Camp Caldera Challenge Course Facilitator at Caldera – Sisters, Oregon

At Caldera, we believe in the power of creativity. Our mission is to inspire and support youth from underserved rural and urban communities by awakening the potential of their creative voice. We do this through a unique fusion of art, environment and mentorship. Our Youth Program provides students from Portland and Central Oregon with long-term relationships with caring adults, which nurtures individual creativity, beginning in sixth grade and continuing into young adulthood.

Caldera has a $5M budget, a 18-member board, 21 full-time year-round employees, and a range of seasonally contracted artists and staff. Its administrative office is located in Portland, Oregon, and its Arts Center is located outside of Sisters in Central Oregon.

Position Title: Challenge Course Facilitator

Supervisor: Adventure Team Supervisor

FULL TIME: Typical days are 8 hours in length, with sessions that make for up to 10 straight days of work without a full day off. Each staff member will have at least 1 night off per session.

Work Location: Sisters, OR

Compensation:

• Salary/Rate of Pay: $154/day with current certification, $142/day if certification is needed. Additional 1% increase for each year of experience working at Camp Caldera (not to exceed 7%); plus one planning day added to first paycheck upon curriculum submission
• Training Salary/Rate of Pay: $75/day
• Room and board provided during days with programming; room only during non-programming days. A light dinner will be provided on staff arrival days. Brunch is served on the last day of each session.

Position Description:

This position will be a part of Camp Caldera’s Adventure Team. The Challenge Course Facilitator plans and implements a curriculum that utilizes all elements of Caldera’s challenge course. They incorporate program goals into course facilitation and encourage campers to set goals, take positive risks, and challenge personal boundaries while on the course. This position will also help campers build a sense of their own strengths within a group and increase participants’ sense of self-confidence and mutual support. Ideal candidates for this position will promote personal responsibility and stimulate conversation that makes the lessons learned on the Challenge Course relevant to campers’ home and camp lives. This position may also implement and arrange program components outside of challenge course settings, such as off-site field trips or overnight hikes. Caldera will provide Synergo training for our site-specific ropes course and elements.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

FACILITATION/CLASS ENGAGEMENT (70% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Facilitate trust/team building activities suited to the dynamics of each group and allow time for reflection and debriefing
• Developing a curriculum implementing Caldera’s low ropes course and high rope elements in each session
• Follow safety procedures as specified in the Camp Caldera Challenge Course Policies & Procedures Manual
• Spray helmets for lice prior to each use

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (20% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Keep accurate records and log the use of equipment
• Manage and monitor upkeep of the course, including a safety check of elements and surrounding environment prior to each use.
• Maintain and organize equipment in a clean and structured manner.
• Provide necessary maintenance of equipment and/or work with Camp Manager to submit work orders

CAMP SUPPORT (10% OF TIME DEDICATED)

• Alert supervisor to relevant camper issues
• Promote program understanding and involvement through Caldera’s goals and agreements, participation agreement, and responsibility process
• Actively participate in all aspects of camp life including: camper orientation, community meetings, evening activities, campfire, free time, etc.
• Model appropriate camper behavior at all times
• Perform duties with consistency and integrity
• Set and respect personal boundaries while acting as mentors, guides, and allies to campers
• Oversee health and safety of charges in fire drills and emergency procedures
• Maintain cleanliness of living and common areas and help with clean-up at the end of each session

Required Qualifications:

• Applicants for the position should complete a professional program (group facilitation techniques, belay, basic skills and leading-edge climbing) through a certifying agency that is insured to train facilitators, or equivalent. (Please upload proof of certification, or indicate whether you will need certification/recertification)
• Candidates must have a minimum of one year experience facilitating groups in outdoor activities.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification (please upload copies of certification)
• Ability to understand our racially diverse student population’s perspective, either through lived experience, previous qualifications, or work experience
• Ability to navigate through potentially triggering and challenging conversations and situations while maintaining focus on the wellbeing of youth
• Familiarity with culturally responsive and anti-oppression frameworks and experience working with racially and ethnically diverse staff and youth
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries in a proactive and positive manner
• Willingness to live in a camp setting and work irregular and long hours. Additionally, you must have the ability to deal with limited cell and internet service and daily exposure to outdoor factors such as sun, heat, bugs, bats, snakes, etc.

Job Requirements:

• Serve as mandatory reporter, working with Youth Impact Manager to report instances or suspicion of child abuse. Caldera has a zero tolerance policy around child abuse, and any negligence will result in immediate dismissal
• Requires on-site living in shared staff quarters
• Alcohol and drugs are not permitted on campus, even in personal living quarters.
• Must be physically able to move around 116 acres of camp property with varied terrain
• Must have visual, perceptual, and cognitive ability to recognize and respond quickly to health
• and safety concerns of students and appropriately re-direct any behavior that is misaligned with Caldera agreements
• Employees must carry out their duties regardless of inclement weather, which can include but is not limited to, heat, rain, wind, cold, and smoky or dusty conditions.
• Moments of quiet and non-activity are few and spread out
• Creating a cohesive staff environment round the clock can be challenging. It is crucial that staff see youth and adults through a strengths-based lens and prioritize creating the best possible youth experience at all times, despite what challenges may arise at the staff level
• Physical Demands (which can include bending, stooping, hiking, climbing and stretching) are: 5% Sitting, 45% Standing, 20% Walking, 30% Lifting/Carrying/Pushing/Pulling Pounds 5 -80 lbs.

To Apply:

Please fill out and submit an application. Please also submit a reference, ideally from each of the following categories: a youth serving organization, a family member, and one other professional reference

All applications must contain a resume and completion of the screening questions. All materials are reviewed and considered as part of the hiring process.

Application Deadline: May 15, 2026