Wilderness Inquiry’s mission is to connect people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and abilities through shared outdoor adventures so that all people can equitably experience the benefits of time spent in nature.

At Wilderness Inquiry, we believe that everyone belongs. We work to ensure this belief holds true in our workplace, in our community, and in the outdoors. We pursue this belief through our mission and shared values of paddling together, nurturing inclusion, seeking the exceptional, and finding a way.  

Position Summary & Dimensions

Summary

The Extended Adventures and Partnerships Manager plays a pivotal role in advancing and improving Wilderness Inquiry’s extended and near nature overnight programs and travel opportunities. As a core member of the Programs and Adventures team, this position works collaboratively to manage, design, and enhance new and existing program offerings, manage partner and account relationships to support program participation and revenue development, and ensure mission alignment and outcomes for extended and near nature overnight adventures. This role is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships that will increase Wilderness Inquiry’s reach and impact, particularly among core populations experiencing inequitable access to outdoor recreation, education, and adventure travel opportunities. This position may include occasional travel to strategically identified destinations.

Dimensions

Working Title: Extended Adventures & Partnerships Manager
Position Classification: Manager
Employment Conditions: Exempt
Department/Section: Programs and Adventures
Classification Starting Range: $62,000-$72,000
Reports To: Sr Manager of Near Nature & Extended Adventures
Supervisory Responsibilities: None
Environment: Hybrid, with some days reporting to the Wilderness Inquiry office in Bloomington; additional days & overnights spent in the field.

Essential Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibility 1: Partnerships & Account Management (40% FTE)
Tasks

1. Manage assigned customer accounts with organizations and individuals who travel and organize trips with Wilderness Inquiry, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction
2. Demonstrate a high level of understanding of Wilderness Inquiry trip offerings and revenue goals in order to represent the best trip option aligned with a groups’ goals, needs, and abilities
3. Manage group contracts to achieve mission and program budget goals
4. Act as primary liaison for new customers/partner organizations demonstrating strong customer relationship management skills aligned with Wilderness Inquiry’s values and mission
5. Develop new relationships with potential partners that are mission aligned
6. Manage tactical components of customer accounts, including writing service agreements, issuing invoices, and maintaining accurate records
7. Identify external audiences and assist with messaging for outreach efforts and campaigns regarding programs and initiatives
   

Responsibility 2: Develop and Enhance Extended & Near Nature (Overnight) Programs & Adventures (35% FTE)
Tasks

1. Collaborate with other members of the overnight adventures team to identify, design, and enhance new and existing program offerings that align with the Wilderness Inquiry mission and strategic vision for program goals and outcomes
2. Ensure overnight programs and adventures are designed to meet the needs of participant populations while maintaining truth to Wilderness Inquiry’s mission, values, safety, quality, cost effectiveness and brand promise
3. Manage program outcome themes and through-threads across program types, itineraries, and training content for Outdoor Leaders and Trip Directors, ensuring that overnight adventures are intentional and successful in serving Wilderness Inquiry’s mission
4. Manage accessibility offerings on extended and near nature itineraries, ensuring design, implementation, delivery, and evaluation of program accessibility meets organizational goals and objectives
5. Collaborate and support sales, marketing, and customer service teams to ensure that accurate and effective extended and near nature itinerary information is represented in advertising/participant communication
6. Develop and refine evaluation metrics, criteria, and implementation for overnight adventures
7. Support the development and refinement of Outdoor Leader training modules that promote Wilderness Inquiry’s mission, programs, and participant outcomes for overnight trips
8. Support the overall overnight adventures team with general department tasks when needed, including but not limited to making trip reservations, registration support, Trip Director proxying, etc.
9. Manage assigned grants that support overnight programs and adventures and participating groups to ensure grant outcomes are met, tracked, and reported on
   

Responsibility 3: Trip Directing (25% FTE)
Tasks

1. Act as Trip Director for assigned itineraries and events, independently following standard operating procedures, best practices, and policies
2. Manage all pre- and post-trip responsibilities for assigned events and demonstrate effective and timely communication with Outdoor Leaders, participants, and/or contract group organizers to ensure a high quality and safe trip experience
3. Assess participant and group trip goals, abilities, and backgrounds in order to identify activities and create trip schedules that meet the unique needs of the group
4. Provide exceptional customer service to group organizers and Wilderness Inquiry contractees to foster positive relationships and ongoing engagement
5. Support annual itinerary review process and provide ongoing updates to itineraries based on evaluation data from participants, staff, and contract contacts
6. Coordinate and communicate with public lands agencies and service providers to ensure program sites are adequate and safe, as applicable
7. Occasionally support Wilderness Inquiry programs in the field
8. Maintain availability during and outside of regular office hours for trip support, communications, and emergencies that may occur on assigned trips
9. Provide guidance to seasonal Outdoor Leaders as a staff mentor to promote a welcoming environment and represent a positive point of contact for leaders to share feedback
   

Responsibility 4: Embrace Values, Community Agreements and Other Roles/Responsibilities as Assigned

1. Support organizational special events including Seasonal Staff Training (May & September), Great River Race, Opportunity Fund, Quarterly Board Meetings, and other in office gatherings
2. Perform all job responsibilities in a manner that centers Wilderness Inquiry values and supports a healthy, safe, and productive work environment for all employees, adhering to our Workplace Community Agreements

Please note: These are not intended to encompass all roles and responsibilities of this position; other duties may be assigned at the discretion of the supervisor.

Qualifications and Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree and 3+ years of professional experience in outdoor recreation, adventure travel, or a related field, OR 5+ years of professional experience in outdoor recreation, adventure travel, or a related field
• Demonstrated exceptional attention to detail and ability to follow through, complete tasks independently, and meet deadlines
• Project management skills including a demonstrated ability to manage multiple details and projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated competence/experience with technology, specifically with computers and databases
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
  

Desired Qualifications & Characteristics

• 3+ years related experience in experiential program or adventure travel development and management
• Demonstrated experience with outdoor recreation/adventure travel
• Demonstrated experience managing customer accounts and partnerships
• Willingness to travel overnight for work (1-3 weeks annually)
• Passion for Wilderness Inquiry’s inclusive mission, outdoor adventure, and connecting people to the benefits of nature
• A self-starter who takes initiative
• Collaborative and team-oriented
• Willingness to listen, learn, and continuously improve
• Flexible, persistent, and attentive to detail
• Enjoys variety and is open to learning new roles

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear, and use hands to handle or touch objects or controls. The employee is regularly required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally be able to lift and carry heavy loads up to 50lbs over rough terrain for distances of up to 1,000 feet. On occasion the employee must be able to make loud verbal commands, sit and stand for significant periods of time while also directing vessels such as a canoe, use vision to directionally navigate safely, and endure a wide variety of temperatures and elements. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to see while using a standard computer screen, close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The above statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the principle functions of the occupation described and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the occupation.

Application Deadline:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until March 22, 2026.