The Role
WHO WE ARE
Lindblad Expeditions is a true pioneer in Expedition Travel. From taking the first citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966, opening the Galapagos and Easter Island to tourism in 1967, leading the first tourist expedition through the Northwest Passage in 1984, and launching our innovative partnership with National Geographic in 2004, we're now taking almost 30,000 guests a year to some of the world’s most remote and pristine locations on our fleet of 20 ships, and are committed to ensuring our guests experience the “Exhilaration of Discovery”.
SUMMARY
This position is responsible for delivering the best possible guest experience by providing inspired leadership for guests and staff while upholding the guiding principles of Lindblad Expeditions. The Expedition Leader should expect contract periods a minimum of 4-6 weeks at a time with varying hours each day, based on the itinerary.
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The Alaska focused Expedition Leader supports the expedition as the primary communicator, manager and coordinator of all guest and staff-related expedition activities for our voyages. For this role, we are looking for candidates with extensive expertise specifically in Alaska, and can only consider applicants who meet the following Specific Subject Matter Expertise requirements indicated below. Please do not apply if you do not meet these requirements.
SPECIFIC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE REQUIRED- Please do not apply if you do not meet these requirements.
- At least five years of experience in Alaska in the expedition cruise industry.
- Availability May - August 2026.
- Demonstrated experience managing a team in the field.
- Demonstrated experience running operations in bear habitat.
- Experience driving zodiacs with guests preferred.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
- Significant and relevant field experience. Prior experience on expedition ships strongly preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree or four years of work experience in related industry.
- In-depth knowledge of destination.
- Understanding of and passion for natural history and/or history & culture.
- Excellent communication skills, strong communicator to individuals and groups, and a confident, lively speaker.
- Excellent leadership abilities, demonstrates confidence and competence, makes guests feel they are in good hands.
- Has a coach mentality. Knows when to be a coach and when to be a player.
- Inspires a highly motivated team and delivers results.
- Recognizes the collective value of the team and supports that premise always.
- Is calm, unflappable, and adaptive to an ever-changing environment.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
- The Expedition Leader must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Additional duties may be added or assigned at any time.
- Acts as the primary communicator, manager and coordinator of all guest and staff-related expedition activities.
- Acts as primary liaison between the office and field, implementing the company’s initiatives.
- Gives or coordinates all briefings and announcements to keep guests informed and confident in the leadership of the voyage.
- Represents interest of the guest experience to Captain and department heads.
- Collaborates with the Captain, Officers, and Crew to ensure safe operations and the best possible expedition.
- Reports back to the office on the status of relationships with our destinations, suppliers, partners.
- Reports back to office about the guest’s perspective and experiences.
- Effectively deals with challenging guests and challenging situations.
- Coordinates and ensures quality of presentations, recaps, and field interpretation.
- Manages expedition staff to make sure guests are receiving the best possible service.
- Acts as a role model for the expedition staff and consistently represents Lindblad Expeditions with integrity and professionalism.
- Provides guidance and feedback to the expedition staff, making sure they adhere to established principles and policies and addressing issues as they arise.
- Discusses feedback with each individual staff member.
- Consults with Field Staff Director about staff feedback.
- Represents expedition staff’s interests to ship’s officers and Lindblad office.
- Writes daily programs, voyage reports, debriefing reports, and staff feedback forms.
- Communicates with Field Staff & Expedition Operations Departments about problems during expeditions and makes recommendations for solutions.
- Communicates with appropriate office personnel during emergencies.
- Represents Lindblad Expeditions to any visitors, authorities, press, conservation organizations, or others.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
- Promotion/Sales- Should be familiar with the company philosophy and various programs offered by Lindblad Expeditions and be able to address and field questions from guests regarding the various programs offered.
- Conservation/Sustainability- Should become familiar with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic’s conservation and sustainability programs and be able to discuss the particular efforts in any itinerary where scheduled.
- Zodiac Operations- Should be prepared to assist with many aspects of Zodiac operations for shore excursions. Familiarity with Zodiacs and ability to drive a strong preference, but not a requirement.
- Safety- Should be prepared to participate in on-board safety training, meetings and drills, including abandon ship and fire drills. Will also participate in shore-based training as required by the Company. Must be very familiar with the Field Staff Handbook.
Communication Skills
Using the English language, this person must have the ability to read, write, and comprehend policies, legal guidelines, correspondence, and memos. Must also possess the ability to effectively communicate--both in writing and orally--with a professional demeanor.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of this position, this person is frequently required to sit, talk and hear. This person will also be required to write and type. Occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The physical demands per position are described in the Job Analysis sheet and are available to all applicants upon request.
COMPENSATION STATEMENT
Lindblad Expeditions determines the pay for contracts and positions using local, national, and industry-specific survey data. We evaluate external equity and the cost of labor/prevailing wage index in the relative marketplace for jobs directly comparable to jobs within our company. Our posted daily range is based on national data and may be refined for a candidate's region/town/cost of living.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER STATEMENT
At Lindblad Expeditions, we simply could not do our work without the diverse kaleidoscope of humanity that creates and delivers our remarkable offerings across the planet. As a Company that respects and celebrates the inherent diversity in the places we explore, we recognize the need to mirror that same diversity and all the interconnected perspectives within our organization. We are committed to building a community of different genders, races, ages, sexual orientations, chosen identities, and countries of origin where every person brings their whole self to work and whose skills, talents, and abilities are valued. We believe we can explore further and in a more meaningful way by actively creating a more diverse and inclusive organization where everyone feels they belong.
Lindblad Expeditions is an equal-opportunity employer. Individuals seeking a contract or employment at Lindblad Expeditions are considered without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetics, marital status, pregnancy, unemployment status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or veteran status.
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The Company
What We Do
In 1958 Lars-Eric Lindblad, considered the father of eco travel, founded Lindblad Travel and pioneered the first non-scientific expeditions to Antarctica (1966) and Galápagos (1967), subsequently opening the Amazon, Papua New Guinea, China, Bhutan, and more to curious, respectful travelers. In 1979, his son Sven-Olof Lindblad founded Special Expeditions, eventually re-named Lindblad Expeditions, specializing in ship-based expedition travel. In 2004 Lindblad Expeditions forged an unprecedented alliance with National Geographic with a joint mission “to inspire people to explore and care about the planet through expedition travel.” Today the company operates a fleet of 10 ships, including the 148-guest National Geographic Explorer, the world’s ultimate expedition ship, and the 106-guest National Geographic Orion, the newest ship in the Lindblad-National Geographic fleet. All ships sail equipped with sophisticated exploration tools, to provide unique, immersive experiences in the planet’s capitals of wildness and culture. Our expedition ships regularly explore Galápagos, Antarctica, Alaska, Arctic Norway, Baja California, Costa Rica and Panama, Europe, the Baltics, Vietnam and Cambodia, and more.
