Director of Expeditions

Director of Expeditions - School in Switzerland

A prestigious and internationally renowned boarding school in Switzerland is seeking an outstanding Director of Expeditions to lead one of the most distinctive outdoor education programmes in the world. Reporting to a senior member of the leadership team, the successful candidate will provide strategic and operational leadership for a large-scale expedition programme encompassing mountain, ski and adventure-based learning experiences. This is a rare opportunity for an experienced outdoor education professional with strong leadership credentials, technical expertise in alpine environments and a passion for developing young people through challenge, resilience and discovery.

JOB PURPOSE
The Director of Expeditions serves as the strategic lead for Aiglon’s renowned expedition department. The post holder is responsible for the development and delivery of the programme’s vision and ethos, ensuring it is progressive, relevant, and distilled into a coherent curriculum across the whole school. They provide leadership to a team of qualified expeditioners and ensure that all activities are managed with the highest standards of safety and risk management.
KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE POSITION

1. Strategic Leadership & Vision

Visionary Design: Develop and oversee the philosophy and approach of our expedition programme, ensuring it reflects our aim to continue to be world leading in outdoor pursuit provision.
Curriculum Development: Develop and implement the expedition programme ensuring it is progressive for all students, regardless of age or length of stay at Aiglon.
Challenge: Ensure challenge is appropriate to ability and context, acknowledging that expeditions serve pastoral and community-building purposes alongside physical stretch.
Reinforce the purpose of expeditions: independence, resilience, responsibility and growth.
Holistic Assessment: Take a lead role in the school’s development of holistic assessment within the expedition context.
External Engagement: Seek to build relationships with the wider community to share expertise and gain insights from external best practices, with particular emphasis on risk management.

1. Operational Oversight & Management
   Team Leadership: Provide instruction and guidance to the Head of Senior and Junior Expeditions in their operational oversight.
   Leadership: Provide inspiration, leadership and guidance to all teaching staff involved in expeditions with the expectation to deliver the highest standards and professionalism.
   Staff Development: Manage professional reviews, appraisals, and training (internal and external) for the expedition staff.
   Meetings: Chair expedition department meetings and work closely with both Junior and Senior heads to ensure departmental alignment.
   Stakeholder Liaison: Liaise with the School Council, Assistant Heads, Houseparents, and academic departments.
   Recruitment: Oversee and support the recruitment of all expedition staff, including guides.
   Development: Monitor and continually improve the process of student reflection.
   Administration: Ensure all paperwork and communication is complete, efficient and effective.
   Budgets: Preparation and management of all Expedition budgets
   Administration: Use Aiglon’s data management system to record and organise all expeditions
   Mountain School: Line-manage the Junior Mountain School Programme, with specific liaison with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy
   Summer Camp: Act as the senior advisor for all summer expedition activities, ensuring a robust handover of safety protocols and operational standards to the Summer School team while maintaining ultimate accountability for safeguarding and risk management frameworks.

2. Safety, Risk & Compliance
   Safety Evaluation: Oversee and evaluate the safety protocols of the entire expedition programme.
   Risk Management: Encourage and verify a high level of risk management documentation and ensure operating standards align with best practice.
   Open Culture: Ensure a safe and open environment for staff to share experiences and opinions to improve safety.
   Compliance: Ensure that all equipment and its usage comply with current PPE and safety standards.
   Work closely with the HR team and Director of Compliance to ensure compliance with all necessary processes relating to recruitment of guides.
   Ensure that qualifications of all staff and Guides are appropriate.
   Safeguarding: Ensure all staff and Guides receive safeguarding training at regular intervals. There is an expectation to uphold the highest standards of safeguarding.

3. Logistics & Equipment Management
   Planning & Bookings: Oversee and guide administrative support and the Heads of Expeditions to ensure bookings are made with a nine to twelve-month lead-in.
   Stores Management: Manage the expedition stores, including the upkeep, care, and long-term planning for equipment.
   Inventory Systems: Manage robust systems for recording inventories and maintenance schedules.

4. Communication & Ethos
   Internal Communication: Ensure students, staff and parents receive effective and efficient information regarding upcoming expeditions through assemblies, staff meetings, bulletins and external communication.
   External Communication: Work with communications, admissions, and advancement teams to ensure clear and inspiring messaging to the wider community, that is delivered to a high professional standard..
   Institutional Values: Contribute enthusiastically to the life and work of the school, upholding the Aiglon ethos, including the delivery of meditations.
   GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
   The Director of Expeditions is expected to be visible and motivational presence and contribute to the overall life of the Aiglon community
   Undertake additional responsibilities as may arise at the reasonable request of the Director of Character Education and the Director of School.

The qualifications, experiences and attributes of the post holder must match the detailed specification below:
A. Education, Qualifications and Languages
Essential

Swiss-recognised International Mountain Leader/Accompagnateur
Winter mountaineering or ski qualification
Rock Climbing Instructor
First Aid certification
Driving licence
Professional working proficiency in French and a fluency in English

Desirable

Teaching qualification
Holder of an IFGMA qualification
Higher level qualification in other adventure activities:
Paddlesports
Mountain Biking

B. Experience and Knowledge
Essential

Experience in health and safety auditing, incident management protocols, and Swiss legal requirements for high-risk activities.
Experience in managing department budgets, equipment procurement, and overseeing a team of full-time and freelance staff.
Experience in designing progressive outdoor education programs that align with educational frameworks
Experience leading and teaching young people and groups in the European mountains in a variety of adventurous activities
Highly competent skier
Professional-level competence in winter navigation and avalanche safety
Experience in the creation and delivery of presentations and information to a wide range of audiences

C. Personal Qualities, Attitudes and Behaviours
Essential

Ability to build professional relationships with students within the clear boundaries of Aiglon’s safeguarding policies.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively across all stakeholders.
The ability to inspire confidence in staff, students and parents whilst articulating the value of risk to the School Council and Board of Directors.
Proven ability to remain calm and lead a team through high-pressure emergency situations in remote environments.
Aiglon expects the Director to have a commitment to continuous professional development, staying at the forefront of international outdoor education trends and safety standards; they should also be expected to mentor junior staff in their professional development.