Director, Camp Nonesuch

The Rivers School — a 6-12 co-ed independent day school in Weston, MA, just outside Boston — seeks professionals who are looking to join a dynamic, innovative, and welcoming school community.

Position Purpose: The Director, Camp Nonesuch ("Director") is responsible for all aspects of the Camp Nonesuch operation. This includes camper safety and regulatory compliance, parent relations, marketing and camper recruitment, budgeting, staff hiring and management, program development as well as the day-to-day operation of Camp Nonesuch during the summer. This position is full-time during the 10 weeks of summer camp (onsite) and part-time for the non-summer months (Remote- Approximately 8 hours a week). This position reports to the Director of Operations.

Essential Job Functions:

• Camper Safety and Regulatory Compliance
  • Prepare and apply for all required Town of Natick and Commonwealth of Massachusetts permits and licenses for operating the camp in a timely manner.
  • Ensure hiring of Health Care Supervisor and Health Care Consultant consistent with all state and local regulatory requirements.
  • Develop and communicate with the Town of Natick fire drill, evacuation, and other emergency plans as necessary.
  • Evaluate all camp activity-related equipment for safety and replace unsafe equipment as needed and work with Facilities Director to ensure safety of grounds and vehicles.
• Parent Relations
  • Engage with Camp parents in a positive, responsive and interactive manner seeking to address concerns as they arise.
  • Solicit ongoing feedback from families to support the continued success of camp operations.
• Marketing and Camper Recruitment
  • Together with the Director of Finance and Operations, create annual goals for the camp including but not limited to objectives around enrollment and program development.
  • Articulate annual goals and objectives, where appropriate, to camp staff.
  • Collaborate with other camp/school staff to approve and ensure the marketing plan is implemented.
  • Activities should include: Market research and understanding of competition and new activities/programs, tuition setting and date setting for all applicable programs, creation and appropriate dissemination of promotional materials consistent with the marketing plan which may include, but not necessarily be limited to e-mail communications, print advertisements, website updates, camp fair attendance, open houses and other online media, creation and implementation of discount or incentive programs to help meet enrollment goals, respond promptly to parent inquiries and secure camper enrollment subsequent to inquiries consistent with overall enrollment goals.
• Budgeting and Financial Management
  • Develop camp budget for approval of the Director of Operations and monitor progress toward achieving budget-related goals.
  • Work closely with the Business Office to ensure that enrolled campers are charged and invoiced properly and any changes are recorded consistent with the School's accounting standards.
• Staff Hiring and Management
  • Recruit and hire and manage appropriate levels of staffing (related to enrollment) as well as key staff members (e.g. nurses, waterfront staff) and ensure that all employment-related onboarding paperwork is completed on time and provided.
  • Provide counselor training as required by Commonwealth of Massachusetts camp regulations and consistent with school policy where necessary.
  • Maintain best practice in employee evaluation and consistent with relevant policies.
  • Handle employee disciplinary issues consistent with relevant school procedures and policies and in partnership with the Director of Human Resources.
  • Work with the Payroll and Benefits Coordinator in order to complete timely and accurate payroll and create a camp staff manual.
  • Create and implement staff development programs that ensure a safe and fun camp environment.
• Program Development
  • Making sure we are using best practices on current program and evolving the program over time.
  • Collaboratively develop new activities and enhance existing activities in response to current day camp and summer program trends.
  • Consider new technologies that are best in class to help deliver a best in class experience for families.
  • Actively solicit feedback from camp staff on ways to improve program/activity quality.
  • Ensure activities are age-appropriate, engaging, and cater to diverse camper interests.
• Overall Camp Operation
  • Maintain a positive camp culture.
  • Manage camp logistics including but not limited to transportation, food service, camp supplies, and communications with parents.
  • Monitor camper behavior, address concerns, and provide necessary discipline when needed.
  • Monitor camp facilities maintenance needs and coordinate with camp staff and Rivers Facilities department on prioritizing and getting repairs and capital improvements completed.

Qualifications: The Director will have at least five years of work experience in a lead role in camp counseling or management experience. The Director will have experience in administration and supervision and a Bachelor's degree is required.

Required Skills:

• Leadership: Strong ability to motivate and manage a team of staff members.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with staff, campers, and parents.
• Organizational Skills: Efficiently manage multiple tasks and prioritise responsibilities.
• Problem-Solving: Quickly assess and resolve issues that may arise during camp operations.
• Innovation: Constantly looking to improve existing practices and offer forward thinking ideas.
• Child Development: Understanding of child development stages and appropriate activities for different age groups.
• Safety Focus: Commitment to prioritising camper safety and implementing safety protocols.
• Flexibility: Ability to adapt to changing situations and unexpected challenges.
• Collaborative and collegial: Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service.

Rivers encourages interest from candidates who will enrich the diversity of identity, experience, and perspectives among our professional and school community. We recognise that skilled and innovative individuals follow a variety of pathways in life, and we enthusiastically invite applications from those who may have experience that meets our qualifications in non-traditional ways. Rivers offers BIPOC affinity, LGBTQ+ affinity, and white allyship spaces for professionals, as well as institutional professional development, to support and enrich our work around equity and access. In addition to mentorship from peers and direct supervisors, all professional community members benefit from a year-long onboarding program.

If you would benefit from any accommodations at any point during the application process, please contact our Director of Institutional Equity, Ms. Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz (j.kravitz@rivers.org).