Denver Regional Partnerships Manager

About Big City Mountaineers

At Big City Mountaineers, we work alongside the transformative powers of nature to foster a lasting impact in the lives of youth from disinvested communities. BCM creates opportunities for 12 to 18 year-olds to connect with nature and realize their own sources of strength, resilience, confidence, serenity and joy by providing free, fully outfitted, and professionally led outdoor experiences. BCM’s programming culminates in a weeklong backcountry trip, which is often the first time the youth we serve experience the outdoors in such a way. The BCM experience enables youth to take on healthy and relevant challenges and cultivate a connection to themselves, their community, to nature, and to joy. 

For over thirty years, BCM’s programming has shown staying power beyond the norm, and has come to be a recognized and highly regarded national nonprofit that is supported by a stable operating budget. BCM is at an exciting point in its history, one that holds great potential and opportunity to reimagine how the organization can best deliver on its mission. Our team includes a dedicated staff, seasonal trip instructors, and volunteers. 

Though we are headquartered in Colorado, Big City Mountaineers’ regional hubs touch both coasts, and several locations in between. We are located on the ancestral territories the Ute, (Denver, CO), the Sioux and Anishinibawaki (Minneapolis, MN), the Ohlone, Ramaytush, Chochenyo, and Muwekma (San Francisco Bay Area), the Duwamish (Seattle, WA), and the Muscogee Creek and Shawnee (Birmingham, AL).

Position Overview

The Denver Regional Partnerships Manager (RPM) is responsible for all partnerships with local youth agencies and volunteers who engage with BCM’s programming in our Denver, CO region. This includes recruitment and selection of youth agency partners, administration of registrations and surveys for all youth and adult trip participants, recruitment and selection of seasonal field instructors, and oversight of BCM’s regional budget in Denver. The RPM is supported directly by and reports to BCM’s National Program Director.

This is a new role. The prior single role of Regional Program Manager is being split into two positions, the Regional Partnerships Manager will hold accountability for one half of the region’s work and deliverables. In this way, BCM will be able to more effectively deliver on its mission at scale and in a more sustainable manner. Because two full time, year-round staff will be deployed in the region instead of one, an increase in the volume of BCM’s activities from prior years is expected.

The Denver RPM will work from BCM’s national headquarters in Arvada, CO and will need to be physically located in or near both the Denver Metro area and surrounding public lands where outdoor programming is held. RPMs can expect to travel regionally to meet with youth and partners, to serve in an on call capacity, and possibly to other regions to participate in national team professional development and meetings. 

The Regional Partnership Managers’ essential duties include: 

Youth Agency Partner Relations

The RPM will develop and maintain positive and mutually beneficial relationships within the communities we work. This centers on establishing and maintaining partnerships with youth serving agencies in the Denver region. The RPM will conduct outreach, set expectations and negotiate partnership agreements with youth agencies, select partners and support the partnerships, organize promotional or recruitment activities for youth participants, confirm trip dates with partners, and be responsive to needs and questions from youth agencies, youth, and their families.  

Volunteer & Instructor Management

Working closely with BCM’s Volunteer and Operations Coordinator, the RPM will screen, select, train, schedule, and support local adult volunteers, both on-trail and frontcountry. The RPM has primary responsibility for ensuring volunteers are plugged into BCM’s trail and frontcountry programming.

Working Closely with the Regional Trail Manager, the RPM will manage the recruitment, selection, and contracting of BCM’s cohort of seasonal field instructors.    

Program Administration

RPMs keep accurate records of programs, participants, and events using BCM’s data management systems. This includes inputting and tracking student and adult registration and participation in programs using Salesforce, and administering surveys and assessments. 

RPMs will be responsible for collection and curation of media assets (photos, videos, quotes) from BCM trips, and will work with the Communications Manager to accurately tell the story of BCM’s work to the greater community and general public. 

RPMs work collaboratively with the program team, Program Director, and Executive Director to create a budget for their region and are responsible for staying within that budget throughout the year. 

The RPM will also collaborate with BCM’s national team to design, codify, improve, and systematize BCM’s program model, as well as measure the efficacy of various program elements during the months when programs are not active. Throughout, RPMs will maintain clear and consistent communication with various stakeholders in their region and colleagues internally, promoting a culture of safety and inclusion that centers youth.  

Community Relations

The RPM is expected to occasionally support local fundraising and community outreach efforts in collaboration with the other members of the BCM team.

Role Requirements

• Personal and professional values consistent with BCM’s mission, values, and principles, including principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• High degree of motivation to increase access to the outdoors for youth from disinvested communities, 
• Unwavering belief in the power of nature-based experiences to help youth strengthen life skills and build community
• Residence in or near Denver, CO
• Prior professional experience working with youth from disinvested communities and racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse groups, ages 12-18, preferably in outdoor, educational, afterschool, or outdoor education settings
• Demonstrated experience representing an organization to external partners and managing partner relationships, including setting expectations and and negotiating formal working agreements
• Demonstrated experience in volunteer relations and stewardship
• Training and experience managing and responding to physical, emotional, and situational risks inherent in youth outdoor programs
• Willingness and ability to travel locally to meet in-person with agency partners as job and duties require
• Clean driving record and reliable transportation
• Experience managing program budgets

Qualifications

• Familiarity with the local communities BCM works in, and the natural areas BCM utilizes on its courses
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently, and to know when each is required 
• Interpersonal awareness, ability to cultivate trusting interpersonal relationships and connect with people across lines of difference
• Demonstrated ability to manage administrative details, including collecting and maintaining accurate and complete data
• Experience serving in an on-call capacity
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in multiple formats (written and verbal) and to diverse audiences
• Track record of successfully problem solving and responding to needs of community partners and volunteers
• Comfort giving and receiving feedback up a supervisory hierarchy
• Ability to set priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to inspire passion for BCM’s work and programs, internally and externally
• Willingness to hold self and others accountable for all program and organizational policies
• Experience working remotely, including capacity to work effectively on one’s own without direct supervision and comfort with technology platforms that enable effective remote collaboration (Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, Zoom)
• Spanish speaking or bilingual