Staff Experience Coordinator

About Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions

Our mission is to create transformative outdoor experiences that foster personal growth, build community, and inspire a lifelong connection to the natural world. We have been leading outdoor expeditions since 1926 and currently work with hundreds of students (or “trekkers,” as we call them) each year. We use the outdoors as our classroom to explore science, culture, history, art, and adventure in New Mexico and surrounding states, all with the goal of inspiring personal growth and a strong community. We steward an active alumni base, who represent multi-generational connections to CGE.

About This Position

We are seeking a Staff Experience Coordinator to lead our seasonal staff hiring processes and support our team of seasonal educators throughout their employment with Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions. This role is critical in ensuring we recruit, hire, and retain high-quality staff who are passionate about outdoor experiential education. The Staff Experience Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining communication with potential and current staff, facilitating interviews, conducting performance reviews, and supporting professional development initiatives and training.

Job Duties

Staff Hiring (~35%)

• Create the annual staffing plan, in cooperation with Program Directors, for seasonal hires for spring, summer and fall; maintain regular communication with Program Directors about staffing progress, needs, gaps, etc.
• Remain committed to diversifying our staff and help brainstorm ideas for recruiting more local and representational team members.
• Oversee the recruitment, interview, and hiring process for all seasonal hires, including:
  • Promptly respond to job inquiries and staffing applications.
  • Set up and facilitate screening calls for all potential job candidates.
  • Set up and facilitate interviews (approximately 50 interviews per year).
  • Research competitors' pay, offerings, and prices to ensure we remain competitive.
  • Be proficient at using digital software to collect forms, contracts, etc.
• Oversee the recruitment, interview, and hiring process for all year round hires, including:
  • Promptly respond to job inquiries and staffing applications.
  • Set up and facilitate screening calls for all potential job candidates.
  • Set up and facilitate interviews (approximately 3 interviews per year).
  • Research competitors' pay, offerings, and prices to ensure we remain competitive.
  • Be proficient at using digital software to collect forms, contracts, etc.

Staff Onboarding and Support (~35%)

• Oversee the onboarding process for all new employees, including:
  • Maintain communication with newly hired staff until they arrive.
  • Support new staff with onboarding procedures, ensuring that all staff forms are complete on or before their first day of work.
  • Work with supervisors to ensure that onboarding checklists and needed training are completed.
• Manage onboarding of volunteers and visiting scholars, including assigning them to an appropriate staff liaison.
• Ensure that performance reviews for year round staff are conducted according to our procedures.
• Conduct check-ins with seasonal staff, in cooperation with Program Directors for each season.
• Conduct periodic check-ins with year round staff to assess morale and collect organizational feedback.
• Conduct seasonal staff surveys to gather feedback at the end of each season.
• Conduct exit interviews with year round staff to gather feedback.
• Communicate all feedback to leadership and ensure implementation of feedback according to organizational procedures.
• Act as a point of contact (in partnership with supervisors as appropriate) for incidents of harassment or other human resource concerns and respond to these issues according to organizational policies and procedures.

Staff Professional Development and Training (~20%)

• Develop and maintain a professional development plan for staff that adheres to budget guidelines.
• Review the Field Guide annually and coordinate needed updates.
• Review training materials annually and coordinate needed updates.
• Coordinate and oversee staff training each season, ensuring that all needed training (WFA, WFR, Food Handler, Mandatory Reporting, internal policies and procedures) is provided and/or paid for according to our policies.
• Support and assist with staff training planning and implementation as needed.

Administrative and Other Duties (~10%)

• Assist with marketing and communication about staff hiring.
• Advise leadership on human resource issues, policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age by the position start date and possess a valid driver’s license. Must have a clean driving history and be able to meet the criteria for CGE vehicle insurance coverage.
• At least two years of experience in a staff support role that has dealt with human resources, recruitment, and/or hiring, preferably in an educational or outdoor setting.
• Strong administrative skills, including the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously and independently.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of audiences.
• Experience with Google Drive, Adobe products, and Microsoft Office, or the ability to quickly learn to use those products and similar ones in a professional setting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in recruitment or human resources.
• Connections with potential candidates for employment in New Mexico.
• Bachelor’s or higher degree in a related field.
• Fluent in Spanish.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sleep in a tent or open-air cabin accessed by stairs at our Basecamp
• Ability to walk/hike on uneven ground for up to 2 miles per day with participants and educators
• Ability to work at a desk, talk on the phone, and use a computer.
• Ability to carry boxes up to 20 lbs.

Criminal Background Check

CGE requires criminal background checks from all employees.

Work Location & Seasonality

This is a year round, part time position based in Albuquerque, NM, with some travel throughout the state, especially to our Basecamp in Thoreau, NM during the summer season.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a year-round, part-time, hourly position. Starting pay is $19-$25 per hour depending on experience. We anticipate work totaling 20 hours per week most weeks, varying seasonally.