Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center
tendersglobal.net
Position type: Seasonal
Season: June 7–August 30, 2024
Location: Silver Falls State Park, Oregon homebase with backcountry guiding in 6 Oregon Wilderness Areas
Compensation: $155/day; 3 days PTO
Perks: Meals provided while working, Staff housing in the Salem area for subsidized rate (optional), business mileage, sponsored wilderness medical certifications & access to industry pro-deals
Program: Opal Creek Expeditions
Work schedule: pre and post trips training/prep early June and late August; backpacking trips are Sunday-Saturday (including overnights) during the summer, with one week on and one week off (4 trips minimum)
The Expeditions Guide Opportunity
In the beautiful Oregon summer, you lead educational, fun, and safe backpacking trips via our Opal Creek Expeditions program. Small groups of youth ages 10-17 traverse miles of backcountry trail, summit ridgelines and peaks, and visit subalpine lakes and streams, all with you and one other guide as their leaders.
During your many weeks leading trips in various wildernesses, you’ll strengthen your backcountry skills such as navigating, tying knots, cooking, and living by Leave No Trace practices. As you teach the ins and outs of backpacking you’ll see each child’s confidence grow—in their skills and in themselves.
Connection between youth is more important than ever, and your role is integral to facilitating that connection. You will draw on your previous experiences with youth to create a fun, positive outdoor space where kids can just be kids.
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
A successful candidate will possess these minimum qualifications. We are less interested in the titles you’ve held and more interested in what you’ve actually done and who you are.
- 1+ seasons backcountry guiding experience
- 1+ seasons working with youth
- Backpacking experience, personal/professional
- Group leadership and management skills
- Navigation and backcountry cooking skills
- Previous experience with equity, inclusion, and cultural relevance, and integrating into youth programming
- Previous backcountry medical experience
- Able to lead groups on hikes up to 10 miles with heavy packs
- Able to pass a criminal background check
- Valid driver’s license
How to Apply & Timeline
Please submit an application by visiting the employment page of our website. The application includes a series of questions, and asks you to upload a detailed resume in PDF format. Be sure to include any relevant experience and certifications, both professional and personal experience.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to those received by February 23rd, 2024, followed by applicant review every week. There are two rounds of interviews for this position in total during the end of February and into March. We anticipate hiring five guides, and the start date is June 7th, 2024.
Please contact [email protected] with any questions and to request any accommodations needed during this hiring process. We’ll do our best to respond to all queries and to keep all applicants up to date on how the process unfolds.
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