Youth Leadership Program Instructor

Summary of Position

North Cascades Institute seeks skilled backcountry educators to join our Youth Leadership Adventures (YLA) team. Youth Leadership Adventures are 5 and 8 day backcountry trips that connect local high school students to the natural world while engaging in conversation about leadership, identity, and climate solutions. Groups of 2 instructors and up to 10 participants canoe, backpack, camp, and complete stewardship projects in the North Cascades. YLA is designed for students who have no prior outdoor experience, and many of the trips are multilingual. YLA prioritizes accessibility with a sliding-scale tuition model for students. Students are also provided gear, food, and local transportation.

Youth Leadership Instructors plan and instruct these YLA trips, and are responsible for the physical and emotional safety of all trip participants, as well as engaging them with curriculum on topics such as community building, leadership, backcountry skills, natural history, and climate change. Instructors will participate in a few weeks of training, and then lead backcountry trips in late June through August. Dates of employment are June 3 - August 28, 2026.

Required Qualifications

• One or more seasons serving as an instructor on backcountry canoe-camping and/or backpacking trips for youth
• Experience mentoring, teaching, or leading teens
• Ability to evaluate group and individual needs and make appropriate risk management decisions in a backcountry setting
• Demonstrated commitment to increasing equitable access to outdoor engagement
• Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification, or ability to obtain by start date
  • Scholarships are available if you need to complete a WFR course for the first time
• Valid driver’s license and driving record check must have no more than one moving violation in the past three years, no DUI, reckless driving or serious moving violations, etc.
• Ability to collaborate and work effectively as part of a small team
• Ability to lift and carry 50 pound pack, perform physically demanding work for multiple days in a row, backpack, and hike over uneven terrain
• Must be available for work on weekends and extended overnights
• Willing and prepared to reside and sleep in a remote area

If you do not meet all of our required qualifications but do meet many of the preferred qualifications, please still submit an application. We value a broad range of experiences on our team and will consider your application.

Preferred Qualifications

• Spanish language proficiency strongly preferred
• Experience working with students from a diversity of backgrounds and identities, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQ+ individuals, multilingual students, students from low income backgrounds, students from both rural and urban communities, and recent immigrants
• Experience teaching lessons on stewardship, climate change, identity, natural and cultural history, and/or leadership
• Experience teaching canoeing and water safety skills

Final offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check that may include employment history, national criminal background check, national sex offender registry search and a driving history check.

Responsibilities

Program Instruction

• Lead, teach, and supervise groups of 6-10 high school students during 5-8 day canoe camping and backpacking trips, alongside a co-instructor
• Provide leadership in risk management before, during, and after programs. Implement and evaluate safety and emergency response procedures
• Teach students skills necessary to travel and take care of themselves in the backcountry
• Facilitate lessons in natural and cultural history, climate change, stewardship, outdoor skills, leadership, communication, and community that are inclusive of a variety of perspectives and learning styles
• Create a safe learning environment with positive reinforcement, role-modeling and cultural sensitivity
• Collaborate with co-leader during course planning, field-based portion of each trip, and wrap up including: curriculum planning, assessing group needs, and risk management
• Provide clear, effective, and timely communication with co-instructor, supervisor, and other staff
• Carry out service projects with personnel from partnering agencies
• Drive Institute vehicles with program participants, including 15-passenger vans

Administration

• Attend and participate in all trainings, trip preparations, and debrief meetings
• Complete all pre- and post-trip duties, including but not limited to contacting students, course paperwork, incident reports, food planning, and gear preparation and repair
• Develop lessons that are representative of a diversity of life experiences to supplement program curricula
• Other duties as assigned by the Youth Leadership Coordinator

Position Location

Youth Leadership Instructors will work at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center (located on the shore of Diablo Lake), and in the field while leading backcountry camping and backpacking courses.

Housing

Good quality housing is available through the Institute at $397/month including utilities, considerably below market rates. Private rooms in shared houses are typically available, but not guaranteed. In some cases, roommates in shared rooms may be required, at $198.50/month.

Job Duration

June 3 - August 28, 2025

Equal Opportunity Employer

Recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is a high priority at North Cascades Institute. The Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, military, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, age, citizenship or any other basis prohibited by law in any of its policies or programs.

About North Cascades InstituteNorth Cascades Institute’s mission is to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in nature. Since 1986, we have helped connect people, nature and community through science, art, literature and the hands-on study of natural and cultural history. Our goal is to help people of all ages and backgrounds experience and enjoy the mountains, rivers, forests, people and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest – so all will care for and protect this special place.

North Cascades Institute is a respected leader among U.S. environmental education organizations, and we believe that sustainable communities are built on healthy environments, vibrant economies and social equity. The Institute is in sound financial health with a $4 million budget and strong reserves, and 21 four-star ratings with Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency.

This is a temporary/seasonal, full-time, exempt position.

• Pay while working in the field during trips is $189.80 per day
  • You can expect to work 35-38 field days throughout the summer
• Pay while working in the office preparing for trips is $151.84 per day
  • You can expect to work around 23 office days throughout the summer
• Benefits include:
  • Sick leave - accrued at the rate of .04615 per hour
  • Vacation leave - accrued at the rate of .01925 per hour
  • Paid holidays: 2 days through August 28
  • $110 per month health care stipend following successful completion of a 21-day probationary period
  • Option to defer compensation as a pre-tax deferral in our retirement plan
  • Ability to participate in Institute pro deals
  • Employees are responsible for their own health insurance
  • Scholarships are available if you need to complete a WFR course for the first time

This is a bargaining unit position represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District Lodge 751. All terms and conditions of employment are subject to change in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement.

Housing

Good quality housing is available through the Institute at $397/month including utilities, considerably below market rates. Private rooms in shared houses are typically available, but not guaranteed. In some cases, roommates in shared rooms may be required, at $198.50/month.

Spanish language proficiency strongly preferred