Program Manager

At City Kids Wilderness Project, our mission is to build resiliency, broaden horizons, cultivate community, and develop skills for success in DC youth. City Kids does this through a long-term, cohort-based model that utilizes both the wilderness and urban environment in and around Washington, D.C., and during the summer at our ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Youth enroll as sixth graders and continue their engagement with the same cohort of City Kids peers through 12th grade and beyond. Our workplace is an intentional community of folks who approach their work in a warm, fun, youth-centered and collaborative manner. Our work is grounded in our Core Values and guided by our DEI statement of beliefs.

The Ranger & Mountaineer Program focuses on school-year and summer programming for 6th & 7th grade participants. Programming includes activities and experiences in nature that aim to build outdoor skills, deepen youth connection to the unique history, environment, and culture of the places they live and visit, and teach youth the critical skills to thrive to, through, and beyond high school.

Experience & Knowledge

• At least 4 years of professional experience in youth development, middle school experience preferred
• Experience working at a summer camp, in outdoor adventure, and/or in experiential education
• Proven track record of developing and maintaining strong relationships with diverse community stakeholders, such as schools and community partners to support program recruitment

Skills & Behaviors

• Personal commitment to and deep understanding of City Kids’ mission and core values
• Cultural competency, the ability to work across lines of difference
• Commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion
• Growth-oriented and human-centered approach to conflict with power and privilege in mind
• Ability to do effective outreach to youth, caregivers, schools, and partners, including developing materials, facilitating information sessions, and relationship building
• Understanding of behavior as a form of communication and ability to separate behavior from the individual
• Awareness of group dynamics and ability to set and hold group norms and expectations
• Ability to self-regulate emotions and work safely with youth who may be agitated, emotionally and physically triggered, or reactive
• Adaptability and flexibility in an exciting and variable work environment
• Attention to detail and commitment to high-quality work
• Time management & project management
• Strong risk management practices, including situational awareness, judgment, decision-making, and emergency response
• Ability to use data management systems (i.e. Salesforce) and basic graphic design skills (i.e. Canva)
• Fluency in Spanish a plus

Certifications & Clearances

• Current CPR, Wilderness First Aid, or higher certification required; Wilderness First Responder preferred
• Driver’s license and clean driving record required
• Must be able to pass a comprehensive background clearance check, which encompasses local, state, and national criminal databases as well as the National Sex Offender Registry

Commitment

• Requires regular work on weekends and evenings during the school year
• On-call duty during regular programming, trips, and summer camp
• Residential camp-based schedule in Jackson, Wyoming for June and July annually

What you’ll do

The Program Manager (Ranger & Mountaineer) is responsible for the planning, management, and delivery of high-quality out-of-school time programming for Ranger and Mountaineer Program Level participants (6th and 7th graders). Outdoor adventure programming includes hiking, backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, and biking with a focus on building foundational social & emotional skills. This role also leads the City Kids youth recruitment process throughout the school year and serves as the main point of contact for families of newly accepted youth (Rangers).

Tagged as: Outdoor Education