Paul Smith’s College is hiring a Nordic Center Manager to run the ski operation at its Visitor Interpretive Center, the 25 miles of ski, snowshoe and hiking trails on the college’s campus in the northern Adirondacks of New York.
The job is full time and covers nearly everything that happens on snow at the VIC: races and events, lessons and youth programs, passes and partnerships, trail and course readiness, and the student staff and volunteers who keep the place running. The college sees the VIC/Outdoor Center as a regional ski destination, an event venue, a classroom and an earned-revenue business all at once, and it wants a hands-on manager who can grow how much the center gets used in every one of those roles.
The trails are also home to one of the strongest programs in the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association. Head coach Matt Dougherty’s Paul Smith’s men won the 2026 USCSA national title and the women finished second, a run FasterSkier wrote about this month. The new manager will work alongside the VIC Director, the Trails & Facilities Manager and Athletics to balance what the team needs with public access, programs and events.
The Position
- Nordic Center Manager, regular, full time, exempt
- Department: Paul Smith’s College Outdoor Center / Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC)
- Reports to the Director of the Outdoor Center / VIC
- Salary: $62,353.20 to $68,000
- Health, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, and a 403(b) to which the college contributes 5 percent of salary
- Tuition remission for employees and their dependents, plus free use of the college’s gym, athletic facilities and the VIC trails
- Early mornings, evenings, weekends and holidays come with the job in winter
Events, Programs and Partners
The first half of the job is getting more people onto the trails. The manager will:
- Keep developing the Nordic Center as a welcoming, high quality regional destination for students, teams, visitors and the local community
- Find, plan, promote and support races, training opportunities, clinics, youth programs, community events and group outings
- Build public programming, including learn-to-ski sessions, skills clinics, school and youth programs, camps, guided outings and community races
- Build relationships with Nordic clubs, race directors, coaches, schools, collegiate programs, tourism partners, outdoor recreation organizations and local businesses
- Grow visits and earned revenue through passes, programs, events, facility use, partnerships and sponsorships
Running the Venue
The second half is the daily operation. The manager will:
- Coordinate the day-to-day Nordic Center experience, from public access and trail and course readiness to user communications, scheduling, safety procedures and service standards
- Recommend trail, course, facility, equipment, signage and visitor service improvements that make the venue more reliable, more accessible and better prepared for events
- Recruit, train, schedule, supervise and mentor student employees, seasonal staff and volunteers
- Serve as Manager on Duty
Depending on the experience and strengths of the person hired, the role can also lead, oversee or share the work in one or more of these areas:
- Winter grooming, including grooming schedules, trail condition updates, and operating and maintaining the grooming equipment
- Supervising staff and students on sustainable trail construction and maintenance
- Race recruitment and operations, including regional, high school, collegiate and club relationships and course planning for specific competitions
- Clinics, camps, youth programming, school partnerships and inclusive community recreation
- Pass sales, rentals, retail, sponsorships, marketing, tourism partnerships and social media
- Long-range planning for trails, courses, facilities, amenities and capital improvements
Qualifications
Required:
- Experience in outdoor recreation, event management, hospitality, community programming, destination development, customer service, Nordic skiing or a related field
- A track record of helping develop and deliver events, programs, services, partnerships or customer experiences, with strong planning, communication, relationship building and problem solving skills
- Ability to supervise and mentor student employees, seasonal staff, volunteers or crews, and to work across campus and with outside partners
- Ability to work outdoors in variable winter conditions, on early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays and changing hours
- Strong computer and administrative skills, including email, spreadsheets, scheduling and digital recordkeeping, and the ability to learn point-of-sale, rental and reservation, equipment inventory and trail condition systems
Preferred:
- Experience managing a Nordic center, winter recreation venue, trail system, outdoor recreation business, event operation or comparable public-facing operation
- Experience with pass or membership programs, registration, earned-revenue services, marketing, sponsorships, tourism partnerships, Nordic events or cross country ski racing
- Experience with or strong knowledge of Nordic grooming, snowmobile operation, grooming equipment, trail maintenance or winter trail operations
Physical requirements: The manager must be able to move safely on foot over icy, snow-covered and steep trails, lift and move equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, operate or learn to operate winter utility vehicles including snowmobiles and tracked UTVs, and have the endurance to respond quickly in deep snow.
How to Apply
Paul Smith’s College is accepting submissions through November 20, 2026. Apply through the college’s careers site:
Nordic Center Manager at Paul Smith’s College
Questions about careers at the college can go to Paul Smith’s College human resources at 518-327-6179. Paul Smith’s College is an equal opportunity employer.
