Outdoor Program Instructor
Outdoor Program Instructor
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Job Description
Competitive Compensation Package: $112.20 to $117.20 per day (DOE)
Plus offsite staff housing and workday meals are provided
FullTime seasonal position; from hire date to midNovember 2025; opportunity to renew your contract for the following season
Location: Sierra Nevada Journeys Outdoor Education Camp Portola California
JOB DESCRIPTION
Sierra Nevada Journeys seeks Outdoor Program Instructors with experience delivering culturally relevant campbased programs for schools and community partners serving youth from underresourced communities.This is a ninemonth seasonal position with varying roles and responsibilities.
During the spring and fall seasons Instructors primary responsibility is delivering onetofiveday outdoor science education programs primarily serving 5th and 6thgrade students from regional elementary and middle schools. All lessons rest upon the foundation of handson science and collaborative problemsolving with a focus on critical thinking exploration and environmental stewardship. Instructors are responsible for leading and educating a group of 12to15 students throughout their program including facilitating large group activities leading meals and evening programs. All lessons are written according to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and we train our employees using the University of California at Berkeleys BEETLES (Better Environmental Education Teaching Learning & Expertise Sharing) teaching techniques and pedagogy. Sierra Nevada Journeys programs see several thousand participants each year.
During the summer season Sierra Nevada Journeys delivers both overnight summer camp and community partner programs including camps for people with disabilities and camps for teen leadership development. During our weeklong summer camps Instructors facilitate activities such as the challenge course swimming kayaking and leadership programs. Instructors may find themselves in a summer camp leadership position such as head lifeguard camp helper staff mentor cabin leader or challenge course assistant. During community partner camps Instructors deliver programming using Sierra Nevada Journeys challenge course as well as delving into socialemotional learning (SEL) competencies to facilitate leadership experiences and develop collaborative problemsolving skills. Instructors also assist organizations that serve people with disabilities by adapting traditional outdoor and camp activities to provide an enriching experience for their participants. Many of our community partners also bring participants to camp on the weekends in the spring and fall seasons; additionally Instructors work with these groups to meet their program goals. OPIs will have the opportunity to be trained by our Ropes Lead. The Ropes Lead has the skills to oversee and mitigate risk on the course in tandem or in place of our Challenge Course Manager. The CCMA role within the Outdoor Program Instructor role reports to the Challenge Course Manager regarding all Challenge Course standard operating procedures and facilitation styles.
Instructors are directly responsible for ensuring that attending schools and community groups and participants educational outcomes are met. Instructors are supervised by the Programs Specialist. To learn more about this position please visitsierranevadajourneys/opifaqs. For more information about outdoor science school and community group programs please visit:sierranevadajourneys/ool and sierranevadajourneys/aboutcamp.
AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
- Facilitate highquality outdoor science education outdoor recreation and challenge course programs (day and evening)
- Safely facilitate the challenge course to achieve collaborative problemsolving goals
- Proficiency in all Sierra Nevada Journeys outdoor school curricula and teaching methods
- Attend all staff training delivered by the Programs Management team
- Deliver organize and grade student assessments and related paperwork
- Effectively deliver programs while working with chaperones teachers community group staff members and other instructors as needed
- Lead meals and engage students before meals
- Work on assigned projects including but not limited to creating necessary paper materials for schools camp improvement projects revamping curriculum etc.
- Travel to other Sierra Nevada Journeys program areas to deliver programming if needed
- Act as overnight oncall staff or cabin lead as needed staying overnight and helping groups with requests
- Clean and inventory program supplies and participate in debriefs after each program
- Observe identify and do what is needed to move Sierra Nevada Journeys forward in a way that best represents who we are as an organization.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Leadership experience or experience working with youth
- Experience delivering culturally relevant campbased programs for schools or community partners serving youth from underresourced communities
- Ability to work irregular hours and days including nights and weekends
- Ability to live and work positively with other staff members
- Ability to take initiative work independently and maintain a positive attitude
- Willingness to be 30 feet off the ground on challenge course high elements
- Ability to pass a background check
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and hike over varying terrain and distances up to seven miles
- Current CPR and First Aid certification or willingness to obtain certification before start date
- All employees and volunteers are required to attest in writing they have uptodate immunizations against the diseases required for public school attendance in the State in which they work.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Fluency in Spanish or another second language
- Experience in science instruction either in a formal outdoor setting or in a classroom setting
- Experience working with students from communities of Black Indigenous and People of Color BIPOC)
- Wilderness First Aid/Wilderness First Responder Certification
- Current lifeguard certification or willingness to obtain certification before the start date
COMPENSATION
- Competitive Compensation Package $112.20$117.20 per day (DOE) plus offsite staff housing and meals while at camp California meals stipend provided when meals are not provided on days worked)
- Three days paid time off per year and three sick days per year (ninemonth seasonal position)
- Employees will earn $1 per day extra for each certification;for example if you have four certifications youll earn $4 more per day:
- Experience working with students from communities of BIPOC
- Waterfront lifeguard/pool lifeguard
- Experience in science instruction either in a formal outdoor setting or in a classroom setting
- Wilderness First Aid/Wilderness First Responder Certification
- Optional 403(b) retirement plan and up to a 4 employer match
- Bilingualfluency in Spanishdifferential of an additional 3 added to hourly rate/annual salary
- 50 off Sierra Nevada Journeys youth camps for immediate family
Employment Highlights
- Home base for living working exploring and recreating in the beautiful Sierra Valley
- Employment with an innovative company focused on improving outdoor education delivery
- Professional development geared toward outdoor education leadership or classroom teaching goals
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to employ individuals who represent the rich diversity of cultures language groups and abilities of its surrounding communities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity gender expression national origin age protected veteran or disabled status or genetic information.Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment.
Employment Type
Full-Time
