Description

Camp Activity Manager

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

Enjoy an active outdoor job! This is an opportunity to develop and manage a robust lineup of outdoor activities to build leadership skills in Girl Scouts ages 5-18 at a beautiful, wooded camp in East Texas:

• Train/certify and supervise staff running activities.
• Support young adult staff in learning to lead activities.
• Deliver experiences that increase girls' confidence in what they can do and who they can be.
• Activities include swimming, challenge course, archery, fishing, and more.

Required qualifications:

• Passion for outdoor activities.
• Willingness to obtain activity certifications and to train other staff.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage projects and people.

Preferred qualifications:

• History of waterfront lifeguard certification preferred.
• History of high ropes certification preferred.
• Experience managing budgets and facilities preferred.

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.

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 Camp Activity Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing a catalog of robust, progressive outdoor activities for overnight camp programs serving Girl Scout campers, volunteers, and families at summer camp, weekend camping, and special events. This team member is the primary onsite leader who plans, organizes, and trains/certifies staff for camp activities that include aquatics, high and low ropes, target sports, crafts, badgework, campfires and outdoor cooking, and more. The position reports to the Deputy Camp Director and is a member of a team serving three camp properties and developing innovative, dynamic outdoor opportunities for girls in grades K-12.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead the development and implementation of an engaging and diversified catalog of robust, progressive camp activities to develop outdoor leadership skills in girls in alignment with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to build girls of courage, confidence, and character across our diverse membership
• Supervise structures and spaces, equipment, and safety for outdoor activities, including overseeing safety and inspection of high ropes course, overseeing aquatic activity operations, and determining procurement of new equipment in alignment with budget
• Develop, implement, and maintain written activity procedures comprising curriculum, safety and standards, and staff implementation for all activities, including aquatics, high and low ropes, target sports, crafts, fishing, badgework, and more (equestrian activities are handled separately and are not part of this role)
• Plan and adjust activity schedules that accommodate a variety of camp and camper needs
• Propose, adjust, and manage operating and capital budgets for camp activities and equipment and confirm vendor orders and invoices
• Make recommendations to address concerns with established safety guidelines, activity procedures, departmental processes, and activity budgets as needs arise
• Train, supervise, schedule, and coordinate seasonal program staff and volunteers to implement activities in a safe and impactful manner, including training/certifying lifeguards, ropes course, archery, slingshot, fishing, fire building, and more (this position supervises activity staff in fall and spring and works closely with Deputy Camp Director to support activity counselors in summer)
• Develop and implement electronic systems and processes for managing the activity catalog, activity procedures, activity schedules, equipment inventory, staff certifications, and safety compliance
• Maintain a welcoming and purposeful environment to ensure positive and impactful visitor experience for diverse members to engage meaningfully with outdoor activities and the Girl Scout community
• Collaborate with organizational departments and community partners to grow outdoor activity opportunities and engagement
• Ensure activity compliance with ACA standards, state health department regulations, and Girl Scout policies and procedures, including managing confidential camper needs, and investigate and resolve potential problems

Expectations:

• This position is based at Camp Bette Perot and also oversees activity procedures and safety signage at Camp Gambill (Sumner, TX), with some travel required (approximately quarterly trips plus phone consultation for Camp Gambill)
• This position generally works Wednesday through Sunday during fall, winter, and spring and Sunday through Friday (with long days) during summer. On a limited basis, this position is expected to stay on camp overnight in shared accommodations to ensure adequate staffing coverage. Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, is essential.
• Willingness to be active outdoors in variable weather conditions all year
• Willingness to be welcoming, respectful, enthusiastic, and professional with colleagues, members, and the public at all times
• Obtain and maintain skills and certifications to supervise camp activities and train staff, including high ropes, lifeguard, water safety, and archery
• Obtain and maintain first aid/CPR 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

Qualifications

Minimum requirements:

• 2 years of experience leading camp or outdoor recreation programming
• Bachelor’s degree
• Passion for outdoor activities
• Experience with diverse audiences
• Experience training and supervising staff or volunteers
• Strong swimming skills (ability to swim 500 meters in front crawl or breaststroke, tread water for 2 minutes, and retrieve objects from a depth of 11 feet)
• Comfortable with heights and challenge course activities
• Comfortable in an equestrian setting
• Demonstrated project management skills
• Highly organized
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Computer literacy, especially in Microsoft Office programs

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in recreation, environmental education, youth development, natural resources, or related field preferred
• History of waterfront lifeguard certification preferred
• Experience leading aquatics activities preferred
• Experience leading high ropes activities preferred
• Experience managing budgets preferred
• Experience overseeing equipment or facilities preferred

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 light 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 and maintain thereafter)

Protecting Our Girls

CPR/AED and First Aid Instructor certification

Level 1 Challenge Course certification

Lifeguard Instructor certification (including Waterfront Lifeguard certification)

Water Safety Instructor certification

Archery Level 2 Instructor certification

Angler Education Instructor Training