BOLD & GOLD Winter Wilderness Instructor - Snowshoeing

About the Role

As a BOLD & GOLD Winter Wilderness Instructor - Snowshoeing, you and a co-lead will be responsible for the physical and emotional safety of up to 10 participants while engaging them in activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, paddling, outdoor skills workshops, and snowshoeing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This is an Authorized Driver position. The Winter 2027 season runs from early January to mid-March.

Responsibilities

• Lead 1- to 2-day wilderness-based snowshoeing, camping, or outdoor skills-based courses with an emphasis on multicultural leadership.
• Build strong rapport with participants and staff; foster positive group development, create structure, and draw learning from experiential activities.
• Model cultural humility and celebrate diversity, effectively working with people of different identities, backgrounds, experiences, and abilities.
• Ensure both a physically and emotionally safe and inclusive environment for youth and staff.
• Transport participants in 14-passenger minibuses to and from program areas.
• Manage the unique risks of wilderness-based programs.
• Other duties as assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

BOLD & GOLD is based out of the Cascade People’s Center (CPC) in Seattle, WA. Programming takes place in outdoor settings and remote wilderness locations across Washington State, including national parks, national forests, and state parks.

Physical Demands

Employees must be able to:

• Lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Safely travel over varied terrain (e.g., trails, tree roots, boulder/rock fields, shoreline, mud, snow, ice) up to 15 miles per day.
• Spend multiple days and/or weeks in a wilderness setting.
• Communicate both verbally and non-verbally with staff, partners, and participants.

Qualifications

• 21 years of age or older.
• Two or more years of experience working with teens in an organized setting, including facilitating activities addressing adolescent issues.
• Excellent judgment and decision-making skills.
• Strong group facilitation, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
• Knowledge of teen developmental needs and ability to evaluate individual needs.
• Experience making wilderness experiences relevant to underserved youth.
• Personal or professional experience in backpacking, rock climbing, paddling, and/or snowshoeing.
• Ability to hike/backpack over varied terrain and teach techniques.
• Experience with backcountry equipment (stove use, bear hangs, water purification, shelter craft).
• Experience reading maps for navigation.
• Ability to manage physical risks (terrain, weather, wildlife interactions).
• Current WFA and CPR Certification.
• Current Washington State Food Handlers Permit.
• Valid driver's license for at least three years with a clean driving record (no more than two moving violations in the last three years; no major violations in the last five years).

Preferred Qualifications

• Current WFR or W-EMT Certification.
• Experience with diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Ability to speak a language other than English.
• Experience with anti-racism practices.

Pay

$135 - $165 / day

Benefits

• Individual membership to the YMCA of Greater Seattle.
• Free access to mental health resources.
• Rapidly-accruing paid time off (PTO).
• Subsidized ORCA Transit Pass.
• Access to discounted gear and equipment through pro deals.
• Discounts on qualifying YMCA childcare and day camp programs.