Senior Head Setter — Las Vegas

Climbing Business Journal; Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

Gym membership

Adventure gear stipend

Paid time off

Internal transfers

Job summary

The Pad in Las Vegas is seeking an experienced lead setter to direct the gym's setting program, hire and coach the crew, and collaborate with the Director of Climbing.

You will own the calendar, manage budgets, ensure safety and quality, and build a strong local setting culture while delivering exciting climbs for climbers.

Qualifications

• Substantial commercial setting experience with focus on safety and quality.
• Experience leading setters: hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, warnings, termination.
• Strong technical and work-at-height judgment; clear cross-team communication.

Responsibilities

• Plan and lead the setting calendar from individual sets to overall climbing mix.
• Hire, train, schedule, coach and assess readiness of the setting crew; handle HR actions as needed.
• Maintain grade/style mix, rotation, terrain coverage; manage tools, holds, volumes, PPE within budget.
• Coordinate closures, customer flow, staffing, facilities and incidents with Operations.
• Develop local setting culture while following safety standards and improving Director of Climbing procedures.

Skills

Setting leadership

Hiring & training

Safety judgment

On-site work

Team communication

Job description

Las Vegas, Nevada

• Full-time, onsite
• $55,000–$65,000 annual base salary

Reports to: Director of Climbing

We build spaces where people climb, belong, and grow. You know the feeling when someone unlocks a move you set and comes down grinning. Ready to have that kind of impact across a whole gym and take your skills and help a crew of setters find their best work? At The Pad, you’ll stay hands‑on with the setting while hiring, coaching and leading the people who create it. You’ll make the calls on the setting floor, work within an established budget, and bring your ideas to our Director of Climbing. There are deadlines, equipment checks and hard conversations here, too. If making the crew better excites you as much as making the next great climb, we want to meet you.

The work

• Plan and lead the setting calendar, from individual sets to the overall climbing mix. Complete, document and check the work against approved quality and safety standards before terrain is released.
• Hire and develop the setting crew within approved headcount and employment terms; train, schedule, coach and assess readiness. Handle formal warnings and termination decisions for the crew through the established HR process.
• Maintain the grade/style mix, rotation and terrain coverage; manage tools, holds, volumes, hardware and PPE within the setting budget.
• Coordinate closures, customer flow, staffing, facilities and incidents with Operations, including opening preparations when assigned.
• Develop local setting culture through feedback and clear decisions while following company technical standards and bringing useful improvements to the Director of Climbing.

Everyday expectations

• Make safety checks, maintenance, records and useful feedback part of daily delivery.
• Manage the established setting budget and plan work against available time, crew and equipment. Track spending and raise risks or needed budget changes early.
• Build a capable team and keep gym partners informed without surrendering technical judgment to every preference.

Decisions and support

• Direct setting work and manage the established setting budget, following technical standards set by the Director of Climbing. Budget changes and changes to technical standards require their respective owner’s approval. Stop or restrict assigned work when safety is uncertain and use the approved escalation path.
• Contribute to shared policy and program improvements. Operations owns whole-gym customer flow and coverage; technical owners retain their safety and readiness decisions.

Requirements

• Substantial commercial setting experience and demonstrated high-volume delivery with quality and safety.
• Code word: Craft.
• Experience leading setters: hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, formal warnings, termination, conflict resolution and readiness decisions.
• Strong technical and work-at-height judgment, clear communication with other teams and readiness to work onsite at the assigned gym.

What we have to offer

• Las Vegas opening: $55,000–$65,000 annual base salary.
• Medical, dental and vision coverage for eligible full‑time employees after the applicable waiting period; employee and dependent contributions follow current plan terms.
• Paid sick time, vacation and personal leave under the policies that apply to this full‑time salaried role.
• Gym membership for you and your dependents, eligible retail discounts and the annual adventure gear stipend.
• Lifetime membership may be available under the current service and departure policy; it is not guaranteed.
• Internal transfers and promotions when you demonstrate readiness and an approved role is available.
• This onsite role does not include the remote‑worker stipend.

Location, schedule and start

Full-time, onsite in Las Vegas; 30–40 hours per week. Setting, crew training and opening preparation are coordinated with the Director of Climbing and Operations. Start timing is flexible and will be confirmed during hiring, based on useful paid work and gym readiness.

Your first month

Get to know/hire the crew, climb the current set and review the terrain, equipment and setting calendar with the Director of Climbing and Operations Manager. Agree on priorities, coach alongside the crew and establish clear checks for quality and safe work. For a new gym, build the opening set and training plan around the approved readiness gates.