Position: Director of Experiences - Operational Oversight
Reports To: VP of Programs
Salary: $70,000-78,000
Start Date: Immediately
Position Overview:
The Director of Experiences will oversee Adventure Cycling’s Experiences programming, focusing on guided bike travel adventures such as self-contained tours, fundraising tours, and educational tours. This role entails operational oversight and logistical execution of the guided experiences slate, ensuring seamless delivery of guided tours, introductory and educational camps, and fundraising tours. While there is a strong preference for in-person work at our headquarters in Missoula, MT, remote work options may be considered for exceptional candidates who can demonstrate effective remote management abilities while fostering a culture of teamwork, communication, risk management, compliance, and exceptional customer service. The Director report to the Vice President, Programs, and work in collaboration with the VP in crafting the future of Experiences at Adventure Cycling in coordination with the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
Key Responsibilities:
Operational Oversight and Logistical Execution (60%)
- Manage and coordinate guided bike travel adventures, including self-contained tours, fundraising tours, and educational tours, ensuring exceptional customer service at all touchpoints.
- Supervise the creation and implementation of new guided tours and educational programs.
- Implement risk management improvements based on recommendations from the 2023 risk management audit, ensuring the safety and security of participants and staff.
- Ensure compliance with tour leader guidelines and regulations, providing necessary training and support to maintain high standards of professionalism and safety.
- Oversee the implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems and technological solutions to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences.
- Develop and implement operational strategies for remote management, if applicable, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among remote team members.
- Review and assess current operational processes, identifying areas for improvement to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in remote management.
- Collaborate with the team to develop replicable systems and procedures for scalable remote operations.
- Monitor program operations and provide guidance for system improvements to optimize resource utilization and enhance operational efficiency.
Leadership and Program Management (40%)
- In coordination with the VP, Programs and the Adventure Cycling Strategic Plan, create, plan, and execute new educational and skill building programs nationwide.
- Supervise remote staff, including Tours Operations Manager, Tour Leader Compliance Manager, Customer Experience Coordinator and project-based contract staff, providing coaching and support to foster skill development and talent within the team.
- Represent the Experiences team in Director’s meetings and the Program Leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and action plans to achieve organizational goals.
- Oversee the Experiences budget of $3M, conducting annual budget planning and forecasting, and monitoring monthly budgets to achieve targets.
- Oversee the Tour Leader Compliance Manager who oversees 50-100 seasonal staff
Required Qualifications:
- Understanding and willingness to engage with issues of institutional and structural biases and their impacts on the organization and community.
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, respecting differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, ability, religion, and socio-economic circumstances.
- 5-8 years of prior experience in outcomes-based program leadership and operations.
- Prior budget management experience of at least $500,000.
- Strong understanding of risk management principles and practices.
- Experience in tour leader compliance and safety regulations.
- Proficiency in CRM systems and technological implementation for operational efficiency.
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
- Strong decision-making, delegation skills, and problem-solving ability.
- Passion for learning and seeking innovative solutions and new ideas externally.
Please use this page to submit any private information, such as tax information.
Thank you for your interest in Adventure Cyclist magazine. We accept queries and manuscripts on a rolling basis year-round. However, since our very small staff is primarily focused on producing each Adventure Cyclist, we'll be reviewing them on a roughly quarterly basis. This is a time-consuming process among our many other duties, so please be patient and bear with us.
Please make sure to thoroughly read our submissions information. Note: We only accept submissions through this Submittable portal.
Time Frame: If a story idea is accepted, the typical period of time until publication is approximately 12-18 months from the time of acceptance.
GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Adventure Cyclist is a bicycle-travel magazine published nine times yearly by Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit service organization for bicyclists. Adventure Cyclist is dedicated to publishing stories about bicycle travel and other recreational cycling subjects.
Adventure Cyclist generally uses two types of stories from freelancers:
- Feature-length stories. These should be about specific areas and must be accompanied by high-quality photos, both in terms of content, composition, and size.
- The Final Mile. These are essays less about locale than about a singular experience while on a bicycle trip. These run at 1,200-1,500 words and don't require accompanying photos. Note: we do not buy Final Mile essays based on queries, we want to see the full manuscript.
What we pay is negotiable, but generally ranges from $.30 to $.60 per word, depending on various factors. We buy first rights and will consider simultaneous submissions as long as we are informed of the other publications considering your manuscript. Your manuscript should be typed with single returns between paragraphs — no indentations — and single-spaced.
Photos: Feature submissions should be accompanied by electronic images (300 dpi is standard) or color transparencies. Special focus and humor pieces do not require photos, but if you have something good, by all means, send it. And remember, we are always looking for stunning verticals to go on the cover. (See more about photos here). When you send us photos through Submittable, you are only allowed to upload three files, however, if you create a .zip file from your collection, this will only count as one single file. If you don't know how to create a .zip file, use the links below or simply Google it:
4 Ways to Zip a File on a Mac - wikiHow
4 Ways to Compress Large Files - wikiHow
Adventure Cyclist staff does not guarantee that you will receive a response concerning your story nor will we guarantee the return of unsolicited materials.
For further and more detailed information, visit adventurecycling.org/submit
Editor-in-Chief, Carolyne Whelan
magazine@adventurecycling.org
Adventure Cycling Association
150 E Pine St
Missoula, MT 59802
Interested in becoming an Adventure Cycling Tour Leader? Please fill out this questionnaire and upload your Cover Letter and Resume. We are currently accepting applications for our 2024 Guided Tours. We are reviewing applications and scheduling interviews on a rolling basis. You can find the full job description and more information on our website.
Thank you for submitting your photos and videos from the recent event you attended.
By submitting your photos, you are giving Adventure Cycling Association permission to publish your photos. Please provide the highest quality photos possible and include a name for photo credits.
Please share any and all pertinent details through this form, and be sure to tell us which route you're describing and what location. If you have photos you would like to share with us, you'll find a handy tool below to upload those image files.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the USBRS team at: usbrsinfo@adventurecycling.org. Thanks!
This submission portal is for use by Adventure Cyclist magazine advertisers only. It is not for story inquiries, submissions, or images.
PRINT: We only accept advertising creative in PDF or JPEG format. The file should be press-optimized, colorspace set to CMYK (not RGB), and resolution of 300 pixels per inch. Convert all spot colors to CMYK. Please include your company name in the filename.
NEWSLETTER: Please submit newsletter ads in PNG or JPG format at 728x90 pixels. Files should be 72 dpi and RGB. Include URL with submission.
Once the file is uploaded, you will receive a confirmation email that the file is ready for download by the Adventure Cyclist team.
Thank you for your interest in Adventure Cyclist Online. We love to share bike travel. We accept pitches and stories on a rolling basis year-round, reviewing submissions quarterly and responding as quickly as we can. It's a time-consuming process, so please bear with us.
Guidelines for Contributors & Freelancers
- Adventure Cyclist Online only publishes original content from real people doing bicycle travel.
- Photos make all the difference, so please submit high-quality photography with your submission.
Adventure Cyclist Online generally publishes the following:
Inspiring, Historical, or Amusing Stories related to bicycle travel. Click here for an example.
How-To Articles on ways to plan, navigate, pack, prepare, and handle any obstacle of a bicycle trip. Click here for an example.
Trip Reports: There’s nothing like a good story of a bicycle trip or bike overnight of where you went, what was special about it, and how others can do it too. Click here for an example.
Photo Essays: A set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story. Please include captions with all photographs.
No length requirements: Posts should simply be high quality and comprehensive.
Compensation
What we pay is negotiable, but generally ranges from $150-250 per article, with the lower end of the scale representing what we pay first-time writers and the higher end what we pay repeat writers. We buy first rights and will consider simultaneous submissions as long as we are informed of the other publications considering your submission. We do not pay for photography separately.
Not-So-Fine Print
- We prefer a well-written and high-quality, original article.
- We prefer an article that reflects the writing style and tone of Adventure Cyclist Online.
- Include a short author bio including a maximum of 1 anchor text link to your own website.
- Include proper attribution of photos, data, quotations, and other third-party content referenced in the article.
- The Adventure Cyclist Online team reserves the right to copy-edit content as we see fit and update it in the future for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
- Adventure Cycling reserves the right to include calls-to-action to Adventure Cycling content, including but not limited to newsletters, campaigns, and downloadable content.
Send Us Your Story or Inquiry
All inquiries, text documents, and images must be sent to us through Submittable. If you don't already have an account with Submittable, you will be prompted to start one. Accounts are free and will allow you to track your submission as it makes its way through our system.
For additional information or questions regarding a pitch, please email the online editor, Jessica, at jzephyrs@adventurecycling.org.