Nordic Center Manager

The VIC/Outdoor Center is a distinctive College asset that advances Paul Smith’s College’s mission through outdoor recreation, environmental and experiential learning, student employment, athletics, community engagement, and prospective-student recruitment. Paul Smith’s College seeks a hands-on Nordic Center Manager to lead and support the continued operation, growth, and integration of the College’s Nordic Center at its Visitor Interpretive Center/Outdoor Center as a welcoming regional destination, event venue, community recreation resource, student-learning environment, and earned-revenue operation. The Manager will help build year-round visibility and use of the VIC/Outdoor Center through Nordic programming, races and events, public and partner engagement, passes and participation growth, and a consistently high-quality visitor experience. Working collaboratively with the VIC Director, Trails & Facilities Manager, and other College partners, the Manager will align daily operations, winter readiness, programming, facility use, and strategic improvements with the College’s broader goals for student experience, enrollment, community relationships, and sustainable earned revenue.

Destination, Events, and Programs

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  Support the Nordic Center’s continued development as a welcoming, high-quality regional destination for students, teams, visitors, and community members.

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  Identify, pursue, plan, promote, and support appropriate races, training opportunities, clinics, youth programs, community events, group outings, and other activities that increase use of the Center.

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  Build public programming opportunities, including learn-to-ski opportunities, skills clinics, youth and school programs, camps, guided outings, and community races.

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  Build and maintain productive relationships with Nordic clubs, race directors, coaches, schools, collegiate programs, tourism partners, outdoor-recreation organizations, businesses, and community groups.

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  Contribute to Nordic center visitation and earned-revenue growth through passes, programs, events, facility use, partnerships, sponsorships, and other approved offerings.

Operations, Venue, and Workforce Management

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  Coordinate the day-to-day Nordic Center experience, including public access, trail and course readiness, user communications, event and program scheduling, safety procedures, and service standards.

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  Work closely with the VIC Director, Trails & Facilities Manager, Athletics, and other College partners to balance student athlete/team needs, public access, programming, events, equipment, and venue priorities.

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  Identify and recommend trail, course, facility, equipment, signage, and visitor-service improvements that support reliability, accessibility, event readiness, and a positive visitor experience.

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  Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and mentor student employees, seasonal staff, and volunteers supporting events, programs, visitor services, and Nordic Center operations.

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  Serve as Manager on Duty and assist with other duties as needed or assigned by the Director.

Additional Responsibilities: Depending on the experience and strengths of the successful candidate, the position will guide, independently oversee, or collaboratively execute operations within one or more of the following areas:

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  Winter grooming including grooming schedules, trail-condition updates, operating grooming equipment, and maintenance of equipment.

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  Assist and supervise staff and students working on sustainable trail construction and maintenance

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  Advance race recruitment and operations, including regional, high school, collegiate, and club relationships and competition-specific course planning.

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  Expand clinics, camps, youth programming, school partnerships, and inclusive community recreation.

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  Support pass sales, rentals, retail, sponsorships, marketing, tourism partnerships, social media, and other customer-experience or revenue-development initiatives.

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  Long-range planning for trails, courses, facilities, amenities, capital improvements, and the Center’s continued development as a winter destination.

Required

• Experience in outdoor recreation, event management, hospitality, community programming, destination development, customer service, Nordic skiing, or a related field.

• Demonstrated ability to help develop and deliver events, programs, services, partnerships, or customer experiences; strong planning, communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to supervise and mentor student employees, seasonal staff, volunteers, or crews; ability to work collaboratively across campus and with external partners.

• Ability to work outdoors in variable winter conditions and to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and variable hours as needed.

• Strong computer and administrative skills, including proficiency with email, spreadsheets, scheduling, and digital recordkeeping; ability to use or quickly learn point-of-sale, rental/reservation, equipment-inventory, trail-condition, and College operational systems.

Preferred

• Experience managing a Nordic center, winter recreation venue, trail system, outdoor-recreation enterprise, event operation, or comparable public-facing operation.

• Experience with pass or membership programs, registration, earned-revenue services, marketing, sponsorships, tourism partnerships, Nordic events, or cross-country skiing competition.

• Experience with/strong knowledge of Nordic grooming, snowmobile operation, grooming equipment, trail maintenance, or winter trail operations.

Must safely navigate icy, snow-covered, and steep trails on foot; must lift and move equipment weighing up to?50 lbs.; must operate or learn to operate outdoor winter utility vehicles, including snowmobiles and tracked UTVs; must possess the physical endurance to respond quickly to situations in deep snow.

Paul Smith’s College is an equal opportunity employer. Position descriptions focus on essential functions, use inclusive language, and avoid unnecessary or discriminatory requirements.