Nonprofit
Hiring for 2 roles! Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide AND Bilingual Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide
Details
Description
Position type: Full time reduced, Seasonal
Season: April 7–October 23, 2026
Location: Outdoor School: Silver Falls State Park, Sublimity, Oregon/Expeditions: Wilderness Areas across Oregon
Compensation: $168/day; 9 days PTO
Perks: Meals provided for trainings and when students are on-site/Basic housing on site and/or staff housing in Salem area/Required certifications sponsored (WFR, lifeguard)
Programs: Opal Creek Outdoor School (spring/fall); Opal Creek Expeditions (summer/fall)
Work schedule: Outdoor School: Tuesdays-Fridays (no overnight), averaging 8 hrs/day; Expeditions: alternating trip schedule with 4-Day & 7-Day trip lengths.
The Guide Opportunity:
As an outdoor school guide, your classroom will be the forests, creeks, and waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park, Oregon’s most beloved and largest state park and the ancestral home of the Kalapuya and Molalla Tribes. For bilingual guides only: Depending on the needs of your students, you may teach in English, Spanish, or both. Working with mainly 5th/6th graders over the course of 4-day, 3-night programs and day-only programs, you’ll teach inquiry-based lessons developed with guidance from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and The BEETLES Project. By the end of their time with you, students will strengthen their relationships with nature, the land, and each other—understanding that these relationships exist within an interconnected system.
As an expeditions guide, 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. As you teach the ins and outs of backpacking you’ll see each child’s confidence grow—in their skills and in themselves.
What We’re Looking For:
We are less interested in the titles you’ve held and more interested in what you’ve actually done and who you are. A successful candidate will have experience with some combination of the following:
- 1+ seasons working with youth
- 1+ seasons backcountry guiding experience
- 1+ years experience as an educator
- For Bilingual guides: Bilingual in Spanish/English
- Strong group leadership and management
- Clear and adaptable communication skills
- Experience with a diversity of communities and cultural backgrounds
- Local ecological knowledge
- Backpacking experience, personal or professional
- Navigation skills (mapping systems/apps)
- Backcountry medical experience
- Backcountry cooking skills
- Able to lead groups on hikes up to 10 miles with heavy packs
- Able to pass a criminal background check
- Valid driver’s license
About Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center:
Our mission is to provide transformative wilderness experiences that grow a community of environmental advocates. All our work is based around one simple idea: people protect what they care about, and care about what they know. Through our outdoor school and backpacking expedition programs, we bring youth and adults face-to-face with the outdoor places that make Oregon great—pristine mountain streams, uncut vistas, and old-growth forests—because nature is the best classroom.
Benefits
9 days PTO offered. Meals provided for trainings and when students are on-site. Basic housing on site and/or staff housing in Salem area. Required certifications sponsored (WFR, lifeguard).
Level of Language Proficiency
For the Bilingual Outdoor School and Expeditions Guide: Bilingual in English and Spanish
Location
How to Apply
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.
Positions open until filled, with priority for those that apply by February 1st when we begin reviewing applications. Two rounds of video interviews will be conducted for each candidate, in January and early February. We anticipate hiring four guides, and the start date is April 7, 2026.
Please contact hiring@opalcreek.org 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.
