About the Company
This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative outdoor company. The Bioasis provides transformational educational trips for school groups as well as immersive nature-based retreats and leadership programmes for businesses and C-Suite executives.

Our mission is to build climate and nature based literacy, organisational and personal resilience, as well as planet-positive leadership through the professional delivery of residential outdoor experiences.

We help schools enhance student outcomes and wellbeing. You can find out more about our educational programmes here.

We support businesses in driving staff retention, wellbeing, problem solving and sustainable leadership, with the ultimate aim to make them more resilient and profitable. Find out more about our business programmes here. 

About our site
We are working on an incredible 5000 acre private estate in South Devon, complete with wildflower meadows, salt marshes, ancient woodland and rich biodiversity. We have 3 off-grid basecamps, each capable of hosting up to 40 students + staff.  All basecamps are set up with full field kitchen, composting toilets, biodiversity monitoring equipment, hot outdoor showers, solar electrics and a fire pit. It's a very special place!

About the Role
We are looking for a dynamic, hands-on Programmes Manager to lead, manage and develop our range of outdoor programmes across our two core sectors (education and business), ensuring quality provision and the safety of our staff and clients.

We are looking for someone excited about the long-term growth of The Bioasis, with the ambition and ability to build, lead and manage a high-performing team of outdoor specialists keen to develop and deliver our purpose-driven programmes.

The right individual will have broad outdoor leadership and management experience and a commitment to designing and delivering quality programmes, training and provision. The ideal candidate will be someone with an entrepreneurial, creative mindset and the curiosity to develop new innovative outdoor solutions and, with the help of the sales team, to take them to market.

We have ambitious plans for growth and this role and the ability to consistently manage a team to design and deliver high-quality outdoor programmes will be critical to us realising our vision.

Package:

Usual Working Hours (off-season from Oct-Mar):  Usual office hours are Monday to Friday 0900 – 1730 (includes half hour lunch)

Usual Working Hours (in-season from Apr-Sept):  As above, including occasional unsociable hours, evening/weekend work and other job related tasks.

Contract:  Permanent – Full Time.

Reporting to:  Director(s)

Specific requirements: A full clean driving licence, enhanced DBS check and relevant outdoor qualifications are required.

Benefits:            

• Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 per annum, depending on experience, with uncapped potential as the company grows.
• Pension: We contribute to staff pensions in line with our obligations under the workplace pension scheme.
• Holiday: 5 weeks holiday (plus bank holidays)
• Other:
  • £500 annual CPD budget
  • Opportunities for outdoor / leadership work on camps for the right candidate
  • Devon on your doorstep: Dartmoor, beaches, surfing, rivers and more…
  • Flexible/home/remote working is encouraged during off-season, but you should be in easily accessible range of on-site in South Devon for meetings and operational requirements when required. Virtually, all work between April and end Sept is on site.

Key Responsibilities:

Programme Leadership & Delivery:

• Design, develop and deliver engaging educational and adventure-based programmes for schools, youth, corporate, community and volunteer groups.
• Directly manage Bioasis camp leaders and continually improve the operational delivery of programmes and camp experiences, ensuring safety, quality and fun.
• Maintain and improve risk management systems and paperwork in line with best practice and national standards.
• Conduct regular monitoring, feedback, and review sessions with guests and staff to maintain high standards of delivery.
• Plan, implement and lead on necessary staff training (involving external contributors where necessary), including updating session plans and risk assessments as needed.
• Manage renewal of AALA / BAPA accreditations, in conjunction with Company Director and Ops Manager where required.

Organisational Leadership & Collaboration:

• Work closely with the Company Director, Ops Manager and Business Development Manager to ensure organisational fluency and coherence across the company. .
• Develop and implement strategies to support growth, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, learning and staff wellbeing through training, mentoring, and regular check-ins.
• Collaborate with technical advisors to maintain best practices and robust operational systems.
• To lead briefings and debriefings with management and the instructing team.

Community Engagement & Inclusion:

• Explore and champion opportunities for local, regional and national initiatives that expand access to nature, improve biodiversity and strengthen wider community involvement.
• Promote an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for participants and staff alike.
• Play an active part in supporting and embedding practices that improve staff wellbeing and morale.

Operational & Administrative Excellence:

• Manage budgets for programmes, equipment and training,
• Work closely with the Operations Manager to book and coordinate instructors, freelancers, and external providers to ensure programmes are fully staffed and delivered to a high standard.
• Coordinate and book high-quality sessions and activities with external providers, ensuring they align with the programme’s goals and standards.
• Assist in the management of facilities, vehicles, and site infrastructure to ensure smooth, safe operations.
• Maintain up-to-date risk assessments, session plans, and incident records to ensure compliance with H&S and safeguarding requirements.
• Source, maintain, and manage activity equipment to ensure it meets safety, quality, and environmental standards.
• Drive the estate vehicle (including off-road) to safely move equipment, supplies and people around the estate.
• Play an active part in the management of critical incidents, emergency action planning and first aid response, including hospital visits if required.
• Undertake manual handling of equipment, food, and water supplies to/from camps as may be required.
• On call duty, when clients are on site,
• To act as duty contact on a rota basis when clients are on site. Whilst unlikely to be called upon, this will involve being on call 24 hours a day. Appropriate training in crisis response will be given. We employ the services of Pharos Response to support us in the handling of any emergency.
• Undertake all other tasks as may reasonably be required in order to meet the varying demands of the Company.

IT and Systems:

• Use and maintain digital tools (e.g., spreadsheets, shared drives, CRM, booking systems) to monitor programme delivery, budgets and performance.

Safeguarding & Compliance:

• Act as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (or support DSL) and ensure best practice is embedded across all activities.
• Keep up-to-date with policy changes, legislation, and safeguarding standards.

Other:

The Bioasis is a small, growing company and so, for the right candidate, there is also the opportunity to get involved in wider areas of the company including:

• Contribute to the development of promotional/marketing content such as social media, blog posts and community engagement initiatives in order to help promote The Bioasis’ vision and impact.
• Act as an ambassador for The Bioasis with external partners, including schools, businesses, funders and local media.
• Attend conferences and exhibitions to help promote the company.

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Recognised NGB Qualifications in outdoor leadership (including but not limited to one or more of Mountain Leader, Paddlesport Touring Leader, IoL or NCFE Bushcraft, Environmental Education).
• At least 5 years professional experience working in the outdoor education/leadership sector.
• At least 2 years experience in the outdoor sector within a managerial role
• Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering corporate team building and/or leadership development programmes.
• Proven leadership and people management skills.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving, and communication abilities.
• Passion for connecting people to nature and delivering high-quality, meaningful experiences.
• Experience of risk management and safe working practices in outdoor and educational settings.
• Competence in digital tools for programme delivery, budget monitoring and team management.
• Valid driving licence
• Enhanced DBS check.
• Valid 16-hour Outdoor First Aid qualification.

Beneficial:

• Interest in regenerative land management, forestry, conservation projects, environmental standards and sustainability frameworks
• Experience in managing facilities and vehicles in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible way.
• Knowledge of business development, marketing, communications, and community engagement strategies.
• Experience as a Safeguarding Lead or in a similar safeguarding capacity.

Key Attributes 

• Collaborative and adaptable leader with a passion for working in dynamic, nature-based environments.
• Proactive problem-solver who balances operational, educational, and sustainability goals with empathy and clear communication.
• Committed to fostering an inclusive, safe, and inspiring learning environment for participants and staff.
• Middle-to-senior management experience in outdoor education or conservation.
• Excellent communication skills with a range of stakeholders.
• Leadership experience to direct, support, manage and motivate staff teams and volunteers.
• Highly organised with the ability to adapt and solve problems dynamically.
• Proactive, hands-on, and able to work alone or as part of a team.

Mindset is everything. 

Once the key qualifications of individual applying for the above job have been met, we are looking for someone with the right attitude. This is what we think is important:

• Enthusiasm – we are a small business, looking to grow. We want to build a team who are excited about that.
• Patience – we are looking for someone who wants to join us for the long term journey and understands the importance of persistence and patience when it comes to growing and developing a business.
• Details Details – in documents, in our attitude, in being professional. It matters.
• Service orientated – people buy from people they like. Treat people well, stick to your word and always be looking to find solutions to problems.
• Team player – In a small business, we all have to wear multiple hats, whether they’ve got your name written on them or not.
• Ambition – The Bioasis has much potential. We need someone with ambition to help us grow to a multi-site, multi-million pound business that has huge positive impact and is a force to be reckoned with.

Training:

Training on in-house procedures, systems, software packages, and job specific tasks will be given. Occasional external training courses may also be required, for which the company would pay. All staff receive an annual CPD budget which can be used on a wide range of work related and personal development skills.

The job will involve contact with:

Outdoor instructors (Seasonal and freelance), Schools, Teachers & Head teachers, Parents, Students, business leaders & teams, HR departments, land owners and land management companies (e.g. Natural England, forestry and ecologists), suppliers, service delivery workers and others.

Equal opportunities for all

The Immersive Adventure Agency Ltd (Trading as The Bioasis) is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at The Bioasis are based on business needs, job requirements and individual merit, without regard to disability, age, ethnic or national origin, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, family or parental status. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourage applicants of all ages. For our full EDI policy, please visit: https://www.thebioasis.com/equity-diversity-inclusion

Apply

To apply, please send your CV with a covering email outlining your suitability for the role to [email protected] or call to discuss your interest on 01392 984878.