Ragnar Trail Race Director

Job Type Full-time Description

Who we are:

At Ragnar, we have built a premier series of road and trail running adventures. While we are excited about our progress over the past 20 years, we feel like we are just scratching the surface. We want to change how individuals spend their weekends and infuse adventure into their everyday lives. 

We have built a coast-to-coast relay series, our own technology platform, dabbled in virtual events, and partnered with some amazing brands along the way. Here at Ragnar, we are a passionate and scrappy team that comes together from a wide range of backgrounds to solve incredibly complex problems and deliver amazing experiences. 

We are looking for a Trail Race Director to join our team. This position will direct multiple trail races per year, planning, organizing, and executing all race day logistics. The  Trail Race Director will also develop and execute strategic and tactical event operation plans, establish and manage overall event operation budgets, and perform other duties related to the company's operational strategy.

 

Who you are:

You are at one with nature, and the thought of running or hiking remote trails for many miles for hours and/or multiple days at a time excites you. You are an adaptable, forward thinker who knows that no matter how early you finish your planning or finalize all the details of an event, unexpected things always seem to find their way to the surface. When things do go awry, you can think on the fly, make sound decisions, and act quickly to get things back on course. Your organizational skills are off the charts, and somehow, your brain is able to see the big picture simultaneously with all the crucial details.

What will you be working on:

• Assisting in the development of race budgets and expense management, and adheres to the same
• Acquiring necessary permits – Venues, Cities, Counties, Fire, Health, DOT, etc.
• Providing vendor management - contracts, deliveries, equipment, etc.
• Supervising volunteer management - SWAT, race day volunteers, charity volunteers
• Managing charity relationships and execute charity commitments
• Coordinating all logistics for the race
• Creating effective layouts (parking, shuttle, camping, venue, evacuation, etc.)
• Pre-race travel, course/venue setup, and Race Day execution
• Maintaining a safe and logistically sound race route
• Supervising post-race wrap-up - both internal and external, compile all feedback and needed improvements, and implement the necessary changes the following year
• Customer Service - Answering questions forwarded from customer service or that come directly to you
• Driving large vehicles up to 26’ U-Haul trucks
• Sustainability - Help execute the race sustainability plan including waste reduction, energy use, and procurement practices
• Interface with other departments, customers, and vendor representatives
• Responsible for effective communication levels and fosters team building
• Manage continuous improvement projects involving cross functional teams where necessary
• Miscellaneous projects as assigned
• Perform other related duties as assigned 
• Work weekends and long hours during races 

Requirements

Your skillset:

• Foster, support, and value diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace
• Minimum 1-3 years of relevant event/race planning experience
• Leadership experience required
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work effectively as a member of a team and multiple cross-functional project teams 
• Well-organized with the ability to multi-task, excellent time management, and high attention to detail
• Detail-oriented self-starter with the ability to prioritize projects, work within short time frames, and meet deadlines
• Conflict resolution experience preferred 
• Basic computer skills (Outlook, Excel, Word, Google Earth)
• Must be able to run trails for many miles and for many hours at a time 
• Able to work non-traditional hours -Working weekends and long hours during races
• This position requires 40% travel during race season (typically April-October) 
• Any experience with wilderness first aid and/or wilderness rescue is a big bonus
• Any experience with budget management, operations, event management, and/or logistics is a big bonus
• Able to work non-traditional hours 
• Have reliable transport and a clean driving record 
• Comfortable navigating travel in new cities and remote areas 

Physical demands and work environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those th