Do you want to support expedition outdoor education trips? Do you have a passion for food and planning for expeditions? We are looking for a Rations Manager, who will be responsible to organise and put together all of the food for our NOLS expeditions. Work within the small team at NOLS NZ and at times also help out in the kitchen.

Key Information

• Please upload your cover letter and resume as one PDF document when you are prompted to upload your CV/resume.

• Applicants need to hold the legal right to work in New Zealand (or eligibility for a working holiday visa) to be considered for this position. 

• Class 1 driver's licence with excellent driving record required. Must undertake and meet NOLS driver training requirements. 

• Target Start Date: 1 September 2025

• Location: NOLS New Zealand

• Questions: contact peopleteam@nols.edu

What does a Rations Manager do?

• Purchase and organise all the food for the expeditions of NOLS courses in NZ 

• Work closely within a budget using different retailers to get the food needed for the trips. 

• Work closely with a software to develop the food plan for the courses

• Work through different dietary requirements and needs for a course 

• Prepare the rations room for students to come through and help pack their food

• Make sure at every re supply food is ready to go out into the field

• Work closely with the operations manager to support the rations busy days

• Work closely with the Kitchen manager to support when their work load is busy. 

In your first 6 months, you will: 

• You would have supported multiple courses heading out on their expeditions with the food they need, by planning, buying food locally and packing and organizing the food.

• You will have a strong understanding of the pantry style food system that NOLS uses on its expeditions and the importance of nutrition in the field.

• Have worked closely with the small NOLS NZ team and had a positive role to play in supporting one another and the students and instructors. 

  What makes a great Rations Manager at NOLS? 

  We are looking for people who share our values and are keen to learn and develop their expertise. While our ideal candidate comes with the skills listed below, we expect to provide training and development support in some of the areas.

  • Have experience working with food 

  • Have an understanding of dietary needs or be willing to learn to cater for those requirements. 

  • Have clear communication skills and enjoy working as a part of a team. 

  • Work with an expedition mantaility. The NOLS NZ campus is a small team and it's important at moments that we all help out, sometimes in other departments, to support courses getting out into the field. 

  • The ability to work behind a computer and use different computer programs to food plan and communicate, make purchases and to the same page. 

  • Participate constructively in team meetings and staff performance evaluations.

  • Hold a current and valid drivers license

  • Able to perform periodic heavy lifting of up to 20kg

  Additional Information

  Part time fixed term between 1st September 20205 and 23rd April 2026. Over the duration of the contract, weekly hours will vary but will average 25 hours per week, exclusive of 3 weeks unpaid time off over the christmas/new year period.

  How to Apply

  It’s super easy! Just enter your email and click the “start your application” button at the top of the screen and upload your cover letter and resume as one PDF document when you are prompted to upload your CV/resume.

  At NOLS we use the Applied platform for our recruitment. The Applied platform will ask you some demographic questions before you start your application. We at NOLS never see the responses to these demographic questions with your application. We only see summary statistics to help us check if our candidate pool is balanced and if everyone has an equal chance to get hired irrespective of their background. If you prefer, you can easily opt out of answering these questions.

  Who is NOLS?

  NOLS is a nonprofit global wilderness school that strives to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Our community—staff, students, trustees, and alumni—shares a commitment to wilderness, education, leadership, safety, community, and excellence. 

  We believe that anyone can be a leader; it is our role to provide the environment and training to help people discover their full potential. We do that in classrooms close to home and in remote wilderness areas around the world. We are an organization with heart, expertise, and wildness, and these qualities help us support powerful, authentic experiences.

  Why is NOLS a great place to work?

  • We have locations in seven U.S. states, and six countries; and courses in all 50 U.S. states and over 10 countries.

  • We have fantastic employee discounts on top outdoor gear brands

  • We offer discounts on NOLS Courses for you and your family

  • All employees can benefit of free outdoor equipment rental" at our various locations

  • Insurance Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits are available at a special NOLS rate to seasonal employees. Full-time employees are eligible for benefits packages. 

  • Wellness Time: Accrued leave that may be used for many HR-approved reasons throughout the season.

  • Employee Assistance Program: Access to counselors that are available 24/7 to assist employees with work-life balance concerns.

  Additional Information

  Please note in order to ensure pay transparency and pay equity the range posted is non-negotiable. If you are unwilling to accept an offer within the posted range, please review our other opportunities to see if one better aligns with your salary expectations.

  Pre-Employment Check

  • A criminal background check is required from all NOLS employees.

  • NOLS participates in e-verify for U.S. employees, Certificado de Antecedentes for Chilean or Mexican employees, and other relevant employment verification systems based on location.

  • Current NOLS employees please note it is NOLS policy to conduct an internal reference check with People Team and/or your current supervisor as part of the reference check process. If you have any questions or concerns about this process please contact peopleteam@nols.edu.

  Equal Employment Opportunity

  NOLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, genetics information, disability unrelated to job or admission requirements, or status as a protected veteran. The school’s nondiscrimination policy applies to all phases of its employment process.

  Reasonable Accommodation

  Reasonable accommodations may be requested for disability; limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition; religion; and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or harassment by emailing peopleteam@nols.edu with your request.