THE ORGANIZATION:

At Heart of Oregon Corps (HOC), local young people with barriers to success improve their own lives while gaining job skills on projects that improve the community. HOC is a large regional non-profit that operates 6 youth training programs. At Heart of Oregon Corps, 16-24-year-old local young people with barriers to success improve their own lives while gaining job skills on projects that improve the community. You can learn more about our work by visiting www.heartoforegon.org.

POSITION AND PROGRAM INFO:

Heart of Oregon Corps is hiring Camp LEAD Counselors who have a passion for empowering and inspiring positive change in the lives of young people, and are able to work outdoors overnight through the month of July. Camp LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy, Development) is a week-long, immersive leadership camp that helps youth with disabilities develop self-advocacy and social skills while giving them paid work experience and career exposure in the natural resources and conservation fields.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position supervises and mentors youth ages 16-21 of diverse abilities for week-long overnight camp sessions during July. Counselors will work alongside youth and project partners on light conservation and maintenance projects like invasive species removal, trail restoration, painting, etc. Counselors are responsible for driving youth to and from worksites and campsites in HOC vehicles, identifying potential job hazards, implementing proper safety practices, teaching camp curriculum, and overnight camp supervision.

Camp LEAD Counselors teach youth with disabilities leadership and self-advocacy skills and supervise youth completing conservation work on public lands. This program runs for 6 weeks (3 weeks of camp) with counselor training for 3 days before the season starts. We are hiring multiple counselor positions that will be employed for lengths of either three or six weeks. The three week positions will work the three weeks of camp and those hired for the 6 week positions will stay on after camp to help lead a crew of camp youth on conservation projects with the Forest Service. There is some flexibility in terms of the requirements to work all days of the three week Camp Lead Program, applicant availability and program needs can be discussed in the hiring process.

Each year, the team of incredible, interesting, and diverse counselors is a big part of why Camp LEAD is a life-changing summer experience for youth participants – we want you to be part of that legacy! This is a great opportunity for teachers and other specialists who would like to be outside this summer!

DATES, SCHEDULES, LOCATIONS:  June 30th- August 14th, 2026         

Camp Dates

• 6/30/2025 -7/2/2025 – Counselor Orientation and Training (Mandatory): Overnight optional
  • At , Oregon (15 miles west of Sisters, Oregon)
• 7/6/2025 -7/10/2025- Week One: 5-day overnight trip (at Caldera)
• 7/13/2025 -7/17/2025 – Week Two: 5-day overnight trip (at Caldera)
• 7/20/2025 – 7/24/2025 – Week Three: 5-day overnight trip (at Caldera)

Conservation Crew Dates

• 7/27/2025 - 8/13/2025- Weekly Crew Schedule: 7am-5pm, Monday-Thursday (four 10’s schedule)
  • Locations in Central Oregon as scheduled, likely Bend/Redmond or Prineville/Madras. USFS bunkhouse housing may be available, please inquire.

Required Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have:

• Minimum of 1 year of experience working with youth and/or working with young people experiencing disabilities is preferred
  • General understanding of youth development practices, trauma informed care, career development, and leadership is
• A strong commitment to respecting the ideas and intelligence of young people and the ability to relate to and support a multicultural and differently-abled group of people is
• Dedication to equal opportunity and safety outdoors is required
• A valid driver’s license is required, with several years (e.g. 3-5 years) of demonstrated safe driving experience.
• Clean background check is
• Current CPR/First Aid certification is
• General knowledge of tool use and conservation/trail work, and summer camp experience is preferred.

Physical Qualifications:

• Physical lifting over 50 pounds
• Bending, Reaching, and Climbing is constant
• Pushing/Pulling is constant
• Walking and Prolonged standing is constant
• Extended periods of outdoor exposure is constant.

Preferred Qualifications

• High School Diploma/GED or comparable relevant experience.

A successful candidate will be open to learning, be able to adapt to the needs of campers, and be flexible in adapting programming each day. The position is supervised and supported by the Head Counselor and the Summer Programs Manager.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The starting hourly wage for this position is $21.00 /hour (firm), with an additional $2.00 for every hour worked if you complete the entire season as scheduled. This would be a total of $23.00/hour with increased rates for returning counselors. This hourly wage is used for trainings, day trip crew leading, and administrative or logistics planning work outside of Camp LEAD trip weeks.