Reports to
The Founder (on behalf of the Board of Trustees)
Responsible for Course Staff, Volunteer Sighted Guides and Operational Volunteers

Location
Kendal area / hybrid (limited remote working)

Salary
£36,000–£38,700 FTE (£7,200–£7,740 per annum for the contracted administrative element) plus payment for course delivery at our instructor day rates.

Contract Type
0.2 FTE (7.5 hours per week) administrative and leadership role, plus 25–80 days per year delivering activities on residential courses.

About Vision of Adventure
Founded in 2018, Vision of Adventure is a small, dynamic charity dedicated to empowering visually impaired adults through adventurous activity. We believe sight loss should not be a barrier to experiencing challenge, independence and achievement. We bring visually impaired adults together with skilled volunteer sighted guides and
expert instructors to take part in residential outdoor courses lasting three to five days. Activities include climbing, caving, tandem cycling, open water swimming and hillwalking. We currently run approximately 21 courses per year, providing around 126 course places. Alongside our residential provision, we maintain active online communities and deliver
a winter interactive exercise programme to help participants stay connected, active and supported throughout the year. As a small organisation delivering complex residential activity, we rely on strong
governance, careful stewardship of funds and effective operational systems to provide safe, life-changing experiences.

Why This Role, Why Now?
Vision of Adventure has reached an important point in its development. Following a period of growth and staffing transition, Trustees have taken the opportunity to reflect on structure, capacity and long-term sustainability. While the Founders have been maintaining operational oversight, we recognise that the next phase of the organisation requires dedicated leadership to strengthen systems, build resilience and support sustainable growth. A new Business Operations Lead has recently joined the organisation.

The Adventure
Lead will work alongside them to provide leadership for our outdoor programme,
instructors and volunteers.
Together, these appointments represent a deliberate investment in the future of the
charity. We are seeking someone who can work collaboratively with Trustees, Founders
and staff to maintain the high standards that have already been established while
helping us continue to develop in a thoughtful and sustainable way.
Role Overview
The Adventure Lead plays a critical role in ensuring the safe, compliant and high-quality
delivery of all adventurous activities undertaken by Vision of Adventure.
This is a unique role combining operational leadership, programme management and
hands-on delivery. The successful candidate will provide leadership for instructors,
volunteers and course delivery while remaining actively involved in delivering activities
on courses.
The role combines approximately one day per week of administration, planning and
leadership activity with between 25 and 80 days per year delivering activities on
residential courses.
As a small charity operating with lean capacity, we are looking for someone who is
comfortable balancing strategic oversight with practical involvement. Success in this
role will be measured not by major organisational change, but by maintaining safe, highquality delivery, supporting instructors and volunteers, strengthening systems where
appropriate and helping ensure the long-term sustainability of our programme.
The successful candidate will frequently work alongside highly experienced freelance
instructors and course directors. The ability to lead through credibility, collaboration
and sound judgement is therefore essential.
We are particularly interested in candidates who can build on strong existing
foundations while introducing thoughtful, proportionate improvements where needed.
Most residential courses run from Friday to Monday and the successful candidate must
therefore be comfortable with regular weekend working.
Key Responsibilities
1. Leadership and Staffing
• Recruit, select and retain appropriate instructors across the range of activities
delivered by the charity.
• Build and maintain a skilled, diverse and sustainable instructor team.
• Work regularly alongside instructors to support quality assurance, consistency
and professional development.
• Provide leadership and support to volunteer sighted guides and operational
volunteers.
• Help foster a positive, inclusive and supportive organisational culture.
2. Programme Planning and Development
• Work with Trustees, the Business Operations Lead and Fundraiser to plan the
annual programme of activities and residential courses.
• Develop realistic budgets and costings for courses and activities.
• Select suitable venues and activity locations.
• Advise the Business Operations Lead regarding venue and accommodation
bookings.
• Maintain annual staffing plans and instructor rotas.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill mixes across all activities.
3. Operational Management
• Liaise with course directors before each course to agree activity plans, routes,
staffing and operational arrangements.
• Ensure all instructors and course directors understand organisational
expectations, standards, policies and procedures.
• Maintain records relating to accidents, incidents and near misses.
• Oversee technical equipment records, inspections, maintenance schedules and
replacement planning.
• Support the management and development of the tandem cycle fleet and
associated volunteers.
• Recruit, train and support volunteer sighted guides.
4. Safety, Risk and Compliance
• Support Trustees in maintaining high standards of health and safety,
safeguarding and risk management.
• Ensure activities are delivered in accordance with organisational policies and
relevant national guidance.
• Contribute to the review and development of operational procedures and risk
management systems.
• Escalate significant operational, safeguarding or safety concerns appropriately.
Person Specification
Essential
• Significant experience across a range of adventurous outdoor activities.
• Appropriate technical qualifications and substantial experience leading
adventurous activities.
• Experience designing and delivering outdoor, residential or adventurous activity
programmes.
• Experience leading, motivating or coordinating staff, volunteers or instructor
teams.
• A good knowledge of our local area. Local terrain, routes, and outdoor
environments OR Willingness to develop in-depth knowledge of the area (there is
not time available within the role to amass this knowledge).
• Full driving licence including entitlement to drive minibuses.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Experience managing risk, compliance and policy implementation.
• Comfortable operating in a hands-on role within a small organisation with limited
administrative support.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining effective communication with
Trustees and colleagues.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office, Google Workspace and digital recordkeeping systems.
• Commitment to inclusion and the empowerment of visually impaired people.
• Ability to balance innovation and improvement with respect for established
systems and organisational knowledge.
Desirable
• Senior-level outdoor qualifications.
• Experience managing teams of experienced outdoor instructors.
• Experience operating within governance frameworks and reporting to a Board of
Trustees or similar oversight body.
• Knowledge of safeguarding requirements and best practice.
• Understanding of accessibility and inclusive practice.
• Experience working within a small charity, social enterprise or founder-led
organisation.
The Person We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who enjoys working in a small charity environment where
relationships, practical problem-solving and collaboration matter as much as technical
expertise.
The successful candidate will be comfortable balancing hands-on delivery with
leadership responsibilities and will value building on strong existing foundations while
helping us continue to develop.
They will understand that effective leadership in a small organisation is often about
supporting others, maintaining continuity and making proportionate improvements
rather than pursuing change for its own sake.

Location and Working Arrangements
The administrative element of the role will be based at our office in Stricklandgate House, Kendal. The role is expected to be primarily office-based during administrative working hours, with approximately 80% of this time spent in the office.

Closing Date: 26th July 2026

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a high number of strong applications, and early application is encouraged.

 

For more information and to apply please go here https://visionofadventure.org/jobs/