Adventure Program Director

Overview

The AP Director is responsible for executing the vision and mission of Elements Wilderness Program through the management of the Adventure Program (AP). The AP Director oversees all AP field operations, including AP staff hiring, training, supervision, and culture, as well as risk management, policy and procedures, curriculum, and incident reporting. The AP Director also acts as another consistent AP staff, going into the field regularly to facilitate adventure experiences. The AP Director reports to the Program Director of Elements Program.

Responsibilities
– Oversee the hiring, training process and professional development of new AP Instructors.
– Maintain AP staff schedules and approve hours & requests for time off
– Plan AP activity schedule and collaborate with field department on weekly hiking itinerary for all groups
– Ensure there are collaborative and positive working relationships between the AP department and all other departments of Elements Programs.
– Responsible for keeping track of AP budget by maintaining awareness of expenses that are accrued by the program, adjusting spending as necessary.
– Conduct field visits with AP Instructors to provide feedback and ensure policy & procedure is being followed
– Ensure quality standards are being met and that AP continually adds value to the program
– Maintain an awareness of permitting, changes in land management that could affect access, and public activity near adventure sites. Assess accessibility of adventure sites based off of these and other factors and be on the lookout for potential new sites.
– Keep the big picture of the program in mind by continually developing best practices and new aspects of programming.
– Stay up to date with changes in technical & therapeutic fields, ensuring that AP is consistent with best practices in all adventure fields.
– Coordinate with Family Services department on Family therapy AP experiences
– Revisit manuals and policy/procedure documents annually to update and revise if necessary, ensuring all manuals are current and follow the standards of the Association of Experiential Education (AEE).
– Facilitate quarterly technical skills review and training in order to keep the AP staff team current and practiced in risk management mitigation.
– Maintain staff team and personal certifications in wilderness medicine and AEGIS de-escalation training.
– Seek further training opportunities for self and staff team, constantly cultivating a culture of risk management within the team.
– Facilitate AP on a regular basis (2 days per week). Preference of a split: one day spent as a solo facilitator and the other as a co-instructor supporting the development of an AP staff.

Tagged as: Administrative Staff

Qualifications:

Current AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification or have taken a more advanced AMGA rock course / evaluation
Current CPR.
Minimum of Wilderness First Responder certification (more advanced wilderness medical response beneficial)
Be at least 21 years of age
Clean background check
2 years of prior experience guiding in a high angle environment
Minimum of 6 months working in the field of wilderness therapy
Experience managing employees

Required Skills:

- Able to carry 50lbs on rough terrain
- Conflict resolution / de-escalation skillsets
- Knows how to manage risk for groups in high angle settings (climbing & rappelling)
- Knows how to facilitate team building activities
- Can navigate wilderness backcountry terrain

Preferred Skills:

- Program development & program policy writing
- Experience in: Stand up paddle boarding, Rafting, Snow sports, Leather crafts, Geocaching, Yoga/Mindfulness activities, Slacklining