policies that assure the mental and physical well-being of students, staff, and volunteers.
• Develop a plan for what gear needs to be acquired and when; and for managing and maintaining gear.
• Assist the DPC in training, scheduling, and managing qualified educators to teach during Wilderness Kids Programs.
• Assist in the development of guidelines, policies, and protocols for the organization as a whole.
• Identify and Participate in professional development opportunities to advance knowledge of and skills in job-related fields of work (curriculum development, pedagogy, program management, risk management, etc)
• Generally respond to the short-term needs and long-term objectives of a young organization.

​What is Wilderness Kids Alexandria:

• Founded in 2021, Wilderness Kids Alexandria’s mission is to provide teenagers from under-resourced families and under-served communities in Alexandria with life-enriching experiences in nature.  
• Our efforts rest upon findings that time spent in nature improves both mental and physical health as well as offering other benefits, including personal growth and the opportunity to live in cooperative community.
• Our young people are from low-income or otherwise under-resourced or under-served families in Alexandria and are in grades 6 through 12. Our After-School Program serves only middle-school students; our Weekend Outing Program serves older students through high school.
• Wilderness Kids is founded upon seven values: Nature as Home, Gratitude, Self-Expression, Equity in Community, Curiosity, Skill, and Mindfulness. We impart these values in everything that we do. 
• You’ll find more about us on our website at www.wildernesskidsalexandria.org

We hope to have staff whose life experiences resonate with our young people and strongly encourage applications from members of the immigrant and BIPOC communities.

To apply:

Please complete this form, which takes the place of a cover letter and which will also request you to upload your resume.

Note: Background checks will be required for all staff, to ensure the safety of our young people.

Thank you for applying.