Salary: $48,000 - $65,000, commensurate with experience
Portland Program Director
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 schools and community partners 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.
Summary
The Portland 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 the Portland Metro area and sometimes in coordination with the Odin Falls (Central Oregon) base camp. The Portland Program primarily works with public school districts, youth development organizations, and Outward Bound Professional partners, providing classroom and frontcountry programming. The PD will ensure the current and future 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. The Portland Program works with a majority BIPOC student population and candidates reflecting this student population are highly encouraged to apply.This position is based in the Portland Metro area and will work remotely from a home office. Participation in local team gatherings will also take place. Currently these follow physical distancing protocols.
Primary Roles and Responsibilities
Program Leadership
Collaborate with Executive Director (ED), Senior 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 the Portland metro area. Ensure all programming remains true to NWOBS mission, values, design principles, and outcomes.
Drive Portland Program innovation, including development and continual improvement of program curricula and development of new and innovative programs.
Initiate, manage and strengthen strategic community relationships that enhance program effectiveness and sustainability, including program and partner expansion.
Collaborate deeply with Development Team to align program and fundraising strategy, ensuring cohesion between donor intent, organizational goals, and program deployment.
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
Act as NWOBS liaison with our local community, advocating for the School and coordinating with Partnerships & Marketing Manager on new and prospective partnerships.
Manage and maintain a healthy and collaborative relationship with all partners, land managers/facility operators, and community members. Oversee timely renewal and procurement of applicable permits and reservations.
Responsible for budget forecast/tracking and annual budget development for Portland 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. Oversee facility maintenance and upkeep, adhering to local and national regulatory codes and policies.
Manage all aspects of the operation, ensuring the Portland Program operates 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 programs.
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, teachers, partner point of contacts, and student families, as appropriate.
Staff Development and Management
Supervise and support local instructor team.
Provide leadership, direction, and motivation for the Portland Program staff, and actively develop team culture in support of Outward Bound’s values.
Lead development and performance decisions for all instructor and support positions. Consult with Director of Business Operations on issuing agreements, and addressing employee performance, development, and pay.
Manage staffing, human resources, training, staff development, and organizational feedback and response systems for Portland Programs.
Knowledge & Skills
7+ years of experience in the education, outdoor education, or experiential learning fields or similar combination of experience 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 instructor 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 leaders, and corporate leaders.
Background and experience in youth development, education, business, non-profit management, or another related field a plus.
Able to work at a desk or computer 70% of the time or greater.
Accountabilities
This position reports to the Executive Director. The Portland Program Director directly supervises the Portland Program team of instructors. Future responsibility may include supervision of additional administrative staff.
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.
Application
To apply, please email a cover letter and resume in PDF format to: [email protected]. 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 be on a rolling basis and the position will remain open until filled, with a desired by negotiable start date of May 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
Sign Up for Updates
Stay informed on Northwest Outward Bound School news and updates! Please fill out the form below to begin receiving our email newsletter.
This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Please visit our
Privacy Policy to learn more.