Teacher Naturalist - Challenge Course Coordinator

WHO WE ARE:

When you work for Hidden Villa, you become a part of something BIG: a nonprofit organization with over 60 years of service delivery bringing diverse people together to learn and grow towards a sustainable, healthy, and just future for all. Founded in 1960, Hidden Villa empowers young people with the skills, experience, and tools to build solutions for climate change, food security, and an inclusive society.

All voices are needed at Hidden Villa. We want our team to reflect the diversity of our community builders and participants. We seek employees for all backgrounds and life experiences to join our staff. People who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), People with Disabilities, People from LGBTQ+ communities are all encouraged to apply for our open positions. Our vision, in part, is for a fair and equitable workplace, where diversity is celebrated and can truly flourish. We recognize we have a ways to go and a lot to learn.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Hidden Villa is seeking a creative, collaborative educator who is growth and solutions oriented. The Challenge Course Coordinator reports to the Senior Manager of Education and provides engaging instruction for the pre-K through 12th grade environmental education and challenge education programming of Hidden Villa. This is a full-time, non-exempt position with benefits, including vacation and sick leave, medical, dental, and retirement benefits. The compensation for this position is $26/hour. The responsibilities for this position primarily center around teaching and facilitating groups (75%). Other responsibilities (25%) include managing the challenge course, communicating with other departments, and developing specialty curriculum. During the summer season, this position provides primary leadership in challenge course and team-building activities for the Summer Camp program. The start date for this position will be January 2023.

Hidden Villa has over 50 years of providing experiential, place-based learning opportunities that focus on building connections with food & farms, wilderness exploration, environmental stewardship, and environmental and social justice. The Challenge Course Coordinator works closely with the Senior Manager of Education and other instructors to deliver high quality experiences that connect participants to climate change mitigation, healthy local food systems, an antiracist and just society and place-based outdoor education for all.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead groups of students through on-site and in-classroom programs using the organic garden, wilderness and farm animals and challenge course
• Facilitate safe team building amongst all group members by communicating and providing varying parameters and challenging tasks with each element and promote challenge by choice
• Supervise and mentor interns in challenge course instruction, belay technique, risk mitigation and documentation
• Oversee maintenance, review and creation of challenge course documentation and Hidden Villa Challenge Course Manual
• Perform regular inspections of the Challenge Course elements, surrounding environment and gear
• Support educational program logistics and administrative systems
• Stay familiar with Association for Challenge Course Technology Standards and relevant American Camping Association Standards and ensure Hidden Villa site policies and procedures align
• Develop challenge education curriculum that serves to empower and expand leadership and social-emotional skills in participants
• Contribute to department and organizational strategic efforts around service, access, outreach, impact and program design and delivery
• Support training and lead programs of Challenge Course staff in the Summer Camp Program 
• Occasionally support organization-wide weekend or evening events
• Other tasks and duties as assigned from time to time

DESIRED EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE:

• Relevant educational background and experience in environmental education or related fields
• Organized team player, capable of working with or without supervision, with excellent communication skills
• Experience, skills or abilities with any of the following: farms and gardens, working with diverse populations, wilderness experience
• Experience with Challenge Education and/or climbing strongly preferred 
• Must pass a Livescan background check
• Be willing to become certified in CPR and First Aid upon employment

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

This is a nonexempt, full-time position. Workdays are Monday through Friday. The pay rate for this position is $26/hour. Occasionally weekend or evening shifts will be required to support organization/board events.  Hidden Villa provides an excellent benefit package that includes vacation and sick leave, medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits. All applicants will be required to complete Livescan fingerprinting before hire.  Hidden Villa is a non-smoking environment. 

How to apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@hiddenvilla.org. 

Hidden Villa is committed to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization at all levels. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.