Job Description

About Town School: Town School for Boys is a K-8 all-boys independent school located in San Francisco with approximately 415 students, of whom 49% come from self-identified families of color, and a faculty: student ratio of 1:6. Our diverse faculty and staff can be characterized by their warmth, collegiality, and dedication to our mission and values . At Town, learning is prized, love of school is essential, and boyhood is celebrated. For more information, please visit our Town Facts pag e, read about Why a Boys' School , or learn about our community of belonging .

Position Description:

Town School for Boys is seeking a collaborative and experienced educator to mentor our students into a deep connection with the natural world. This role as the Director of Outdoor Studies for the 2025-26 school year represents a unique opportunity. Our specialized program blends the strength of relational education and place-based learning with the academic excellence of the Town School education. As we extend our classrooms from the building into the heart of the Presidio forest we elevate the curriculum. Environmental stewardship, storytelling, communication, and leadership bring new dimensions to our already rich learning environments. This program creates a safe and healthy classroom outside in the Presidio forest with strong threads of connection woven into the core curriculum back at school.

We honor the time it takes for children to build a relationship with nature and each other. We hope our Town boys will come to see themselves as part of the natural world rather than separate from it. In supporting and mentoring this relationship with nature we cultivate the seeds of stewardship in our future Town School graduates. The Director and additional field Instructors help students gain confidence, experience, and appreciation for the outdoors through core routines and experiences such as hiking, stewardship projects, orienteering, stream ecology, forest ecology, geology, and survival skills.

We are looking for an outdoor leader who is enthusiastic, collaborative, and interested in mentoring children and youth through a connection with the natural world. This individual should be open to working with the Town School faculty to connect this outdoor classroom to the curriculum at school. We are looking for a passionate teacher who is flexible and inspired by working in nature with children, rain, or shine.

To be successful as the Director of Outdoor Studies, you should have an insightful understanding of effective teaching methods for different developmental stages, needs and aptitudes. The candidate should have excellent listening and observational skills, as well as an empathetic mindset. The ideal candidate should want to work with a team collaboratively on everyday department needs and share collective and individual goals for the students, teachers, and school.

Essential Functions:

• Implement, adapt, and build upon the current Outdoor Studies Curriculum.
• Plan and prepare daily lessons to deliver hands-on, experiential, and inquiry-based lessons in an off-campus, outdoor setting for boys in grades K-4. (the schedule will rotate by day in multi-week terms)
• Secure and prepare materials for daily lessons and activities, including morning setup and afternoon cleanup.
• Partner/Collaborate with grade-specific faculty to design direct cross-curricular links and programming between Outdoor Studies and other classes such as math, reading, writing, social studies, STEM, and art.
• Facilitate curriculum design and initiatives around leadership, communication, environmental stewardship, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.
• Teach and lead groups of students in the outdoors, in varying weather conditions, and on uneven terrain.
• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe environment for students and their teachers.
• Implement and model excellent risk management strategies and administer first aid as needed.
• Attend full faculty meetings throughout the school year on a weekly basis and meet with administrative leadership as needed.

Non-Discrimination Policy : At Town School for Boys, we are committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. As part of this commitment, we encourage qualified candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds to apply.

Salary information : At Town, salaries are one component of a compensation package that includes retirement matching, daily lunch, health & dental insurance, and life, AD & LTD insurance. The anticipated annual base salary range the school reasonably expects to pay candidates for the position of Director of Outdoor Studies is $75,000 to $130,000, depending on factors such as years of experience. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity with our current employees as part of any final offer. Remote working days are an option.

Desired Qualifications and Skills

• Current Wilderness First Responder Certification; minimum of Wilderness First Aid & CPR/AED certification (Required)
• Commitment to the school’s mission, values, and vision
• Cultural competency is an expectation of this candidate and includes integration of diversity and global awareness into the curriculum.
• Experience teaching and working in the outdoors
• Specialized outdoors training, Master’s Degree in Teaching, Education, Science, Agriculture or equivalent experience
• Ability to partner and work in a collaborative team environment
• Experience directly serving a diverse range of children across grades K-4
• Familiar with the Responsive Classroom approach and/or experience with social-emotional learning and conflict resolution
• The ideal candidate will demonstrate a commitment to developing and implementing innovative approaches to learning, such as using project-based learning, inquiry, and teaching for understanding/understanding by design.
• Computer and Technical skills as required for job performance and to enhance the learning experiences of staff and students; strong Google suite skills are recommended
• Strong ability to organize and execute multiple short and long term priorities
• Ability to effectively plan, prioritize and manage time effectively
• Flexibility and a willingness to learn
• Detail-oriented with strong follow-through
• Excellent and effective verbal and written communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills
• Positive attitude, determination, and unassailable work ethic
• Ability to confidently lead groups in a remote outdoor setting
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and learning
• Some physical requirements of this position could be endurance including prolonged standing, some bending, stooping, walking long distances, hiking, climbing, and stretching; requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity to manipulate outdoor equipment and program activities; requires a normal range of hearing and eyesight to record, prepare, and communicate appropriate student activities/programs and the ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

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