VACANCIES

Adventure Specialties Trust is a leading provider of adventure therapy, youth development and outdoor education services in New Zealand. As part of our mahi we partner with a range of community agencies to deliver outdoor activity programmes as part of therapeutic interventions. This area of our service is rapidly growing and we need someone to be part of this exciting area of work!

ABOUT THE ROLE

The key purpose of this role is to work closely in collaboration with the Adventure Therapy Manager to support and grow our Adventure Therapy services in our Auckland office in Henderson. In particular, our hope for this role is to develop either or both of our Kaupapa Māori adventure therapy, and one-on-one therapeutic services. The four main components of the role are:

Client and Partnership Management

A key part of this role is building and maintaining the relationship between Adventure Specialties Trust and the organisations we work with to deliver services and support clients. This includes some government services and other NGO’s.

Service Design

We are keen to expand our service delivery to include more Kaupapa Māori style services and also more therapeutic work with families and individuals. This role will be key in developing partnerships and programmes/services that will help us grow in these areas.

Supporting a Small Team

Within our adventure therapy work we have two committed facilitators and other instructors who also facilitate some adventure therapy programming. This role will involve supporting these facilitators with some ideas, feedback and support as they do their delivery roles.

Service Delivery

Initially this role will be approx. 0.5 service delivery and 0.5 office based work. We anticipate that this ratio will change as the work continues to grow and there will be more office and less service delivery.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

In an ideal world the ultimate applicant would have skills and qualifications in a therapeutic discipline, Kaupapa Māori services, management and outdoor leadership. However, we recognise that there are not many people who have all these things! Therefore it is more important to us to have the right person on board who personally aligns with the mission and values of the Trust and is willing to learn and grow! Adventure Specialties Trust is committed to the on-going training and development of its staff. Successful applicants will be supported towards developing skills in both outdoor leadership and therapeutic roles. This position comes with a generous professional development and annual leave package. The ideal candidate will be willing to make a commitment of three years due to the training and investment involved.

The strongest applicants will have as many of the following as possible:

• Qualifications and/or training in youth work, social work, counselling, psychotherapy, or occupational therapy.
• Experience delivering one-on-one therapeutic services.
• Experience designing and delivering Kaupapa Māori services.
• Have personal experience in a range of outdoor pursuits and leadership qualifications.
• Have experience in leading groups (preferably in an outdoor leadership setting).
• Held a drivers licence for a minimum of two years and be eligible for a P Endorsement.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills.
• Initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Good organisational skills and computer literacy.
• An understanding of youth development and therapeutic principles.
• A current first aid certificate (not necessary at time of application).

If you wish to speak to somebody about this position please contact Amy Horn on 027 424 6596. Otherwise please forward a CV with contact details for two referees to: Adventure Specialties Trust, PO Box 45152, Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland 0651, or email CV to office@adventurespecialties.co.nz. Please include in your cover letter how you see yourself aligning with the mission and values of the organisation.