Title: Program Team Leader
Status: Professional – Full Time
Department: Program
Reports to: Camp Manager
Camp Twin Lakes (CTL) provides year-round therapeutic camping programs for children, adolescents, adults, and families living with serious illnesses, disabilities, and life challenges. Camp Twin Lakes hosts camps at three fully accessible and medically supportive campuses, located in Rutledge and Winder, Georgia. Camp Twin Lakes partners with nearly 80 local and national non-profit organizations, each serving a specific diagnosis. For more information, please visit our website at www.camptwinlakes.org.
Values:
This position supports and exemplifies our organizational values of People Come First, Trust is our Foundation, Inclusion is our Instinct, and Collaboration Builds Community. These values are vital to our overall staff culture of “Every Camper Deserves All I Have.”
General Responsibilities
The Program Team Leader is responsible for hiring, training, supervising, and developing Seasonal Program Staff at Camp Twin Lakes. The Program Team Leader will lead seasonal program staff in the overall implementation of the camp experience, collaborate with staff and Camp Partners on the development of intentional camp schedules, and serve as a liaison to camp partners for program planning purposes. The Program Team Leader will supervise and support their team in ensuring adequate training and safety standards are followed, along with adequate staff management including scheduling, supervision, and performance reviews.
Specific Responsibilities
Human Resources
- Engage, develop, and supervise seasonal program staff members.
- Make employment and termination decisions including interviewing, hiring, evaluating, and disciplining staff/volunteer personnel in accordance with CTL’s written personnel policies, and with the Camp Manager.
- Manage Program volunteers from onboarding, training, and assignments to experience evaluation.
- Ensure staff and volunteer training aligns with the goals, outcomes, and requirements of Camp Twin Lakes by delivering comprehensive pre-camp and in-service training sessions.
- Support the program team’s daily operations and create a working environment that adheres to Camp Twin Lake’s values of trust, people centered, inclusion, and collaboration.
- Implement seasonal staff/volunteer engagement, recognition, and retention efforts.
- Regularly assess and seek feedback from seasonal staff on their own development, engagement, and staff experience
- Collaborate with the other CTL sites on a consistent and equitable staff experience across sites.
- Assist Recruitment Specialist in development and implementation of a robust year-round recruitment process for highly qualified seasonal staff, including representing CTL at selected Job Fairs.
- Be ready to assume any staff positions if a leader is ill or unable to perform duties.
- Attend all scheduled employee meetings and bring suggestions for improvements.
Camp Services
- Ensure proper coverage of all programs through placement and assignment of trained leaders.
- Facilitate CTL’s Impact and Outcomes Measurement Framework consistent with plans and cross sites.
- Assume duties of Camp Manager during their absence.
- Assist Activity Specialist with enhancements and modifications of activity areas.
- Evaluate all programs, staff, and systems on an ongoing basis for quality improvement.
- Ability to serve in an on-site duty rotation throughout camp sessions.
- Serve as a collaborator within and across Camp facilities, including other duties as assigned.
Finance
- Assist Camp Manager with development of the program department budget and purchasing.
- Ensure efficient use of resources in assigned areas.
- Submit payroll to Camp Manager in a timely manner.
Partner Relations
- Serve as a liaison to assigned Partner Camp Leadership during planning and program implementation to ensure a cohesive and desired product.
- Build positive relationships with Partner Camp Leadership to ensure positive collaboration and problem-solving support between organizations.
Risk Management
- Support the facilitation of American Camp Association standards and the accreditation process, ensuring safety in all areas of camp.
- Maintain proper records as required.
- Maintain up to date written policies and procedures and emergency plans for staff and partners.
Essential Functions
Must be able to effectively supervise part-time/seasonal staff through leadership, guidance, and communication. Must provide oversight of general human resources support for supervised staff. Must have strong organizational skills and project implementation to get large scale projects and camp sessions completed. Must also be able to lift/unload/move supplies; determine cleanliness of program and general camp areas; assess condition and quality of programs and camper experiences. Must be knowledgeable and ensure execution of applicable standards of the American Camp Association, local and state laws/regulations, and Camp Twin Lakes policy. Must be able to participate in educational/training sessions (i.e., conferences or certification courses, including occasional travel) to provide advance certification and training to full-time and seasonal staff/volunteers. Ability to utilize a computer, including standard Microsoft Office products. Must be able to work extended hours/days during summer camping season, and weekends throughout the year.
Desired Qualifications
- A minimum of three (3) summers/seasons of leadership experience (full-time, part-time, or seasonal) in camp or youth serving organizations is required.
- Minimum of two (2) years in full-time professional camp, event planning, youth serving, or other non-profit organization.
- Organized, detail-oriented collaborator.
- Ability and desire to work in a camp setting.
- Aptitude to work with minimum supervision.
- Supervisory skills in leading a team.
- Ability to relate well to others.
- Capability to support camper development and behavior management.
- Willingness to support psycho-social needs of staff and campers.
- Experience in both overall program implementation and activity development.
- Understanding the importance of evaluative tools and processes to ensure program success.
- Good character, integrity, adaptability, and enthusiasm.
- Aptitude to enhance one’s education and training for any perceived area of deficit.
- Certification in field of study preferred.
- Training in high & low ropes activities, along with lifeguard certification or lifeguard trainer certification is a plus.
- Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Teams & CMS is a plus.
- Knowledge and understanding of American Camp Association standards is a plus.
Education, Certifications, & Licenses
A minimum of a bachelor’s degree, preference in recreation therapy, recreation, child development, education, event management, or related field. Certification in a field of study is a plus (CTRS or CCLS). Must have a valid Georgia Driver’s License with a clean motor vehicle record. Must be certified in Level 1 or 2 high ropes training and/or lifeguard or lifeguard trainer upon hiring or be able to achieve certification within first 90 days of employment. Preference for employment and advancement will be given to candidates currently certified in Level 1 or 2 high ropes training and/or lifeguard or lifeguard trainer. Current CPR/First Aid certification is required or must be obtained within the first 90 days of employment.
