Join an award-winning nonprofit that helps create kind, confident, and curious kids through nature-based outdoor adventures.
Are you looking for a balance of running your own site (with day camps, community programs, field trips, and more) while receiving incredible mentorship, professional development opportunities, and a leadership role in an award-winning nonprofit? This role is going to be an amazing combination of fun+creative+challenge+dreams+makin’ it happen! We are looking for a seasoned camp pro to join us to help us open our newest site and combine their dreams and ideas with our organizational values, resources, and strategic planning. New site = tons of potential and opportunity to help us shape and grow an incredible program. Our new Site Director will need to be experienced in staff management, infrastructure management, program design, and revenue generation.
Schoolhouse of Wonder is looking for experienced and dedicated staff who are passionate about their work, who are committed to Schoolhouse’s mission and values, and who value diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A Site Director is an important leader and member of our field team. They help create and manage magical and impactful day camps for children and teens, community programming, and field trips. In camp mode, a Site Director works to plan and prepare camp programs, hire and train staff, and lead camp through the spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons. In community programs mode, this person will design and implement community programs for a broad and diverse population including field trips, outreach programs, environmental education, and outdoor recreation programs. This position is responsible for the day-to-day operations at one of our locations including managing seasonal and year-round staff members and multiple program types.
As a Site Director, you’ll be spending your time:
- Supporting staff to deliver camp programming, including games, hikes, river and creek explorations, and skill-based activities, to small groups of children or teens;
- Supporting staff to deliver community programming, including field trips, outdoor recreation, family programming, and environmental education to a diverse population;
- Keeping the logistics of the site running smoothly by managing staff, infrastructure, camp supplies, activity schedules, budget, partnerships, and program areas;
- Providing excellent child-centered, empathy-based behavior management;
- Ensuring consistent program quality and extraordinary customer service;
- Safeguarding the physical and emotional safety of participants;
- Establishing trusted lines of communication with participants, their families, other Schoolhouse staff, community partners, and our park partners;
- Building a financially sustainable program through participation in multi-year program planning, budget creation and management, partnership building, and financial management;
- Partnering with the COO to hire, train, and mentor seasonal and year round staff;
This is a year-round position beginning February or March 2024.
A Site Director is a mentor worth remembering and emulating for children, teens, and staff
A Site Director takes pride and joy in mentoring children, teens, and staff. These individuals can partner energy with patience and responsibility with fun.
General Responsibilities
Site Directors are expected to:
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- Set the standard by modeling Schoolhouse’s values, methodologies, policies, and procedures, including creating a safe environment by following our COVID procedures.
- Be a leader. Support camp staff to organize the games, tell the stories, and manage their groups. Use and model appropriate child-centered behavior management techniques. Stay on schedule and manage your time. Create a culture of safety, growth, and fun.
- Partner vision with pragmatism. Dream big as we plan and grow this new location, keeping our organization’s mission and values, participant safety, and limitations of reality in mind.
- Safeguard the physical, emotional, and intellectual safety of participants. Model Schoolhouse values like kindness, curiosity, and empathy. Patiently process conflict and disagreements.
- Manage staff through trainings, mentorship, giving and receiving feedback, modeling behavior, and creating a culture of individual and organizational growth.
- Set an excellent example in teaching and behavior management methods, work ethic, and attitude.
- Prepare quality programs. Create activity and staff schedules, manage your budget, order supplies, set up and break down program areas, and clean and maintain program spaces.
- Manage the infrastructure of the site. This location has some infrastructure from the previous land owners that we’ll be working to maintain, improve, repurpose, and re-envision.
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- Communicate with participants, their families, other Schoolhouse staff, and park partners. Create established lines of communication built on trust and empathy.
- Create and deliver activities. Partner with your staff to create and run high-quality, exciting, nature-based activities and camp schedules.
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- Participate in all aspects of programs. Actively engage participants and deliver consistent and exceptional supervision. Be a good example and role model at all times. Play the games, sing the songs, wade in the river, hide in the leaves, build forts, and enthusiastically join in on all aspects of our programs.
You can find a description of the physical activities common in our field staff positions here.
Please Apply If You…
- Are at least 18 years of age by your first day of work
- Have an up-to-date COVID-19 Vaccination or exception with verification
- Are committed to Schoolhouse’s mission and values
- Are committed to providing safe programming including following our COVID procedures
- Have a college degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience, a minimum of four years
- Have a passion for and experience in outdoor program development and delivery and are comfortable working outdoors in all kinds of weather
- Have proven experience working with children and teens and want to mentor them to find and be their best selves
- Have at least five years of managing a similar nature-based youth program including managing staff, infrastructure, and communications.
- Are kind, curious, and confident with a “can-do” attitude
- Have exceptional mentoring skills, including effective communication, enthusiasm, resourcefulness, positive attitude, and patience
- Have great verbal, interpersonal, and listening communication skills
- Desire a cooperative, team-oriented work atmosphere as well as the ability to work independently and follow through on tasks with minimal supervision, take initiative, and solve problems
- Are able and willing to accept and effectively act on feedback and guidance
- Take your work seriously but yourself, not so much
Bonus points (or at least a high-five) if you have…
- Experience working with diverse populations
- Degree in a relevant field of study (Environmental Studies, Child Development, Outdoor Education)
- Teaching experience including experiential or inquiry-based learning techniques
- Proven experience with risk management and data driven decision making
- Proven experience in community and public programming including family camps, field trips, outreach programs, adult programming, etc.
- Multiple years experience managing outdoor rec programs involving significant infrastructure management including cabins or housing, high and/or low ropes facilities, tripping programs, etc.
- Knowledge and interest in environmental education, the cultural history of the Southeast, storytelling, behavior management, and/or child development
- Experience or training in socio-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, or play-based learning
- Skill-based training or certifications (Lifeguarding, EMT, WFR, etc.)
- English/Spanish bilingual fluency
Evaluation
The Site Director will report to the COO and will receive feedback throughout the year with a formal evaluation annually.
Office Location, Hours, Travel
Our programming occurs on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary land of the Eno, Lumbee, Sappony, Shakori, Occaneechi, and Tuscarora peoples. https://native-land.ca/
The work of the Site Director is typically performed both remotely and at our program sites. This Site Director will perform the majority of their programming work at Three Bears but may work at any of our program locations.
- West Point on the Eno, 5101 N. Roxboro, Durham, NC
- Umstead State Park, 2100 N. Harrison, Cary, NC
- Brumley Forest, 3223 New Hope Church Rd, Chapel Hill, NC
- Harris Lake County Park, 2112 County Park Dr, New Hill, NC
Hours are dependent on organizational needs, vary by season, typically total between 32 hours and 60 hours per week, depending on the season, and range from 7:00a – 6p Monday through Friday, with the occasional weekend, evening, and/or overnight work requirements.
This is a full-time, salaried, exempt, “at will” position that reports to the COO.
Compensation
The wage range for this position is $50,000 to $55,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
Benefits Include:
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- Schoolhouse of Wonder provides 100% paid health insurance
- A Professional Development Stipend
- An annual Gear Stipend
- Paid Time Off
- Paid Holidays
- Participation in Schoolhouse of Wonder retirement plan
Application Instructions
The Site Director: Three Bears position is open until filled. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
A complete application includes:
- Please include a cover letter that explains your interest in working as the Assistant Site Manager at Schoolhouse of Wonder (maximum one page). Please include your email and phone number.
- Your resume (maximum one page). Do not include photos of yourself on your resume.
- Please include your cover letter and resume as one document to upload.
Current certification in CPR and First Aid, up-to-date COVID vaccinations, and a successful background check are required before work can begin. Schoolhouse will pursue both indicated and non-indicated references.
This is a full-time, salaried, exempt, “at will” position that reports to the COO.
Qualified women, minorities, and bilingual candidates (English/Spanish) are encouraged to apply. We are fully invested in creating a supportive environment for all marginalized groups including women, people of color, and LGBT+ people by promoting community collaboration within our organization.
Schoolhouse of Wonder is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
About Schoolhouse of Wonder
Founded in 1989, Schoolhouse of Wonder’s mission is to create kind, curious, and confident kids through nature-based outdoor adventures. We seek to achieve this mission through year-round, outdoor day camps, curriculum-aligned field trips, and leadership training for teenagers.
These core values guide our behavior and help us make decisions:
- We model and teach self-awareness and empathy
- We celebrate individuality; Different is just different
- Everyone deserves to be witnessed, heard and respected
- In nature, we’re all students
- Life should be filled with adventures and a sense of wonder
- We send every kid home dirty, tired and happy