Chief Experience Officer and Camp Director

Camp Ramah in California; Ojai (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Camp Ramah in California seeks a visionary chief to guide its overnight camp in Ojai and its growing day camp in Los Angeles. The Director will sustain the educational legacy while guiding its development, deepen Jewish learning, and strengthen leadership pipelines for campers and staff.

During the approximately ten-week summer season, the Director is the heart and face of the Ojai camp, setting cultural, educational, and spiritual tone, leading the senior summer team, and supporting Ramah Day

Job description

Camp Ramah in California is a longstanding institution whose influence extends across generations and throughout Jewish communities. Its purpose is ambitious: to cultivate proud, educated, reflective Jews who are deeply committed to their communities and the betterment of the world. Grounded in Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim, Ramah brings intellectual depth, joyful religious practice, a spirit of play, and responsibility for others into a shared Jewish experience. Its enduring relationships and formative experiences make Ramah a Journey for a Lifetime.

Affiliated with the Conservative Movement, the National Ramah Commission, and the American Camp Association, the overnight camp in Ojai serves approximately 1,300 campers and 275 staff per summer spread across two sessions. Ramah operates a multimillion-dollar organization supported by year-round professionals, seasonal staff, committed families, alumni, and lay leadership, with our overnight camp in Ojai and a growing day camp in Los Angeles at its core.

The Opportunity

Ramah enters this leadership transition from a position of real strength, with an engaged community and a deeply valued educational legacy. Its next Director will sustain what makes Ramah formative while guiding its continued development and deepening the connections among Jewish learning, lived experience, and leadership.

The Chief Experience Officer and Camp Director oversees Ramah’s overnight camp in Ojai and day camp in Los Angeles, combining inspiring community leadership with sophisticated executive judgment. They lead the year-round programming team, oversee camper and staff recruitment and retention, and ensure both camps’ operational and financial health. As a member of Ramah’s executive team, they contribute to institutional strategy and guide the evolution of Ramah’s programmatic model. A particular emphasis in the coming years will be creating greater depth and coherence in Ramah’s Jewish educational goals and the leadership journey from camper through senior staff.

During the approximately ten-week summer season, the Director is the heart and face of the overnight camp in Ojai, setting its cultural, educational, and spiritual tone. They bring joy, warmth, and high expectations to daily camp life, lead the senior summer team, and respond to challenges and crises with calm, compassion, and sound judgment. They also oversee Ramah Day Camp LA, actively supervising and supporting its Director.

Leadership Priorities

1 Oversee Exceptional Overnight, Day Camp, and Year-Round Experiences

• Set the cultural, educational, and spiritual tone of overnight camp through visible, accessible leadership. Bring joy, love, and warmth while upholding high standards for conduct, respect, and shared responsibility.

• Directly supervise the overnight camp leadership team, holding overall responsibility for the quality of the camper experience and the professionalism and well-being of all summer staff.

• In partnership with relevant senior staff, lead the response to significant challenges and crises with sound judgment, compassion, and decisiveness.

• Supervise and support the Day Camp Director throughout the summer on significant decisions and crisis response. Visit the day camp regularly while maintaining a primary presence in Ojai.

• Provide programmatic and financial oversight of year-round Ramah experiences, including Ramah retreats, Passover, alumni gatherings, and Shabbatonim.

2 Lead a Best in Class Year-Round Team

Lead the year-round programming team across recruitment and retention, camper and community care, and program design, delivery, and evolution.

• Recruit, develop, and retain a strong year-round team, directly supervising its leaders and ensuring effective management across the team. Combine support and development with clear expectations, accountability, and candid feedback.

• Establish clear roles, priorities, and decision-making authority. Strengthen communication and collaboration, empowering people to lead their work and fulfill shared commitments.

• Foster joy, trust, and professionalism, with high standards for the work and how people treat one another. Model openness to feedback, address conflict and personnel challenges directly and fairly, and support team well-being.

3 Guide Ramah’s Programmatic Evolution

Guide the continued evolution of Ramah’s programmatic model, building on its strong foundation in immersive Jewish life and learning. In the coming years, place particular emphasis on deepening Judaics and leadership development so that campers and staff grow in Jewish knowledge, commitment, and capacity to lead.

• Develop a shared, multiyear vision for Judaics and leadership development in collaboration with relevant staff and partners, defining clear priorities and desired outcomes.
• Build the team’s capacity, systems, and structures to translate that vision into action, with clear plans, milestones, ownership, and timelines. Establish regular opportunities to assess progress, learn, and refine the work.
• Support and build upon the Tikvah program, strengthening Ramah’s 50+ year legacy of transformative camping experiences for campers and staff with disabilities.

4 Strengthen Camper and Staff Recruitment, Enrollment, and Retention

Oversee the coordination, strategy, and use of data in camper and staff recruitment and retention while preserving the warmth, personal relationships, and commitment to Ramah’s values that define its approach. Ensure both camps meet enrollment goals, are fully and appropriately staffed, and retain campers and staff over time.

• Set camper enrollment, retention, and seasonal staffing goals, and lead the team responsible for achieving them.
• Strengthen the approaches and systems supporting recruitment, enrollment, hiring, and retention, combining trusted relationships with families and prospective staff, effective outreach, and data-informed planning.
• Monitor progress, anticipate gaps, and mobilize the team to meet enrollment and staffing needs.

5 Cultivate Community and Stakeholder Relationships

Build the trust and relationships that sustain Ramah as a community across generations.

• Build strong family partnerships through thoughtful communication before and during summer, and compassionate, clear leadership when concerns arise.
• Represent Ramah with warmth and credibility among alumni, clergy, communal partners, donors, and lay leaders. Engage regularly with the board and relevant lay leadership groups, and partner with the CEO and development team to communicate Ramah’s impact and future.
• Partner productively with the CEO and executive colleagues, communicating candidly, exercising authority within the camp portfolio, and coordinating shared decisions.

6 Ensure the Operational and Financial Health of Both Camps

Oversee the resources and operational practices that sustain two financially healthy, well-run camps.

• Oversee financial performance. Lead budget planning and resource decisions with the CEO, COO, and finance team. Monitor revenue, expenses, and results to sustain camp quality and financial health.
• Ensure effective operations. Partner with operational leaders on planning, coordination, safety, risk management, and emergency response across both camps.

The Leader We Are Looking For

The strongest candidates demonstrate the following qualities:

• Warmth, presence, and authority. Inspires trust among campers, staff, families, donors, and community members through an engaging, approachable presence. Connects personally, represents Ramah with confidence, and communicates high expectations with care.
• Jewish depth and commitment. Brings Ramah’s religious and educational commitments to life through thoughtful, deeply engaged Jewish practice.
• Personal connection to Israel. Draws on a strong relationship to Israel and possesses knowledge, curiosity, and judgment to guide meaningful Israel education and navigate complex conversations.
• People development and management. Coaches leaders,