Outdoor Experience Designer

Full-Time Private Sector

Job Location

20 Commerce St, Brevard, NC 28712

Job Description

Outdoor Experience Designer
We're seeking a full-time Outdoor Experience Designer to join our design team. This role sits at the intersection of trail planning, bike park design, landscape architecture, and fabrication-ready documentation. You'll shape how people move through natural landscapes, designing systems that balance adventure, safety, environmental sensitivity, and material durability.

The role blends field exploration, conceptual design, technical documentation, and visual communication, contributing to projects from early feasibility through construction documentation and field oversight.

This position is based in the southeastern United States, with preference for western or central North Carolina. Up to 30% travel is expected for fieldwork and project meetings.

What This Role Is About
We're looking for a creative, dirt-obsessed designer who thinks in flow states and sightlines. You'll craft experiences that make people come back. This isn't drafting lines on a topo map; it's designing progressive systems that serve beginners through experts while holding up to weather, heavy use, and time.

While trails and bike parks are our core, we think bigger. We design city parks, nature play areas, scenic overlooks, disc golf courses, ropes courses, and other outdoor adventure experiences. Trails are the conduit that connects all of these elements into a cohesive outdoor experience. You should be excited about the full spectrum of outdoor recreation, not just one slice of it.

We are looking for someone who can:

Think visually about landscape, terrain, and user experience
Shape trail systems, bike parks, and outdoor recreation spaces from concept through construction
Translate ideas into clear, compelling design graphics and fabrication-ready documentation
Work fluidly between field observations, design concepts, and production drawings
Responsibilities
Design progressive trail networks and bike park features from concept through construction documentation
Conduct site analysis including soil, hydrology, vegetation, and user circulation patterns
Develop grading plans, trail corridor alignments, and feature specifications (berms, jumps, drops, skinnies, flow features)
Support development of trail and recreation concept plans, feasibility studies, and design narratives
Create illustrative plans, diagrams, visual presentations, and construction details
Produce material specs, fabrication drawings, and visual renderings for client approvals
Collaborate with land managers, builders, environmental consultants, and GIS team members
Create trail difficulty progression systems that serve beginners through expert riders
Oversee construction quality and make field adjustments based on real-world conditions
Collect and interpret field observations to inform design decisions
Help prepare materials for client presentations and internal reviews
Core Mindset & Traits
Strong Point of View on Aesthetics & Function
You don't design by committee. You have a clear, defensible perspective on what looks right and works right in the built landscape. You can articulate why a railing detail, a surface texture, or a color palette belongs in a space, and you push back when something compromises the vision. Form and function aren't competing forces for you; they're the same thing.

Passionate About Placemaking
You understand that trails, parks, and outdoor structures aren't just infrastructure. They're experiences that shape how communities connect with land. You think about arrival sequences, moments of discovery, rest and reward, and how a place feels at different times of day and seasons. You obsess over the details that turn a built environment into a destination people claim as their own.

Systems Thinker, Not a Feature Designer
You don't design individual elements in isolation. You think about how an entire trail system flows together, how routes connect, how skill progressions layer across a network, and how riders of different levels share the same landscape without conflict. A single berm doesn't exist on its own; it exists in the context of what comes before and after it, how sight lines guide decisions, and how the whole system reads from the trailhead.

The same applies to built environments. When you design a trailhead, kiosk, or amenity space, you're thinking in assemblies, not renderings. You consider how components are fabricated, shipped, and installed within real budgets and site constraints. Pretty pictures that can't be built don't interest you. You design things that can actually get constructed, maintained, and improved over time.

Designs for Everyone, Not Just the Hardcore
You design for the 5-year-old on a balance bike and the 65-year-old on a first hike, not just the weekend warrior. Every system you touch should have a clear, graduated progression from introductory experiences through intermediate challenges to advanced features, with no gaps that force someone to skip a tier. If a rider has to jump from green to double black because there's nothing in between, you failed. Inclusive design isn't a checkbox; it's the baseline. Age, ability, and experience level all get considered from day one.

Professional Traits
Curious, observant, and design-driven mindset
Strong communication and collaboration skills
Open to critique and iterative design development
Comfortable balancing independent work and team collaboration
Detail-aware without losing sight of the bigger experience
Strong sense of composition, clarity, and storytelling in design
Technical Knowledge
Architectural Materials Expertise
Deep working knowledge across:

Metals: Steel, aluminum, corten, stainless; understanding of welding, bending, powder coating, galvanizing, and corrosion behavior in outdoor exposure
Woods: Hardwoods, treated softwoods, thermally modified species, engineered lumber; understanding of grain, movement, decay resistance, and appropriate fastening
Composites & Acrylics: FRP, HDPE, polycarbonate, resin panels; understanding of when to spec them over natural materials for longevity or translucency
Laminates & Coatings: HPL, phenolic panels, UV-stable finishes, anti-graffiti coatings, powder coat vs. wet paint vs. anodizing; spec'ing for outdoor durability and maintenance cycles
Fasteners & Substrates: Concealed vs. exposed hardware, structural vs. decorative connections, tamper-resistant options, substrate compatibility (concrete, steel, wood blocking)
Finish Systems: Color matching across material families, weathering expectations, touch-up and replacement planning
You know what holds up in sun, rain, freeze/thaw, and heavy public use, and you spec accordingly.

Landscape Materials & Surface Systems
Understanding of trail and path surfacing systems, including the performance characteristics, limitations, and maintenance implications of each:

Native Soil: Compaction behavior, erosion vulnerability on slopes, seasonal performance in wet vs. dry climates, re-grading frequency, and the relationship between soil type and trail durability
Aggregate (Crushed Stone / Gravel): Drainage characteristics, migration behavior under wheel traffic and on curves, confinement and edging requirements, gradation and fines content for compaction
Asphalt: Load-bearing capacity, ADA compliance characteristics, heat island effects, seal-coat maintenance cycles, vulnerability to root pressure and freeze/thaw cracking
Chip Seal: Traction performance on grades and in ice conditions, permeability characteristics, flexibility under minor root heave, lifespan and recoat cycles compared to full asphalt
Soil Binders (Stabilized Native Surface): Polymeric and organic binder types, dust and erosion reduction performance, ADA achievability when properly installed, long-term maintenance requirements
Stone (Flagstone, Armoring, Slab): Durability in high-erosion and water-crossing conditions, slip behavior when wet, labor and cost intensity, structural applications for grade reversals and pinch points
Timbers (Boardwalks, Bridges, Edge Retention): Structural inspection requirements, replacement cycles for treated lumber, anti-slip surfacing options, load ratings, and root zone protection applications
You understand how these materials interact with drainage, slope, soil type, freeze/thaw cycles, and user volume.

Production & Fabrication
Detailed Fabrication Plans
You produce shop-ready documentation that a fabricator can price and build from without guessing. Your drawings communicate:

Material call-outs, thicknesses, and finish specs
Tolerances, connection details, and hardware schedules
Assembly sequences that account for site access, crane reach, and install order
Maintenance access points, replaceable components, and wear surfaces
Panel/module breakdowns sized for shipping and handling
You think downstream: what does the welder need to know, what does the installer need in the field, and what does the maintenance crew need in year five?

Visual Communication
Ability to produce clean, compelling diagrams and illustrative plans
Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign or similar)
Strong graphic sensibility for both technical and presentation work
Strong visual communication skills (hand sketches, 3D viz, or both)
Software Proficiency
Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign for design graphics, presentations, and visual communication
AutoCAD: Preferred experience with Civil3D for grading, corridor modeling, and site design
Fusion 360: 3D modeling and fabrication-ready documentation
SketchUp: Conceptual modeling and rapid iteration
Twin Motion: Real-time visualization and client-facing renderings
ArcGIS / QGIS: Spatial analysis, terrain data, and mapping
Apple Products: Proficiency with macOS, iPad, and Apple ecosystem tools for design workflows and field documentation
Project Management Platforms: Ability to adapt to company-specific project management and collaboration tools
Background
3+ years designing trails, bike parks, or outdoor recreation spaces
Deep understanding of mountain bike trail geometry, drainage, and sustainable building practices (IMBA standards a plus)
Proficiency in CAD, GIS, and terrain modeling tools
Experience with grading, erosion control, and native revegetation
A rider's intuition for flow, sight lines, rhythm, and progressive challenge
Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture, Planning, Environmental Design, or related field preferred (strong portfolio or equivalent experience may substitute)
Bonus Points
Experience with pump tracks, adaptive/accessible trail design, or skills progression areas
Background in landscape architecture, civil engineering, or recreation planning
Familiarity with permitting processes (NEPA, USFS, local jurisdictions)
You ride, hike, or run the stuff you design
Field Awareness
Comfortable working in natural and remote environments
Ability to interpret terrain, vegetation, and user experience on site
Willingness to adjust design thinking based on real-world conditions
Outdoor recreation experience (mountain biking, hiking, trail use) strongly preferred
Position Requirements
Valid driver's license
Ability to travel for fieldwork (~30%)
Ability to work in varied outdoor conditions for extended field days

Employer	Nature Trails, LLC
Posted	Jul 7, 2026
Expires	Oct 31, 2026

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