Jobs in the outdoor industry

You love the mountains, the sea, the snow, adventures, adrenaline? You would like to combine your interest for spending time in nature with your job? Then a role at an outdoor brand might just be right for you. Browse through our latest job offers and explore the possibilities.

Most recent outdoor jobs

  • nanacom Kommunikationskollektiv GmbH
    Senior Consultant Mit Fokus Auf Marketingkommunikation, PR Und Strategie (m/w/d) In Vollzeit
    München
  • Head
    DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER – PAID MEDIA (m/f/d)
    Kennelbach
  • Columbia Sportswear Company
    Sales Associate PT 32 Hours
    Barberino di Mugello, Italy
  • PLEIN NORD
    Traffic Manager (H/F)
    Allonzier-la-Caille
  • PLEIN NORD
    Attaché(e) Commercial Secteur Sud Est (H/F)
    Allonzier-la-Caille
  • Skechers
    Sales Associate – Braintree
    Braintree
  • Skechers
    Sales Associates – Bluewater
    Dartford
  • On
    Senior Lead – Digital Product Manager
    Zürich
  • Skechers
    ADDETTO/A VENDITE – BARBERINO DESIGNER OUTLET
    Barberino del Mugello, Italy
  • Salomon
    SPRZEDAWCA PÓŁ ETATU
    Piaseczno
  • Skechers
    SALES ASSOCIATE
    Vicolungo
  • Skechers
    SUPERVISOR
    Castel Guelfo di Bologna
  • Skechers
    European IT Support FR-ANG
    Herstal
  • Skechers
    SALES ASSOCIATE
    Marcianise, Italy
  • On
    Footwear Designer Performance All Day
    Zürich
  • On
    Footwear Product Manager Kids
    Zürich
  • Skechers
    Supervisor – 38 Uur
    Antwerp
  • Skechers
    Sales Associate – 20 Uur
    Antwerp
  • Skechers
    Supervisor – 38 Uur
    Rotterdam
  • Skechers
    Senior Sales Associate – 38 Uur
    Rotterdam
  • Skechers
    Supervisor – *NIEUWE WINKEL*
    Bruges
  • Skechers
    Assistant Store Manager – 38h
    Halfweg
  • Salomon
    ALTERNANCE – Market Research Assistant W/M- SALOMON BRAND
    Annecy
  • Salomon
    ALTERNANCE – Junior Product Manager Freeski W/M – SALOMON WSE
    Annecy

Popular outdoor employer

Have you heard of the VF Corporation? In fact, they are one of the leading companies of the sports business, uniting various well-known active lifestyle brands. What’s interesting: A big part of VF is their action & outdoor branch with outdoor apparel brands Altra, Icebreaker, Smartwool, The North Face and Timberland. Discover their various job offers in their stores, hubs and swiss headquarter.

Salomon’s heritage, culture, and commitment are tied together by one simple concept: the world’s leading mountain people creating the world’s leading mountain product to play all year round both Summer and Winter with core sports such as Ski, Hiking or Running.
Nowadays, Salomon is part of the Amer Sports group and has their headquarter in Annecy in the heart of the French Alps.

Found in 1938, The Columbia Sportswear Company has evolved to be one of the largest outdoor brands in the US and worldwide. Their product range includes outerwear, sportswear, footwear and accessories. While their global headquarter is located in Portland, Oregon, US, they also have European corporate offices at the foot of the Alps in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as in Strasbourg, France.

The advantages of working in the outdoor industry

The outdoor industry might be one of the industries closest to understand the needs of their employees. Most outdoor brands offer a more flexible schedule for more time in nature, employee discounts for gear and team events which include bike & hike tours or similar. In combination with a team of like-minded people and a purpose of acting eco-conscious, these jobs offer more than money as an incentive, but actually a career you might really enjoy.
Taking a look at the business side, the outdoor industry has been booming in 2020 & 2021. Covid-19 generated a renewed interest in spending time outside which effected not only outdoor apparel and gear, but also the camping sector. As a result, more job opportunities have been created and salaries became more competitive which makes the outdoor industry an attractive & stable sector to work in.

What should I bring to a job in the Outdoor Industry?

While needed skills and experience vary for each role, there’s two essential characteristics found in almost every outdoor job. Both of them don’t require a specific skill, but actually, are very personal. One is an active interest in outdoor sports, the other is taking responsibility for our planet.

A passion for outdoor sports

Outdoor companies tend to hire people who identify with their brand and have at least tried some of their products. To match these criteria, you should definitely bring an interest in outdoor sports, whether it’s hiking, trail running, climbing, ski or other.

This also brings the biggest advantage of working for an outdoor brand: Most of your colleagues will be incredibly passionate about the same sports as you. Which means that you have a very big aspect of your life in common and might end up as outdoor buddies in your free time. This is of course up to you, but in general, working in the outdoor industry normally means being more involved with your team than in other industries.

A desire to save our planet

No other sports sector is so much involved in and at the same time dependent on the environment. Thus, working for an outdoor brand comes hand in hand with the responsibility to protect our nature. Obviously, selling outdoor apparel and gear needs an intact nature or else there is no market. This results in a shared-value effort with sustainability strategies which touch production and supply, design and sales and even define an internal codex. So, no matter in which department you end up working, you’ll be involved in realising and representing a sustainable approach.

If you’ve no interest in bettering the world, we’d suggest not applying for an outdoor job, but looking for a job at a different industry instead.

Are you recruiting? Advertise your outdoor job offers at Sportyjob and our partners

Sportyjob offers different job postings and annual subscriptions with unlimited job offers. Find out more details on our services for companies page or directly request an individual offer via e-mail.

Insights from the outdoor industry

Want to see what outdoor brands and its employees are up to? In these articles & interviews,  you have the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the outdoor sector.

Timberland Designer Alicia Pinckney
Career Paths in the Sports Industry

Meet Alicia Pinckney: Designer at Timberland

Passionate, creative and a very contagious smile: That’s Alicia Pinckney. The Men’s Apparel Designer of Timberland heritage talked to us about her career, what inspires

 

Of course, the sports- and outdoor business go hand in hand. That’s why Sportyjob is cooperating with plenty of companies that match your passion. We’d like to introduce you to a few possible employers!

A fantastic outdoor organisation is the Freeride World Tour. Being part of the FTW means living the dream! In their sports jobs you organize exciting events all around the globe. Also, you get to meet the pro-riders and watch them rip.  The best part: the FTW encourages their employees to actively shred daily (freeski or snowboard). If your heart beats for wintersports, you should take the chance when it comes up. At the moment they might not actively search for someone, but are hiring regularly throughout the year. Potential candidates should be willing to put their heart in their career and travel a lot.

-> All jobs at the Freeride World Tour

Looking for a new professional adventure? Then Mammut Sports Group might be a good shot. Jobs at Mammut require a lot of passion for mountaineering – since the people behind this company love mountain climbing, trekking and hiking themselves and expect their employees to do the same. Something you’ll find in the quality and progress of their outdoor collections. If you are passionate about developing the products you use yourself and make them even better, you’ll find the right position here. Use your active experience in internships and full time positions in patern apparel and design – together with a team that sticks together and climbs together.

-> Free positions at Mammut

Have you heard of the VF Corporation? In fact, they are one of the leading companies of the sports business, uniting various well-known active lifestyle brands. What’s interesting: A big part of VF is their action & outdoor branch with outdoor wear and backpack producers like Napajari, Smartwool, Eagle Creek, The North Face and Timberland. Discover their various job offers in their stores, hubs and even swiss headquarter:

-> All recent outdoor jobs at VF and their action brands.

Needless to say, these three just represent the outdoor sports employers. Further brands like Bergfreunde, Blue Ice and outdoorer can be found in our hiring company overview. The number next to a logo tells you the number of available jobs. Is there none, you can still scan the employer’s profile for useful information and contacts for a initial application. Salute the Mountains!

Retail Outdoor Jobs

You’re willing to share your experience with advice on the best gear for hiking, trekking, camping and co? A job at an outdoor store would fit your perfectly!
Choose your right career path depending on your level of experience and your degree: Sales Consultant or Assistant is the closest way to work with customers and consult them about products without having to study or futher experience. (That is, if you’re actively mountaineering yourself).  Often outdoor shops have different contract solutions: Whether it’s a full-time position or a part-time one next to family or your studies, see which schedule fits you best.

With a business degree or long-time experience in retail, you might want to apply as a Shop or Store Manager instead. The tasks around this position include decisions on product range, shop design, team leading, setting up social media channels, … – everything around the strategic work of a store.

Two popular distribitors for outdoor and action gear are, for example, Decathlon or Intersport.

Hint: If you’re passionate about outdoor sports yourself, it’s important to work for a company that you can trust with clear conscience. Especially at an all-round distributor, you might find yourself in a situation when you have to sell a product that you’d never use yourself. In the end, this results in frustration for either your client, your employer or you (or all together).

Just imagine the satisfaction working for an outdoor brand that you love – feels great, doesn’t it?

Adventurous jobs outside

Standing behind the counter or sitting in front of a computer is not what you’re thinking of as “outdoor jobs”?  Then it’s time for a little action in your profession. Being outside is what makes a lot of these jobs so appealing. Depending on your own passion and sportiness, the outdoor branch presents plenty of career opportunities. Tour guides in the mountains during summer or winter, snowboard-, ski- or surf instructor or even as a park ranger. Your interests decide.

Well, let’s face it. There’s not much job openings in our outdoor and sports job board that fit the requirements above. The reason is simply that tour operators, wintersport- and surfschools are most of the times very small teams or even independent people  who aren’t looking for staff outside of their personal reach. We recommend contacting them directly, online or through phone, if there’s an outdoor player that you’d love to work with.

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