WILDERNESS SUMMER CAMPS

Position: Director of Canoe Tripping
Organization: Camp Arowhon

Job Type: Full time
Start date: As soon as possible

Location:

• Nov-April: Toronto
• May-October: Camp Arowhon in Algonquin Park, Ontario

Hours:

• November-April: Monday-Friday, 9-5 in the Camp Arowhon Toronto office
• May-October: Variable schedule with long hours. Room room and board provided in a private cottage (families welcome)

Reports to: Camp Director

Compensation: Based on experience and qualifications, salary $50,000 to $60,000 plus health benefits and 6 weeks discretionary vacation

About Us:

Camp Arowhon is a rustic, gender inclusive overnight summer camp in the heart of beautiful Algonquin Park, Ontario. At Arowhon, our mission is to nurture young people to grow into their most confident selves. Our community of 350 campers and 175 staff is big enough to be diverse, while providing a close-knit sense of community. Our values of caring, respect, and learning guide everything we do, from teaching activity skills, to fostering inclusivity and social and emotional safety, to environmental stewardship. Plus- there’s no workplace more fun than a summer camp!

About the Job:

The Director of Canoe Tripping orchestrates, oversees, and executes all aspects of Camp Arowhon’s wilderness canoe tripping program. Our canoe tripping program is a core part of the Arowhon experience and identity. Each summer, all campers aged 7-16 go on canoe trips of varying length to develop their abilities, experience the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and build confidence, independence and interpersonal skills.

Our trips range in length from 3 days to 3 weeks, both flat water and white white water. We explore some of Canada’s greatest wilderness areas, such as Algonquin, Killarney, Temagami, the Madawaska, Magnetawan, French, Spanish, Noir, Coulonge, Dumoine and Missinaibai Rivers and many more. The Director of Tripping is the architect of our tripping program, and is responsible for working with their staff team to outfit the program with appropriate gear, plan the canoe tripping schedule, staff and plan canoe trip routes, book appropriate permits, ensure gear and food packing are organized, prepare campers and counselors for their respective trips and more.

The Director of Canoe Tripping assembles, trains and manages a large team of dedicated canoe tripping guides each summer, who guide flat water and white water trips for our campers. In this role, the Director of Trip manages a team of 2 Head Trippers, 30 canoe trippers, 6 Trippers in training, an equipment manager, and a menu planner & food packer. The Arowhon canoe tripping team is a tight knit group within the larger Arowhon staff team, who are dedicated to outdoor education and challenging themselves physically.

Year after year, we hear that our canoe trips provide campers with lifelong memories, best friends and the skills to continue tripping beyond the camp context.

The Director of Tripping works closely with our Toronto office team of 5 Directors. This team is an intimate, passionate, collaborative, and creative team. We work very hard during the summer months, and get to enjoy plenty of time off in the off season. Once the campers go home, we have the best cottage in the world (camp!) to enjoy. You will have use of the camp and all its resources in your off time.

Core responsibilities:

• Plan and organize all aspects of canoe trip logistics, including:
  • Managing inventory and purchasing of all canoe tripping equipment
  • Planning trip itineraries and booking permits
  • Managing transportation of campers, staff, and equipment to and from trip locations
  • Working with the camp kitchen to facilitate food purchasing and packing of for canoe trips
• Manage all aspects of the canoe tripping staff team, including:
  • Recruiting and hiring trippers in the off-season, including travel for recruitment and training purposes
  • Training staff during the pre-camp season and continued coaching during the summer
  • Supervising and supporting tripping staff
  • Evaluating the performance of trip leaders

• Develop and maintain risk management and safety plans, including:
  • Ensuring all canoe trips are physically and emotionally safe for all campers and staff
  • Coordinating canoe trip emergency responses as needed
  • Conduct pre- and post-trip briefings and debriefings with all participants
• Represent the tripping program at Camp Arowhon during the summer and the off-season, including:
  • Promoting the canoe tripping program amongst campers and staff in Arowhon community
  • Communicating with camper parents and staff throughout year to address accommodations and concerns about their participation in canoe trips
  • Acting as the liaison between canoe tripping program and other camp departments and relevant external organizations
  • Developing and maintain relationships with local communities and stakeholders
• Lead and assist with other areas of Camp Arowhon programming
  • Oversee Arowhon’s Outdoor Centre in spring and fall months
  • Assist with other camp programming as needed

Possible additional duties (depending on skills of candidate):

• Run certification courses, including:
  • Swimming courses (Bronze Cross, NL)
  • First Aid Courses (Wilderness First Aid, Standard First Aid)
  • Paddling Courses (ORKCA, Paddle Canada)
  • White water rescue courses (WWR, WRT, SRT)
  • Others as applicable

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience:

• Experience
  • Experience organizing and leading canoe trips, on both flat and white water
  • Experience working with children and youth in an outdoor setting
  • Experience training, and managing a staff team
  • Experiencing sourcing and purchasing materials
  • Experience with emergency management and crisis response
• Skills
  • Strong leadership, in particular leading large groups
  • Verbal and written communication
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Strong organizational and planning skills
• Qualifications (Can be expired, as long as renewed prior to starting contract)
  • Valid drivers license and ability to obtain and F class license
  • Wilderness first aid
  • White water rescue
  • Lifeguarding

How to apply:

Send resume and cover letter to max@camparowhon.com (please reach out with any questions or to discuss your suitability for job) - criminal reference check and references may be requested.

Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all qualified individuals. If you are passionate about youth development and the power of summer camp, we encourage you to apply to join our dynamic team.