Assistant Senior Director for Retention, Recruitment, and Camper Experience

St. Louis Jewish Community Center; Creve Coeur (MO); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center seeks an Assistant Senior Director for Retention, Recruitment, and Camper Experience to lead camper experience quality and retention strategies at Camp Sabra.

As second in command to the Senior Camp Director, you will build relationships with families, oversee staff development, and drive programs that reflect Jewish values and camp traditions throughout the season. You will oversee camper experience standards, staff performance, and camp culture, while

Qualifications

• BA/BS in a related field is required.
• 3+ years of experience in residential camping, youth development, education, community programming, or a comparable environment.
• Must be able to travel throughout the year and reside at camp during the summer season.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to Jewish values, community, and Camp Sabra mission.
• First Aid/CPR/AED certification is required. Training is provided.
• Senior leadership experience in an overnight camp.
• Experience with camper recruitment, enrollment, and retention.
• Experience working directly with parents and families.
• Experience developing staff training or performance-management systems.
• Familiarity with Jewish camping culture, traditions, and communal life.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with prospective, current, and returning campers and families.
• Participate in family calls, tours, information sessions, open houses, community events, and other recruitment efforts.
• Communicate Camp Sabra's philosophy, values, traditions, programming, and camper experience.
• Support strategies to increase enrollment and camper retention.
• Serve as a senior point of contact for families with empathy, professionalism, urgency, and sound judgment.
• Collaborate with camp leadership and appropriate staff to address camper and family needs.
• Serve as an ambassador for Camp Sabra and its mission.
• Establish and reinforce clear standards for camper care, staff performance, and camp operations.
• Maintain a visible presence throughout camp, regularly observing programs, meals, bunk life, transitions, and activities.
• Monitor camper engagement, adjustment, relationships, and overall well-being.
• Identify concerns, address problems promptly, and implement solutions that strengthen the camper experience.
• Develop practical systems for evaluating standards, operations, and overall program quality.
• Use feedback from campers, families, and staff to drive continuous improvement.
• Provide oversight, guidance, and leadership for the Assistant Directors of PRR and CCT and the staff in those departments.
• Set clear expectations for staff conduct, professionalism, performance, and camper care.
• Coach and develop staff through observation, feedback, recognition, and accountability.
• Ensure staff receive the training, direction, and support necessary to succeed.
• Address performance concerns promptly and partner with supervisors on improvement strategies.
• Hold supervisors accountable for effectively leading and developing their teams.
• Foster a staff culture of teamwork, ownership, enthusiasm, professionalism, and excellence.
• Champion Camp Sabra's traditions, culture, history, and Jewish identity.
• Ensure traditions and Jewish values are meaningfully integrated into the camper and staff experience.
• Preserve important traditions while supporting their thoughtful evolution.
• Model the behaviors and values expected throughout the camp community.
• Foster a strong sense of belonging, connection, identity, and pride among campers and staff
• Partner with the Senior Camp Director and other senior leadership to identify priorities, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Translate Camp Sabra's vision and values into clear expectations and observable behaviors.
• Identify recurring issues related to staffing, training, communication, supervision, or systems and implement solutions.
• Promote accountability, consistency, and high-quality execution across camp operations.
• Participate in post-summer evaluation, planning, and preparation for future seasons.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Stakeholder management

Recruitment

Education

BA/BS in a related field

Job description

Assistant Senior Director for Retention, Recruitment, and Camper Experience

St. Louis Jewish Community Center

2 Millstone Campus Dr

St Louis, MO 63146-5796

The Senior Assistant Director for Retention, Recruitment, and Camper Experience is a senior leader responsible for the quality, consistency, and continuous improvement of the camper experience.

This highly visible leader ensures that Camp Sabra's standards, culture, traditions, and Jewish values are reflected in daily operations. The position provides leadership across camper experience, staff performance, family relationships, recruitment and retention, and camp culture. This position has direct reports for Assistant Director for Programs, Retreats, and Rentals (PRR), Assistant Director for Community Care Team (CCT), as well as a PT Summer Admin position.

The Senior Assistant Director is the "second in command" of Camp Sabra. As such, they will provide stability and high-level leadership skills to support the Senior Camp Director in all areas of providing an extraordinary camper/family experience at Camp Sabra

• Build strong relationships with prospective, current, and returning campers and families.
• Participate in family calls, tours, information sessions, open houses, community events, and other recruitment efforts.
• Communicate Camp Sabra's philosophy, values, traditions, programming, and camper experience.
• Support strategies to increase enrollment and camper retention.
• Serve as a senior point of contact for families and respond to concerns with empathy, professionalism, urgency, and sound judgment.
• Collaborate with camp leadership and appropriate staff to address camper and family needs.
• Serve as an ambassador for Camp Sabra and its mission.

Camper Experience and Standards

• Ensure campers experience a safe, joyful, inclusive, meaningful, and well-run summer.
• Establish and reinforce clear standards for camper care, staff performance, and camp operations.
• Maintain a visible presence throughout camp, regularly observing programs, meals, bunk life, transitions, and activities.
• Monitor camper engagement, adjustment, relationships, and overall well-being.
• Identify concerns, address problems promptly, and implement solutions that strengthen the camper experience.
• Develop practical systems for evaluating standards, operations, and overall program quality.
• Use feedback from campers, families, and staff to drive continuous improvement.

Staff and Leadership Development

• Provide oversight, guidance, and leadership for the Assistant Directors of PRR and CCT and the staff in those departments.
• Set clear expectations for staff conduct, professionalism, performance, and camper care.
• Coach and develop staff through observation, feedback, recognition, and accountability.
• Ensure staff receive the training, direction, and support necessary to succeed.
• Address performance concerns promptly and partner with supervisors on improvement strategies.
• Hold supervisors accountable for effectively leading and developing their teams.
• Foster a staff culture of teamwork, ownership, enthusiasm, professionalism, and excellence.

Camp Culture, Traditions, and Jewish Experiences

• Champion Camp Sabra's traditions, culture, history, and Jewish identity.
• Ensure traditions and Jewish values are meaningfully integrated into the camper and staff experience.
• Preserve important traditions while supporting their thoughtful evolution.
• Model the behaviors and values expected throughout the camp community.
• Foster a strong sense of belonging, connection, identity, and pride among campers and staff
• Partner with the Senior Camp Director and other senior leadership to identify priorities, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Translate Camp Sabra's vision and values into clear expectations and observable behaviors.
• Identify recurring issues related to staffing, training, communication, supervision, or systems and implement solutions.
• Promote accountability, consistency, and high-quality execution across camp operations.
• Participate in post-summer evaluation, planning, and preparation for future seasons.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BA/BS in a related field is required.
• 3+ years of experience in residential camping, youth development, education, community programming, or a comparable environment.
• Must be able to travel throughout the year and reside at camp during the summer season.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong judgment, problem-solving skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to provide direct, constructive feedback and hold others accountable.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating exceptional experiences for children and families.
• Commitment to Jewish values, community, and the mission of Jewish overnight camping.
• First Aid/CPR/AED certification is required. Training is provided.
• Must be able to successfully pass a criminal background check according to Camp Sabra policies.
• Senior leadership experience in an overnight camp.
• Experience with camper recruitment, enrollment, and retention.
• Experience working directly with parents and families.
• Experience developing staff training or performance-management systems.
• Familiarity with Jewish camping culture, traditions, and communal life.

Physical Demands

• BA/BS in a related field is required.
• 3+ years of experience in residential camping, youth development, education, community programming, or a comparable environment.
• Must be able to travel throughout the year and reside at camp during the summer season.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coaching, and developing staff.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong judgment, problem-solving skills, and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to provide direct, constructive feedback and hold others accountable.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating exceptional experiences for children and families.
• Commitment to Jewish values, community, and the mission of Jewish overnight camping.
• First Aid/CPR/AED certification is required. Training is provided.
• Must be able to successfully pass a criminal background check according to Camp Sabra policies.

$85,000 - $95,000

Agency Information:

A tradition of welcoming and excellence for more than 130 years

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center (the J) is a multigenerational gathering place,offering a variety of programs and services for the St. Louis Jewish communityand the community at large. We welcome people of all backgrounds and faiths.The J provides educational, cultural, social, Jewish identity-building andrecreational programming on its campuses in Creve Coeur, Chesterfield and atCamp Sabra, located at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Throughout ourhistory, the J, a non-profit organization, has been the central meeting placeof the Jewish Community. It's the one place where families, regardless ofaffiliation, can feel comfortable and welcome. We have evolved through theyears to meet the changing needs of our members, our Jewish community and theentire St. Louis region.

Everyone iswelcome at the J.

Our Mission

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center enricheslives, builds community, promotes inclusivity and creates meaningful Jewishexperiences.