OutdoorEd.com

Assistant Director

Company: COR Expeditions

COR-logo-2018.png
Job Type: Full Time

Job Description

Work Schedule: A typical work week is 40-50 hours and typical office hours are M-F 8:30-5:30. However, significant evening and weekend hours will be required, in addition to some 24/7 field time in the backcountry.

About the Program: Wyoming Catholic College is a small Great Books Liberal Arts college located in Lander, Wyoming. WCC runs a unique outdoor program that requires a 21-day backpacking trip for freshman orientation, a 7-day winter expedition prior to the freshman spring semester, and two week-long outdoor trips every year for each student. The college runs over 30 week-long trips each year throughout Wyoming and its adjacent states. These trips involve many outdoor pursuits, including backpacking, canyoneering, mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, winter backpacking, cross-country skiing, backcountry skiing, ice climbing, fishing, and more. WCC’s outdoor trips are designed to give each student a deeper encounter with Christ in creation through the experience of beauty and wonder and to challenge students to improve their personal leadership and development of virtue through the experience of outdoor pursuits and acquisition of technical skills. This goal is achieved (in part) by intentional reflection on the student’s experience before, during, and after each trip. COR Expeditions is the wilderness ministry outreach program of WCC and was born from the success of the Outdoor Leadership Program. COR is fundamentally oriented towards sharing the spiritual and leadership goals of this program with a wider audience beyond the college community. Through its adherence to the professional and safety standards of the outdoor industry, COR has become the premier Catholic wilderness ministry and now works with a variety of programs, including youth groups, seminaries, high schools, colleges, young adult groups, and other Catholic ministries as well as promoting its own trips via COR’s website and social media.

Position Summary: This position reports to the Executive Director of the Outdoor Leadership Program & COR Expeditions who also serves as Assistant Professor of Leadership and Outdoor Education. This position provides administrative and logistical support for the academic (ELP) and non-academic (OAP) components of the Outdoor Leadership Program.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

1. OLP Week-long Trips: Coordinate the creation and planning process for the WCC
week-long field-based courses, including fall break trips, winter trips, spring break trips, and leader week. This process includes detailed route planning with the student leaders, coordinating trip paperwork, pre-trip briefings and post-trip debriefing, specific training for the trip leaders, and meetings with all trip participants for a final briefing before each trip (this includes over 30 week-long trips per year).

2. Freshman 21-Day Trip: Coordinate permits, prep week schedule, paperwork, routes,
re-rations, equipment, and gear for the WCC Freshman 21-Day Trip.

3. Outdoor Adventure Program: Organize and plan non-academic weekend and weekday outdoor recreation activities, adventure trips, and events throughout the year.

4. Leadership Development & WFR: Work with the Leadership Development Coordinator to plan (and, if qualified, teach) the various field-based and classroom-based leadership classes and monthly WFR scenarios that are a part of the outdoor leader progression.

5. Schedule OLP Activities: Work with the Executive Director, COR Staff, Academic Dean, and Student Life to schedule all curricular (ELP) and extracurricular (OAP) activities on the all-college calendar before the start of each semester.

6. Support WCC Summer Programs: Provide administrative and logistical support for college summer programs that include an outdoor program component, such as the PEAK high school programs and the Wyoming School of Catholic Thought.

7. Accreditation: Maintain the Outdoor Program’s accreditation status with the Association of Experiential Education (AEE).

8. Maintain Program Records: Track gear use, keep student records, and maintain trip logs for academic trips, outdoor recreation trips, and summer programming with the
assistance of the Operations Coordinator.

9. On-call & Risk Management: Frequently serve as an emergency (or ‘on-call’) contact for both the WCC Outdoor Program and COR Expeditions. Expected to be an acting member of the risk management committee and take an active role in the continued development of both outdoor and on-campus risk management planning and policies.

10. Staff Management: In conjunction with the COR Assistant Program Director, manage and provide mentorship, staff training, and evaluation for the OLP/COR Operations Coordinator and a staff of 8-12 student employees maintaining the equipment center and preparing gear and rations for courses offered by the Outdoor Program and COR Expeditions.

Additional Functions/Responsibilities:
1. Assist with interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, and supervising OLP/COR summer staff and interns.
2. Help to maintain the numerous permits already acquired by the college and to establish new permits (the college runs over 5,000 user days every year).
3. Ensure that the policies and procedures provided in program manuals, first aid kits, and trip documents are current and up to date.
4. Provide bookkeeping support for the OLP/COR budget manager.
5. Maintain cleanliness and presentability of program office space in coordination with
college janitorial staff and COR/OLP staff.
6. Additional duties as required. COR is a young organization and the requirements of this position may change as we grow.

Additional Details: Initial two-year commitment to Wyoming Catholic College is requested, though employment is at-will.

Minimum Requirements:
● Mission-driven and excited to represent the goals of Wyoming Catholic College and COR Expeditions to a wide population.
● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
● Minimum 4+ years of experience working in Outdoor Education & Leadership in an
educational setting.
● 2+ years of administrative/office experience.
● Current WFR (Wilderness First Responder) and CPR certifications.
● Organized and attentive to detail.
● Strong interpersonal skills – able to consistently communicate on a professional level
both verbally and in writing.
● Reliable – able to maintain confidentiality when working with sensitive information.
● Self-motivated, proactive, able to work both independently and collaboratively
● Ability to maintain a positive attitude in the face of changing priorities and deadlines
and to be creative with time management.
● Flexibility, creativity, and proven problem solving skills to meet and adapt to the needs of a growing non-profit organization.

Preferred Skills/Experience:
● 4+ years of outdoor instructional/guiding experience in a variety of activities, including field courses longer than 2 weeks, trips in all four seasons, and trips in course areas around the country.
● 4+ years of experience in planning and organizing a variety of outdoor trips including:
route plan development, technical knowledge of the route, emergency and evacuation
routes/plans, leading faith-based programming, and choosing and finding qualified
leaders/instructors.
● Experience in teaching wilderness medicine.
● Prior experience with COR Expeditions and/or Wyoming Catholic College Outdoor
Leadership Program.
● Clean driving record, experience driving 12 passenger vans and trailers.
● Proven ability to take initiative, recognize needs, and brainstorm creative ideas/solutions to better meet the needs of the Wyoming Catholic College Outdoor Leadership Program.

Level of Supervision Received/Given: Moderate; some projects will have a high level of supervision while others will have little to none.
Special Working Conditions: This will be primarily an office position with occasional duties in the field. Both office and field work will require a variety of tasks and responsibilities.

How to Apply

Complete a WCC Job Application at https://wyomingcatholic.edu/employment-application/ (including resume, cover letter & certifications).
Posted on: August 4, 2022
Job Type: Full Time
Job Starting Date:
May 3, 2024
Application Closing Date:
May 3, 2024
Years of Experience: 3 – 5 years
Preferred/Required Degree Level: Bachelor’s degree
Job Activity(ies): Backpacking
Region(s): US