Expeditions Manager

Zero Dropouts LLC•Denver, CO

2h•Hybrid

About The Position

Zero Dropouts is dedicated to designing innovative student development opportunities in collaboration with school districts, communities, and students. Our mission is to co-create solutions that recognize, foster, and unleash students' unrealized potential so that their lives are transformed as they thrive in their education and work. Field Academy is Zero Dropouts’ experiential, credit-bearing learning model that connects students to learning through real-world experiences, relationships, and purpose. Experiential learning at Zero Dropouts is grounded in work that is applied, relevant, and situated in authentic contexts—whether in the field, in community, or through projects that connect directly to life beyond the classroom. Through expeditions, micro-campuses, and community-based partnerships, students engage in meaningful work and earn credit by demonstrating progress toward standards in ways that reflect how learning is used in the real world, while developing a stronger sense of belonging, competence, agency, and optimism about their future. The Expeditions Manager will manage the expedition side of this work, including partnerships, logistics, and relationships with sites and organizations. This role involves asking critical questions about the value of expeditions, documenting student growth, and advocating for the program's expansion to partners, funders, and districts. The ideal candidate is a teacher with experience in facilitating learning and is comfortable with ambiguity, building relationships, and working in dynamic, unpredictable environments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in any field
Teaching experience
High tolerance for ambiguity; ability to function effectively and make sound decisions in the absence of clear structure, established processes, or a defined playbook
Experience in youth development, outdoor or field-based education, community organizing, or a related field
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse partners, organizations, and communities — and comfort initiating those relationships from scratch
Strong organizational and coordination skills in complex, fast-moving environments, with the ability to manage logistics, schedules, and multiple stakeholders simultaneously
Ability to operate with sound judgment in dynamic, unpredictable environments and adapt when things don't go as planned
Comfort representing an organization externally — attending community events, making presentations, and serving as a credible, compelling face of the work
Commitment to Zero Dropouts' foundational beliefs and relational, anti-deficit approach to working with young people
Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft applications
Current CPR and First Aid certification, or ability to obtain within 14 days of hire
Must reside in Colorado
Experience supervising, coaching, or leading others in a professional or program context
Ability and willingness to participate in active outdoor experiences and several overnight trips per year, including multi-day expeditions
Ability and willingness to transport students in company or rented vehicles

Nice To Haves

Colorado Secondary Teaching License
Experience working with school districts, alternative education programs, or credit recovery models
Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification
Spanish proficiency
Experience in sales, outreach, community engagement, or program development in a mission-driven context

Responsibilities

Building and maintaining community partnerships that can hold student learning
Planning and running expeditions that are rigorous, purposeful, and connected to real competencies that build toward credit
Being present with students in ways that adults in their lives often haven't been
Thinking alongside program leadership about what experiential learning should look like as we scale
Manage the expedition side of the program, including partnerships, logistics, and relationships with sites and organizations
Keep asking hard questions about what makes an expedition worth doing, how to document student growth and persistence, and how to make the case to partners, funders, and districts for program growth