Oregon Program Director
Posted by Northwest Outward Bound School on 01/09/2021
Job Basics
Industry Sector: Outdoor
Job Categories: Outdoor Education
Company Type: Recreation
State: OR
City: Redmond
Country: United States
Required Experience: 7 - 10 years
Contact Name: Jenny Huq
Contact Phone: 503-946-3404, x 5305
Job Type: Full Time
Salary: $48,000 - $65,000
Required to Relocate: Yes
Required to Travel: No
Employee May Telecommute: No
Job Seeker Must Live Within: 25 miles
Job Description & Requirements
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION
With over 50 years of innovation in experiential and outdoor education in the Pacific Northwest, Northwest Outward Bound School (NWOBS) continues to change lives through challenge and discovery. Our students test their strengths, challenge their fears, and discover that they are capable of far more than they ever thought possible. They learn how to bring out the best in themselves every single day and to apply that goodness back to their world. By bringing their Outward Bound experiences back to their families, schools and communities, our students are the leaders who will help create the peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world we all yearn to have.
Our transformative and educational wilderness courses are set in some of the most dramatic and stunning parts of the United States. NWOBS was founded in 1965 and facilitates wilderness-based programs in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and serves urban youth and schools in the Portland metropolitan area. As an Outward Bound School, we are committed to the core values of compassion, integrity, excellence, inclusion, and diversity, and strive to achieve the following outcomes: building character, developing leadership skills, and creating an ethic of social and environmental responsibility.
Our administrative team consists of 20 dedicated, fun, and supportive leaders spread over three locations, a virtual administrative hub in Portland and base camps in Central Oregon and Northern Washington. We also employ phenomenal instructors steeped in youth development, social and emotional learning, technical outdoor skills, and expert facilitation.
We are a family and adventure-friendly employer. A number of our Admin staff work less than full time to balance family relationships/responsibilities or to allow for adequate time to travel, adventure, or otherwise pursue personal goals. This role is expected to be 1.0 FTE and is based out of Redmond, OR.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Oregon Program Director (PD) provides overall program leadership, and is responsible for program safety and quality, as well as the business administration and local operations, that support courses staged in Oregon and Idaho from the Odin Falls base. The PD will ensure the program aligns and supports the School’s strategic plan and vision. The successful candidate will be expected to have past training and experience in equity, inclusion, and diversity work, particularly pertaining to youth education and partnerships with culturally specific organizations.
Primary Roles and Responsibilities
Program Leadership
= Collaborate with Executive Director (ED), Senior Leadership Team, Odin Leadership Team, Development, and Student Services departments, to develop and fulfill school and program strategy, vision, and goals.
= Provide oversight, leadership, and management for all NWOBS program planning, delivery, and trainings operating in OR and ID. Ensure all courses remain true to NWOBS mission, values, design principles, and outcomes.
= Drive Oregon Program innovation, including development and continual improvement of course curricula and innovative course types.
= Initiate, manage, and strengthen strategic community relationships that enhance program effectiveness and sustainability, including course expansion into shoulder seasons and new markets.
= Assure all programs adhere to OBUSA and NWOBS safety, human resource, and operating policies and procedures, as well as local, state, and federal laws.
= Manage use of national resources and collaborate actively with Program Directors and other staff across the Outward Bound USA network.
Program and Safety Management
= Oversee local course planning and staff briefings. Conduct supervisory field visits to ensure quality and program safety.
= Oversee student arrival and departure and student out-of-field systems and procedures.
= Monitor public policy and act as NWOBS liaison with our local community, advocating for the School and its programs.
= Manage and maintain a healthy and collaborative relationship with all land managers and community members. Oversee annual, timely renewal of applicable permits and reservations.
= Responsible for budget forecast/tracking and annual budget development for Oregon Programs. Manage program within defined budgetary constraints with an eye for fiscal responsibility, adjusting appropriately as revenue and expense fluctuates throughout the year.
= Ensure the development and effective management of all facilities, systems, and resources at the base. Oversee basecamp maintenance and upkeep, adhering to all local and national regulatory codes and policies.
= Manage all aspects of the operation, ensuring the Oregon Programs operate within all departmental standard operating procedures. Review and revise local operating policies and procedures on an annual basis.
= Participate in the incident command and on-call system, as local Incident Commander.
= Ensure complete, accurate, and timely incident reporting for all courses.
= In collaboration with ED, Safety Committee, and Safety Director, create priorities, content, and delivery methods for program safety.
= Investigate and respond to customer needs, including frequent interactions with students and their families.
Staff Development and Management
= Supervise and support local program team, including direct oversight of the Odin Leadership Team.
= Provide leadership, direction, and motivation for the OR program staff, and actively develop basecamp culture in support of Outward Bound’s values.
= Lead development and performance decisions for all base staff positions. Consult with the Hiring and Staffing Manager, Oregon Associate Program Director (APD), and Director of Business Operations on issuing agreements, and addressing employee performance, development and pay.
= Oversee the Oregon APD’s work to manage staffing, human resources, training, staff development, and organizational feedback and response systems for Oregon Programs.
Knowledge and Skills
= 7+ years of experience in the education, outdoor education, or experiential learning fields or similar combination of experiences and education preferred.
= Successful applicant will possess an entrepreneurial, results-driven style and ability to identify and develop areas of growth and opportunity.
= Successful applicant will possess the interpersonal skills and versatility to effectively build relationships across a broad spectrum.
= Ability to thrive in a collaborative environment with field staff, program management staff, and organizational leadership.
= Ability to have open, honest, and difficult conversations, including the ability to give and receive feedback with direct reports and colleagues.
= Strong personal motivation, initiative, commitment, follow-through, and passion for NWOBS mission.
= Ability to perform under tight deadlines and meet financial goals.
= Experience working with a variety of populations, including but not limited to secondary school youth, educators, community, and corporate leaders.
= Background and experience in business, education, non-profit management, or another related field a plus.
= Able to work at a desk or computer 70% of time or greater.
Accountabilities
This position reports to the Executive Director. The Oregon Program Director directly supervises the Oregon APD, Logistics Manager, and Program Manager(s).
Compensation
= This is a full-time, year-round, salaried position.
= Salary is commensurate with experience within NWOBS’s Program Director annual range of $48,000 - $65,000.
= Full-time, benefits-eligible position; benefits package includes medical, vision and dental insurance and paid time off.
= All positions qualify to participate in our gear discount program and course tuition discounts.
To Apply
To apply, please email a cover letter and resume in PDF format to: hiring@nwoutwardbound.org. In your cover letter, please describe what motivates and excites you about this position and how it connects with your longer-term goals. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Review of applications will begin on Jan 15, 2021, with priority given to applications received by Jan 22, 2021. The position will remain open until filled with a desired, but negotiable, start date of late February / early March 2021.
No other emails or phone calls, please. We appreciate all responses, but due to the expected high volume of resumes received, we can only contact those applicants whose qualifications best match the position requirements.
_____________________________-
NWOBS recognizes that there are barriers precluding people with marginalized identities (e.g., black, indigenous, and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, genderqueer, trans, people from low income communities, rural communities, people with disabilities, and more) from being able to access transformative and inclusive educational experiences. These barriers also prevent people from accessing and having inclusive and culturally relevant experiences in the outdoors. NWOBS believes it has the responsibility, as an educational institution, to dismantle these barriers so that it can full its mission of changing the lives of all who desire a quality outdoor education experience, and not just the lives of those with the privilege of being able to access NWOBS today. As such, NWOBS aspires to be more reflective of and relevant to the communities in the Pacific Northwest, both within its staff and leadership body as well as its student body.
NWOBS is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of NWOBS to provide equal employment opportunity in accordance with applicable law to all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, military status, political opinion, national origin, familial status, mental or physical disability, source of income, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law, in all personnel actions
