Logistics / Guide

Office

Logistics team members will split their time between day guiding and working in one of SEAG’s (St Elias Alpine Guides) two client-facing offices. Each office has a specific function and its own set of daily tasks, but in both locations office staff will act as the face of the company, greeting guests and providing top-level customer service. Our offices often function as general “visitor information centers” so a high-level understanding of the area and other local businesses is required. Administrative tasks in the office include but are not limited to answering phone calls and emails, providing information about the area and SEAG offerings, retail and activity sales, managing a cash drawer and taking payments, helping clients complete required paperwork, data entry, and some scheduling. The office environment can be extremely fast-paced and is a very social atmosphere, so logistics team members must exercise good social awareness and communication skills to help clients efficiently. Our clients come from all over the world and their needs are various - no day in the office is alike. Our company is known for it’s exceptional customer service because our staff is the most professional and empowered in the area. While some scheduling of daily operations is handled by management, it is up to the logistics team to put those plans into action and ensure guides, vans, and clients are in the right place at the right times. Working in a dynamic environment, even the best-laid plans will occasionally require a full pivot or some type of alteration, and our logistics team’s good judgment and critical thinking is required to save the day. Our logistics team works closely with management and gets additional training on the ins and outs of the business, as well as the complex logistics of McCarthy/Kennecott and our local business partners. All office-related training is paid, unlike guide training. After their office-specific training, new logistics team members will join the new guides in first year guide training. Logistics team members will always work two Kennecott Office shifts in a row every week. The Kennecott Office is staffed by 1-2 logistics team members and the manager on duty every day. In our West Side office logistics team members work solo and these shifts occur 1-2 days a week. Office work takes precedence at the start of the season and evens out with guiding toward the middle/end of the season. Additionally, a “cell phone” shift is assigned every night to a logistics team member to answer any post-closing phone calls.

Guiding

First-year logistics team members can expect to guide 1-2 days a week on average, with less guiding at the start of the season and more guiding toward the end of the season. Guides receive their schedules the night before their day of guiding and it is up to them to make sure their equipment is packed and ready and they understand the day’s logistics. Activities begin at different times in the day and most of the time guides provide van rides for the company’s clients. Whatever you are guiding, we expect you to provide a truly extraordinary experience to our clients, customizing each activity to your group. You will share a variety of historical, ecological, and geological facts and educate your clients on the particulars of the activity you are guiding. It is up to you to maintain a high level of understanding of each of these topics and how they pertain to the local area and your activity. You will coach, model, and instruct your group on safety recommendations and LNT practices. Guides must always act in a professional manner, maintain a well-groomed appearance, and adhere to SEAG’s uniform standards. After each activity, guides will inspect any equipment used, clean it, and put it away appropriately. Glacier guiding is inherently physically demanding and it is up to each individual to maintain good fitness to perform their job duties. Tours vary from 2-8 hours in length so each day’s shift will be a little different, some days feeling more like a half day, and some filling up the entire day. Check out our Day Trips for more information about each particular tour.

Living + Community

At SEAG we are proud to have nurtured a fun and fulfilling community and it is up to every individual to do their part to maintain it. We are also active members of the larger McCarthy/Kennecott community and are known for our professionalism, highly skilled staff, and willingness to participate and help when needed. Volunteer opportunities will be available but must fit in around your work schedule. All employees must maintain our 11 core values both on and off the clock and be positive, proactive, and contributing members of the SEAG community. Employees living on the SEAG campus will be included in a chore rotation and it is critical to stay up to date with your scheduled chores. In addition, it is expected that employees maintain our communal spaces and practice LNT whether in the backcountry or front - kitchens, workout equipment, wifi, etc are all privileges that we all care for and get to enjoy together. Occasionally, employees will be asked to help with a SEAG or larger community effort on a volunteer basis - this can happen when there’s some sort of emergency in town or someone just needs a hand with a task or a quick ride. In addition, all first-year employees will be scheduled for a day of Campus Improvement where they will work on a construction or maintenance project to better our living area and will not get paid for this work. We encourage our employees to own a giving mentality, recognizing that we’re all here because of someone else’s grace - this becomes especially obvious when living in the bush in remote Alaska! Management is extremely aware of the generosity associated with these requests and does not take advantage of employees, spreading the work and the love equally. Both the job and community can be highly social. Most employees experience an overwhelming amount of “nightlife” they find difficult to keep up with - between SEAG-sponsored events like training, education, meetings, and potlucks and all the events in the greater community (open mic night, live music, yoga, softball, etc), there’s something going on almost every day of the week. It is up to every employee to exercise good judgment when choosing what activities to participate in, how late to stay up, and when and how to practice self-care.