Ultimate Survival Camp Leader - Faringdon, Oxfordshire

Ultimate Activity; Faringdon; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading outdoor adventure program in the United Kingdom seeks a Survival Leader to manage and inspire a team of Survival Instructors. The successful candidate will ensure child welfare and safety while delivering outdoor activities during the Summer holidays. Essential qualifications include extensive childcare experience, strong leadership skills, and effective communication with parents and staff. This seasonal role operates weekdays from 8am to 6pm, with potential overtime on Thursdays for special activities.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a childcare and/or education setting.
• Natural leader with management experience in outdoor education or childcare.
• Excellent communicator with strong customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver activities for children aged 7‑14.
• Manage a team of Instructors for quality care and activities.
• Ensure adherence to camp policies for safety and behavior.

Skills

Childcare experience

Leadership

Communication

Decision making

Bushcraft knowledge

Job description

Survival Leaders are responsible for the successful delivery of our outdoor adventure programme, Ultimate Survival. Delivering a variety of bushcraft and outdoor activities, they lead from the front, managing a team of Survival Instructors, both inspiring and supporting them through their roles. Survival Leaders are responsible for the welfare and safety of children on-site, ensuring the camps' adherence to policies and procedures, and acting as a contact for key stakeholders including parents, staff, school representatives and Head Office. Camp Leaders are the face of our outdoor programme, and are expected to uphold and maintain company values and carry out their role with the utmost professionalism. The position of the Ultimate Survival Camp Leader is a busy, but hugely rewarding and varied role, where you will use your passion and experience for the outdoors to deliver an exceptional camp experience for the children in our care.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver activities for children aged 7‑14, focusing on participation, skill development and enjoyment.
• Directly manage a team of Instructors, ensuring they deliver the quality of care and the standard of activities expected at Ultimate Activity Camps.
• Inspire your staff to deliver quality activities through leading by example with energy and enthusiasm.
• Ensure all policies and procedures on camp are adhered to by everyone on camp, including all Health & Safety, Behaviour and Safeguarding procedures to ensure camp runs smoothly and remains a safe environment for staff and children.
• Liaise with Head Office with updates, queries, and any issues that arise throughout the day.
• Act as the point of contact for parents on camp, in person and on the phone, including feeding back any issues that arise throughout the day.
• Act as the point of contact with the Host School, meeting with their representatives to ensure the smooth running of camp.
• Manage all administrative duties on camp, including sign‑in and sign‑out procedures, registration, medical forms, staff deployment and supervision and timetable amendments.
• As well as our Ultimate Survival programme, the Ultimate Activity Company encompasses several other multi‑activity and specialist programmes (UAC, UTech, Performance, USA, UEnglish). As a Survival Leader you must liaise with the staff teams of these other programmes to ensure the smooth running of the entire site.
• Manage any other challenges that come with running an outdoor holiday camp.
• Continuously promote the welfare of the children in your care and ensure the provision of childcare is always of a high quality, meeting the needs of children from differing backgrounds and stages of development.
• Show high levels of energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism, acting as a suitable role model for the children and staff on camp.
• Live up to the Ultimate promise of “Inspiring Children Every Day” and behave in a manner that reflects the expectations of the company throughout your employment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a childcare and/or education setting.
• A natural leader with management experience, ideally within the outdoor education, holiday camp, or childcare sectors.
• Excellent communicator, with strong face‑to‑face customer service skills. Candidates must be confident in their ability to talk to parents and host school staff.
• Good working knowledge of bushcraft activities.
• Good decision maker, able to quickly assess and make informed judgements, reacting to varied situations that arise on Camp.
• Be able to attend all required Training sessions prior to starting your role.
• Someone looking for a challenging but hugely rewarding and fun job in the Summer, looking to further their career in the childcare, teaching, or the outdoor education industry.

Desirable Requirements

• Previous experience within outdoor education, with a specific focus on bushcraft.
• Hold a Paediatric First Aid Qualification (12 hour).
• Hold relevant NGBs or experience in all or some of the following: Archery, Bushcraft, Slacklining, Canoeing or Environmental studies.

Contract

• Seasonal work available during Summer holidays.
• Hours: 8am - 6pm weekdays.
• Additional Hours: 3 additional hours may be required on Thursday nights (6-9PM) for Campfire Cookout (site dependent). If this is required, you will be paid overtime.