Course Director

Why Voyageur Outward Bound School, Twin Cities Center?

Adventure, community, and impact await you as an Instructor with Voyageur Outward Bound School! Imagine spending your days leading middle and high school students from all over the country on epic week‑long canoeing expeditions, where they’ll push beyond their limits, discover their inner strength, and grow into leaders. You’ll teach them vital life skills like resilience, problem‑solving, and teamwork, all while immersing yourself in the awe‑inspiring wilderness of Minnesota and Wisconsin!

When you’re not out on the trail or paddling down the river, you’ll live in a vibrant house, in the heart of the Twin Cities, with an incredible community of fellow adventurers. It’s the perfect blend of wilderness exploration and city living! With supportive teammates by your side, you’ll have the chance to make lifelong connections, share stories, and grow both personally and professionally.

This is more than a job; it’s a transformative experience for you and the students you lead. If you’re passionate about the outdoors, ready to create unforgettable moments, and eager to make a lasting impact, we want you on our team!

The Course Director works under the supervision of the Program Management Team to oversee safety, quality, and educational effectiveness of all courses. This includes overseeing and managing all pre‑course and post‑course work. Primary responsibilities include supervising and evaluating instructors, managing technical student sites, and overseeing all logistical details of courses in the field.

• Serve as the primary resource and mentor for instructors, ensuring courses of high educational quality, designed and conducted according to national and charter operating policies and procedures.
• Schedule and facilitate course planning to ensure all courses are designed according to OB design principles, VOBS education consistencies, age progression and partner/OE goals.
• Oversee instructors in the field including field checks, logistics coordination, emergency communications and coordination, and technical site management.
• Facilitate course debrief, complete all course paperwork, and oversee equipment check in and wrap up.
• Develop field staff through mentorship, feedback and pairing meetings, and in‑service training.
• Instruct staff training to help instructors develop individual, technical and educational skills.
• Maintain professional communication between VOBS staff, students, parents, partners and chaperones during pre‑course, course, and wrap up. This includes emergency situations.
• Reconnaissance of new course areas.
• Assist in the refinement and educational effectiveness of VOBS programming.
• Ensure course documentation and data retention from students & staff is delivered according to expectations.

• Role model participating in and belonging to a culture where all students and staff feel a sense of belonging.
• Provide clear, effective and timeline communication with field staff regarding performance, including strengths and areas for growth.
• Deliver workshops and trainings as requested.

• Identify, assess and manage environmental, physical, social and emotional risk during all course activities.
• Adhere to local and national operating procedures, safety policies and emergency procedures as outlined in the field staff manual.
• Review incident reports and other course documentation.
• Manage student emotional and physical safety in times of duress, such as field emergencies.
• Maintain professional presence and relations at sites, and with parents, program delivery partners and public interactions.
• Support VOBS Twin Cities Center on‑call field response system. This could include paddling or hiking to evacuate an injured student from the wilderness, answering the emergency field line, and preparing food and gear for evacuation teams.
• May be required to step into Lead Instructor role as program and staffing needs indicate.

• Collaboration – Ability to work with people from diverse…