Field Instructor/Guide

Onward & Upward, Inc.; Palmer (AK); Hybrid; USD 58,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Onward & Upward, Inc. is seeking an experienced Field Instructor/Guide in Alaska to lead youth programs in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and beyond. You will deliver high-quality experiential education, mentor students, and ensure safety and meaningful learning during extended expeditions.

Starting salary ranges from $58,000 to $62,000 annually, with 10 paid holidays and up to 160 hours of PTO. Regular hours are Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with longer hours for multi-day trips and special

Qualifications

• Minimum age 21.
• Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification.
• Experience working with vulnerable youth in outdoor settings.
• Background clearances including FBI and driving record.

Responsibilities

• Lead outdoor educational programs for youth across Alaska.
• Build positive relationships with students while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Facilitate activities that build confidence, resilience, teamwork, and leadership.
• Implement curriculum and contribute to lesson development.
• Assist with planning, logistics, equipment, and field operations.
• Participate in risk assessment and management processes (RAMP).
• Ensure participant safety, inclusion, and meaningful learning.
• Represent the organization with professionalism in the community.
• Support multi-day expedition programs and extended trips.
• Contribute ideas and leadership to growing organization.

Skills

Outdoor instruction

Youth development

Curriculum delivery

Leadership

Education

Degree in outdoor recreation/education related field

Job description

Title: Field Instructor/Guide
Length of contract: Full time, year-round
Reports to: Director of Operations
Schedule of Work: Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, except during extended multi-day overnight excursions or special programs.
Pay: Salary starting at $58 - $62K DOE

Lead meaningful adventures. Build stronger young people. Help shape the future of experiential education in Alaska.

Do you believe that the outdoors can be more than a place to recreate-that it can be a powerful environment for learning, growth, connection, and positive change?

Onward & Upward is looking for an experienced Field Instructor/Guide to join our team in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of Alaska.

This is an opportunity to do work that matters. Our instructors don’t simply lead outdoor activities. They create experiences that help young people discover their strengths, build confidence, develop healthy relationships, navigate challenges, and form a deeper connection with their communities and the places they call home.

Onward & Upward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit experiential education organization based in Palmer, Alaska. Our programs combine adventure, positive psychology, evidence-based youth development, place-based education, and managed risk to strengthen youth, families, and communities.

We work with young people across a variety of settings—from schools and after-school programs to multi-day wilderness expeditions. Our programs may include hiking, paddling, climbing, challenge courses, service learning, outdoor skills, and other adventure-based experiences.

As a Field Instructor/Guide, you will be an educator, mentor, facilitator, outdoor professional, and role model. You will help create environments where students are challenged appropriately, supported meaningfully, and encouraged to recognize their own capacity for growth.

What You’ll Do

Working under the direction of the Director of Operations and alongside our Lead Field Instructors/Guides, you will help deliver high-quality experiential education programs throughout the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and beyond.

Your work will include:

• Leading and supporting outdoor educational programs for youth and other participants.
• Building positive, authentic relationships with students while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Facilitating activities and lessons designed to develop confidence, resilience, communication, teamwork, leadership, and connection.
• Implementing Onward & Upward’s curriculum and contributing to the continued development of lessons and instructional methods.
• Assisting with course planning, preparation, logistics, equipment, transportation, and field operations.
• Participating actively in Onward & Upward’s Risk Assessment and Management Process (RAMP).
• Maintaining a strong focus on participant safety, emotional well-being, inclusion, and meaningful learning.
• Working collaboratively with instructors, schools, families, community partners, and organizational leadership.
• Representing Onward & Upward professionally and positively within the community.
• Participating in extended, multi-day, and overnight programs, including expedition-style programming.
• Contributing ideas, creativity, and leadership to a growing organization.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is both an excellent outdoor professional and an excellent people person.

You should be someone who can confidently manage a group in challenging outdoor environments while also recognizing that the most important part of the job is the person standing next to you.

The ideal candidate:

• Is genuinely passionate about positive youth development and the outdoors.
• Connects deeply with Onward & Upward’s mission of promoting a culture of One Health through evidence-based action.
• Has experience working with vulnerable or underserved youth in outdoor or experiential education settings.
• Understands youth development, prevention, therapeutic communication, and relationship-building.
• Demonstrates sound judgment and understands the principles of risk assessment and managed risk.
• Can remain calm, adaptable, and solution-oriented when plans change or unexpected situations arise.
• Is an engaging teacher, facilitator, mentor, and role model.
• Brings creativity, energy, optimism, and a good sense of humor to their work.
• Is comfortable spending significant amounts of time outdoors in Alaska's changing and sometimes challenging weather.
• Has strong communication skills and can work effectively with students, parents, teachers, administrators, coworkers, and community partners.
• Is organized, dependable, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple responsibilities.
• Is comfortable with technology, documentation, and information tracking.
• Enjoys working as part of a team and contributing to a positive organizational culture.
• Has experience participating in or leading multi-day expedition-style programs.

Working in Alaska

This position is based in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, with programs throughout the region and occasional travel elsewhere in Alaska.

The work is physically and mentally demanding. Field instructors should be prepared to spend extended periods outdoors, work in adverse weather conditions, participate in strenuous activities, and support students through both planned and unexpected challenges.

You should be comfortable carrying equipment, traveling into remote environments, and maintaining a calm, professional, and positive presence when conditions become difficult.

Alaska experience is helpful, but a willingness to learn, adapt, and develop strong place-based knowledge is equally important.

• Minimum age of 21.
• Experience working with vulnerable youth populations in an outdoor experiential education setting.
• Wilderness First Responder and CPR certification.
• Successful completion of required background clearances, including FBI, Alaska criminal history, driving record, and National Sex Offender Registry checks.
• Ability to routinely perform strenuous physical activity and lift 65 pounds or more.
• Ability to work outdoors for extended periods in adverse weather conditions.
• Experience in a leadership role on multi-day expedition programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in outdoor recreation, adventure therapy, education, psychology, social work, counseling, or a related field.
• Teaching certificate.
• ACCT Level I or II Challenge Course Facilitator certification.
• Top Rope Guide certification.

Compensation & Schedule

Starting salary: $58 - $62K annually with 10 paid holidays and up to 160 Hours of Paid Time Off

This is a full-time position generally scheduled Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with additional or adjusted hours required during extended multi-day/overnight expeditions and special programs.

Join Onward & Upward

At Onward & Upward, we believe people thrive when they are supported by a strong and caring community.

Our culture is built around connection, respect, collaboration, growth, compassion, service, and meaningful adventure. We are looking for people who bring those values into their work every day.

If you're an experienced outdoor educator who wants to help young people grow while helping build something meaningful in Alaska, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing Date for Applications: First round; September 22nd, 2026

Employment Dates: As soon as possible

Onward & Upward is an at-will employer. Onward & Upward considers all qualified applicants and values diversity in staff . All candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.