What are the responsibilities and job description for the NOLS Director - Custom Education position at NOLS?
Ready to scale a legendary mission and elevate the leader in everyone? NOLS is seeking the next entrepreneurial, high-impact Director of Custom Education to expand our reach by bringing world-class wilderness and experiential learning programs to diverse partners - from small schools to national space agencies, business schools, and corporations. Deeply rooted in the leadership development space, this director role (Lander, WY or partially remote) empowers you to lead a dedicated 12 person team, manage a multi-million-dollar portfolio, and personally cultivate high-value institutional partnerships ranging from $25,000 to over $250,000. If you are passionate about leadership education and are a strategic business developer with a track record of driving growth and partnering across sectors to elevate brand impact, apply today or share this opportunity with visionary leaders in your network!
Key Information
Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
Target Start Date: 14 September 2026
Location: NOLS HQ or Hybrid-remote
Wage: $70,000-$85,000 USD (Annually)
Reports To: VP of Expeditions
Department: Expeditions/Custom Education
Position Type: FT/Salary/Exempt
Benefits Eligible: Yes
What does a Director of Custom Education do?
NOLS is seeking an entrepreneurial, growth-oriented leader with deep experience in the leadership education space to lead and expand Custom Education, one of the organization’s most significant strategic opportunities.
Custom Education extends the NOLS mission beyond traditional open-enrollment courses through customized educational experiences for universities, secondary schools, scholarship programs, nonprofits, corporations, and other mission-aligned organizations. These experiences include wilderness expeditions, leadership development programs, classroom training, online learning, and industry conferences.
The next Director will be expected to build on this strong foundation by developing new markets, deepening client relationships, expanding educational offerings, and significantly increasing revenue and impact over time.
This role requires a proven business leader who combines strategic thinking with relentless execution. The ideal candidate is comfortable developing partnerships, building a sales pipeline, closing business, leading teams, and representing NOLS with senior leaders across higher education, independent schools, nonprofit organizations, and corporate leadership development programs.What makes a great Director of Custom Education at NOLS?
We are looking for people who share our values and are keen to learn and develop their expertise. While our ideal candidate comes with the skills listed below, we expect to provide training and development support in some of the areas.
Required Qualifications
- Relevant experience in leadership and/or wilderness education program delivery and development
- Fluent in leadership theories and leadership education practices
- Demonstrated success leading business development, sales, partnership development, or revenue growth initiatives - especially with institutional clients.
- Strong leadership and people management experience.
- Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills.
- Experience managing budgets, strategic planning, financial performance, and business operations.
- Ability to balance strategic vision with day-to-day execution.
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with higher education institutions, independent schools, corporate learning organizations, scholarship programs, or nonprofits.
- Experience leading a growing business unit or entrepreneurial venture.
- Familiarity with wilderness-based education.
- NOLS field or management experience.
How to Apply
**We will not be reviewing applications coming from Indeed. To learn more about the position and to be considered, please apply using the following link:
https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=a87ec8da-7dfe-4840-967e-19cbed49ce35&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=621704&source=CC2&lang=en_US
Pay: $70,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Lander, WY 82520
Salary : $70,000 - $85,000