Outdoor Program Instructor

Competitive Compensation Package: $110 to $115 per day (DOE) 

Plus, off-site staff housing and workday meals are provided 

Full-Time seasonal position; from hire date to mid-November, 2024 with the option to renew your contract for 2025

Location: Sierra Nevada Journeys Outdoor Education Camp, Portola, California

JOB DESCRIPTION

Sierra Nevada Journeys seeks Outdoor Program Instructors with experience delivering culturally relevant camp-based programs for schools and community partners, serving youth from under-resourced communities. This is a nine-month seasonal position with varying roles and responsibilities. 

During the spring and fall seasons, Instructors’ primary responsibility is delivering one-to-five-day outdoor science education programs primarily serving 5th and 6th-grade students from regional elementary and middle schools. All lessons rest upon the foundation of hands-on science and collaborative problem-solving, with a focus on critical thinking, exploration, and environmental stewardship. Instructors are responsible for leading and educating a group of 12-to-15 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 Berkeley’s 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 week-long 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 social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies to facilitate leadership experiences and develop collaborative problem-solving 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. OPI’s 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 visit sierranevadajourneys.org/opi-faqs. For more information about outdoor science school and community group programs, please visit: sierranevadajourneys.org/ool and sierranevadajourneys.org/about-camp.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Facilitate high-quality outdoor science education, outdoor recreation, and challenge course programs (day and evening)
• Safely facilitate the challenge course to achieve collaborative problem-solving 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 on-call 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 camp-based programs for schools or community partners serving youth from under-resourced 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 up-to-date 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 $110-$115 per day (DOE) plus off-site 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 (nine-month seasonal position)
• Employees will earn $1 per day extra for each certification; for example, if you have four certifications, you’ll 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 
• Bilingual fluency in Spanish differential of an additional 3% added to hourly rate/annual salary

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.