Sun Valley Community School: Outdoor Program Associate

Outdoor Program Associate

Sun Valley Community School

From our campus to the wilderness, we inspire students to think critically, engage confidently, embrace challenges, and lead impactful, purposeful lives.

Our philosophy? Build community. Take risks. Grow your curiosities. Pursue your passions. Aim for personal bests. We are a preK-12 day and boarding college-prep school of 420 students set in the iconic mountain resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. Our faculty and staff are passionate about the outdoors, the arts, innovation, athletics, adventure, and the work they do with students. They are engaged and encouraging and believe in our student-centered approach.

Our students are open to new experiences, take advantage of the natural environment, thrive in a small-town community, and have a solid sense of the broader world. A Sun Valley Community School experience balances intellectual inquiry with adventure. We ask students and faculty alike to push comfort zones and seek understanding. We value inclusivity, authenticity, and critical thinking.

Sun Valley Community School Outdoor Program offers programming for students for all of our students PreK-12th Grade. The program runs 48 class trips throughout the year that are equivalent to 5,500 students field days, ranging from ½ day to 10-day trips in a variety of dynamic environments. Outdoor Program staff partner with teaching faculty, 40 of whom maintain wilderness medical certifications, to lead trips in remote desert slot canyons, high alpine mountains, wild and scenic rivers, ocean ecosystems, and other unique settings associated with the American West.

On our expeditions, students participate in hiking, backpacking, climbing, rafting, kayaking, canyoneering, nordic, and backcountry skiing. As a foundational pillar of the school, SVCS Outdoor program aims to empower authentic experiential learning that transfers directly into student life on campus and to life beyond school.

Sun Valley Community School (SVCS) is seeking an experienced, energetic, and inspirational Outdoor Program Associate who will work with the Outdoor Program Director and the Associate Director in planning and leading trips while advancing the school’s renowned Outdoor Program. This is a full-time, 12-month position with benefits that begins on July 1, 2026. In concert with the Outdoor Program Director and Associate Director, the OP Associate will help oversee the Outdoor Leadership Academy (OLA).

The Outdoor Leadership Academy is an outdoor centered academy that emphasizes leadership development. The successful candidate will work with students of all ages (preK-12th grade) and will contribute to the fieldwork, equipment management, and program administration. You will be joining a robust department of three experienced outdoor education leaders with over 50 years of combined experience. While some experience as an outdoor guide, or contract outdoor/environmental educator is preferred, we are open to candidates with a love of the outdoors but are newer to the field of outdoor education.

Should you be selected as a finalist, you will be required to complete and pass State and Federal background screening to ensure your eligibility to safely work with students.

The Outdoor Program Associate is responsible for assisting with:

• Planning and coordinating the Outdoor Program and OLA trip logistics;
• Serving as a Trip Leader during the Lower, Middle, and Upper School trip cycles, including small-group wilderness-based trips and full-class front country trips;
• Spending approximately 70-80 days per year in the “field” on day and overnight trips;
• Participating in SVCS Trip Leadership, which includes 40+ overnight days away from campus on trips varying in length from one to nine-night expeditions;
• Maintaining, organizing, and evaluating the inventory of trip-related equipment for river, ski, and camping in the outdoor program gear warehouse;
• Serving as an OLA advisor, supporting student growth through mentorship, and assisting with the organization and facilitation of OLA…