Deputy Camp Director (Camp Bette Perot, Year-Round)

Deputy Camp Director

This is a full-time, exempt position located at Camp Bette Perot in Palestine, Texas.

Required qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional experience in recreation, camp, outdoor education, youth programming, or related field.
• Experience supervising staff and providing dynamic leadership to teams.
• Demonstrated project management skills.

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field preferred (bachelor’s degree required).
• Experience with camp activities (challenge course, aquatics, target sports, hiking, crafts, etc.).
• Familiarity with commercial kitchen work preferred.

Schedule:

• Includes some weekends and overnights with variable schedule.
• Fall, winter, and spring: Monday-Friday and Tuesday-Saturday (combination). 
• Summer: Sunday-Friday with very long days.

Job summary:

Camp Bette Perot is a year-round camp with more than 200 bedspaces and a thriving equestrian program, situated on approximately 1,400 acres of pineywoods in East Texas and open since 1970. The Deputy Camp Director is responsible for development, oversight, and strong staff leadership of overnight camp programs serving Girl Scout campers, volunteers, and families through summer camp, weekend camping, and special events. This team member serves as the primary onsite director of camp programs and operations, with the goals of developing outdoor leadership skills in girls and providing a positive experience for all visitors. The position reports to the Director of Outdoor Leadership and is a key member of a team serving three camp properties and developing innovative, dynamic outdoor opportunities for girls in grades K-12.

About Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas:

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) offers amazing opportunities for talented, forward-thinking individuals who share our vision of helping girls and young women change the world for the better.

Here's your opportunity to enhance your career while making a difference in girls’ lives and in the world. At Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, you can build a rewarding career in everything from working hands-on with girls, to accounting, human resources and project management, to marketing, research—and more.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead team in the design and delivery of summer camp, weekend camping, and special events, in alignment with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to build girls of courage, confidence, and character across our diverse membership
• Serve as director of summer camp and weekend camping programs, including staffing some weekends and evenings as needed and responding to urgent situations
• Create a welcoming and purposeful camp environment for diverse members to engage meaningfully with outdoor activities and the Girl Scout community
• Provide dynamic leadership for camp staff team to grow staff capacity, effectiveness, and positive culture, and contribute to department leadership team to grow outdoor leadership opportunities for members
• Develop and implement systems and processes for smooth administration of camp programs and positive customer experiences, including scheduling, staffing, volunteer engagement, supply procurement, activity spaces, promotion and communications, registration, check in and checkout, program delivery, evaluation, project management, problem solving, and more
• Oversee staff management of camper care, including reservations, registrations, special needs and accommodations, supplies, and overall program plans for over 200 campers weekly
• Oversee staff management of program supplies, equipment, safety, training, and successful implementation for outdoor activities such as ropes course, aquatics, target sports, crafts, badgework, and more
• Oversee staff management of dining operations, including menu planning, food orders, sanitation code, training, and successful dining service for up to 700 meals per day
• Hire, train, and supervise permanent and seasonal staff and volunteers dedicated to program operations, including supervising three permanent staff focused on campers, activities, and dining and supervising 60+ summer staff, including the camp health team
• Collaborate closely with Properties and Equestrian departments for smooth camp operations and robust programming
• Lead camp-focused initiatives based on organizational priorities, including mental health and diversity and equity
• Collaborate with organizational departments and community partners for increasing member participation and volunteer engagement and for strategic growth of council outdoor leadership opportunities
• Manage operating budget for camp programming
• Ensure safety, health, and security of all visitors to camp
• Manage compliance with ACA standards, state health department regulations, and Girl Scout policies and procedures
• Contribute to our master plan process and implementation for camp redevelopment as part of a large capital campaign and investment in council properties

Expectations:

• This position generally works Monday through Friday or Tuesday through Saturday (expect some of both) during fall, winter, and spring, with some flexible scheduling to oversee weekend work and special events as needed.  This position generally works Sunday through Friday during summer, with long days and evening work daily plus some Saturdays required.  On a limited basis, this position is expected to stay on camp overnight in shared accommodations to ensure adequate staffing coverage.  In order to ensure adequate summer support, this position is expected to reside within a 45-minute drive of the center of camp (and remain accessible via phone overnight), or to use sleeping accommodations provided at camp.  Willingness to work a flexible schedule is essential.
• Willingness to be active outdoors in variable weather conditions all year, including walking around camp on uneven terrain
• Willingness to be welcoming, respectful, enthusiastic, and professional with colleagues, members of all ages, and the public at all times
• Obtain and maintain first aid/CPR certification and food handler certification
• Must be able to travel within established geographic areas and council camps as necessary
• Must have reliable transportation, hold a valid drivers’ license and meet GSNETX driving record & automobile insurance requirements
• Performs other duties, as assigned
• Position has variable hours, depending on organization’s needs
• The employee must sometimes lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
• Must hold membership in the Girl Scout organization and subscribe to the tenets of the Girl Scout Promise and Law
• Attendance is an essential job requirement defined as having regular, consistent, reliable, punctual and predictable attendance including the ability to work regular hours and shifts, before and after hours, and on weekends, when required
• Must complete and pass a criminal background check
• Demonstrate and promote a climate of courtesy, respect and professionalism to coworkers, parents, the volunteers served by this council, campers, and others with whom her/his job puts her/him in contact
• Adheres to the GSNETX’s equal opportunity and non-discrimination policies, which ensure that there will be no discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, creed, national origin, socioeconomic status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or age

Minimum requirements:

• 5+ years of professional experience in recreation, camp, outdoor education, youth programming, or related field
• Bachelors degree or higher
• Passion for outdoor activities
• Experience working with youth
• Experience with diverse audiences
• Experience supervising staff and providing dynamic leadership to teams
• Experience managing operations or facilities
• Experience managing a budget
• Highly comfortable in an equestrian setting
• Experience teaching or facilitating groups
• Demonstrated project management skills
• Highly organized
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in recreation, environmental education, youth development, natural resources, or related field preferred
• Familiarity with commercial kitchen work preferred
• Familiarity with site-based health support operations preferred
• Experience with camp activities, such as swimming, archery and target sports, leatherworking, hiking, wilderness cooking, ropes course, etc.

Our organization’s cultural values:

• We are relevant.
• We strive for equity.
• We put our stakeholders first.
• We collaborate to get the best results.
• We own our work.

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse, inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected characteristics, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or age.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to speak or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls.  The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, work in an office environment, work in a seated position, and work with computers.

The employee must be able to drive and have a valid driver’s license.  The employee must be able to lift or move 50 pounds or perform work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.  Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Activities occur both inside and outside and employee is subject to both environmental conditions; however, employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES (obtain within 3 months of hire):

Protecting Our Girls

CPR/ AED and First Aid

Food handler