Description

We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader who is energized by the opportunity to direct a complex, diverse, and global business unit directly involved in leading and advancing wilderness medicine educational training for NOLS. As a key executive team member and reporting directly to the NOLS President, the Vice President of Wilderness Medicine will act decisively to chart a fiscally sustainable and innovative path for the Wilderness Medicine team.

The Vice President of Wilderness Medicine will have the vision and determination to set the Wilderness Medicine team’s future direction, the willingness to listen carefully, ability to thoughtfully consider and incorporate input from key stakeholders, and the knowledge and experience needed to perpetuate the pillar’s culture and educational philosophy. The Vice President of Wilderness Medicine will be responsible for the budget and growth targets for the NOLS Wilderness Medicine portfolio of programs, their future innovation and geographic distribution.

KEY INFORMATION

• Please upload your cover letter and resume as one PDF document when you are prompted to upload your CV/resume.
• Target Start Date: February 2026
• Location: Lander, Wyoming, USA

Questions: please contact peopleteam@nols.edu

What does a Vice President of Wilderness Medicine do?

• Serve as a trusted member of the NOLS Leadership Team, setting a collaborative tone and helping to shape the School’s strategic direction, inclusive of Wilderness Medicine and the broader whole-school mission.
• Drive the vision and innovation necessary to set and meet future growth goals.
• Guide a director team who supports high quality wilderness medicine educational products, as well as providing exceptional student, sponsor, and faculty support all while maintaining business efficiency.
• Plan annual financial budget, projection, and reporting cycles for a division that includes $8M+ in revenue.
• Orchestrate collaborative, data-informed processes to design annual course mix; and evaluate and adjust the course mix as necessary to respond to market trends, enrollment, staffing, and other shifting factors.
• Lead oversight of curriculum, pedagogy, program quality, faculty recruitment, training, and development.
• Engage with the Board of Trustees, serve on other leadership committees and steering committees as requested.

What makes a great Vice President of Wilderness Medicine at NOLS? 

The ideal candidate will excel at growing a high quality and financially sustainable program. You will have an ambitious vision, a clear strategic plan, and effective execution, all in service to NOLS students, faculty, and business partners. The Vice President of Wilderness Medicine will be a collaborative, results-driven leader who is ready to engage, listen, model respectful discussion/ debate, set clear priorities and expectations, and be prepared to drive expansion and innovation of the program.

Critical Leadership Capabilities

• Ability to bring strategic, financial, and operational acumen to the role; stewarding the Wilderness Medicine pillar’s resources, and balancing short-term needs with long-term goals.
• Experience creating a sense of community and meaningful relationships in a dispersed workforce, supporting and growing a healthy and inclusive culture.
• Leading with transparency to instill trust among diverse stakeholders and lead towards a common mission and goals.
• Effective communication skills with past behavior that demonstrates decisiveness, collaboration, transparency, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Have the judgment necessary to understand and evaluate current programs and new initiatives and the credibility, courage, and skills to gain support and make decisions.
• Embrace the opportunity to collaborate across the organization, inviting discussion and debate, leveraging the expertise of experienced colleagues and staff, and create an environment where a diversity of voices is invited.
• An entrepreneurial driver with proven experience identifying market trends and implementing them successfully. Previous accomplishments improving efficiency and making informed decisions with financial strength in mind.

Ideal Experience

• Extensive experience in the Wilderness Medicine education industry with a strong commitment to NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s educational philosophy, mission, culture, and values.
• Outstanding communication skills, including public speaking and experience serving as the face of, and advocate for, an organization, with evidenced ability to handle difficult situations with diplomacy and judgment.
• Experience at a senior leadership level in one or more of the following areas: higher education or secondary school leadership, outdoor program management, or leadership of a non-profit and/or educational enterprise.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience acting as a key collaborator and team player, creating productive and respectful relationships across diverse and disparate stakeholders.
• Genuine appreciation and passion for wilderness medicine education, the sanctity of wild places, and the NOLS mission. An advocate for the important skills learned and leadership developed in urban and wilderness classrooms.
• Extensive experience building strong teams of highly functioning and collaborative individuals, who have success setting and achieving common goals.

Other Personal Characteristics

• Be an empathetic and community centric leader, with a focus on fostering relationships at all levels and operate within a transparent and collaborative team culture.
• You thrive in dynamic settings with demanding and shifting priorities, adeptly managing ambiguity, diverse stakeholder relationships, and intricate competing demands.
• Champion of daring ideas and embracer of calculated risks. Be confident to invite dialogue, listen carefully make decisions, and share credit.
• Creative thinker able to respect, honor, and balance the long-standing strengths of an organization while envisioning and implementing innovative approaches.

To apply and learn more about the position, please click on the following link:

https://www.nols.edu/vice-president-of-wilderness-medicine/