Chief Program & Impact Officer, Austin Sunshine Camp

CampHire Recruiting & Executive Search; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

SIMPLE IRA with 3% employer match

Unlimited PTO

Staff children admission to camp

Job summary

Austin Sunshine Camps (ASC) seeks a Chief Program and Impact Officer to drive strategy, safety, and growth for all camp programs. You will lead a team of program staff, report to the CEO, and partner with leadership to advance ASC's mission in Central Texas.

The CPIO will ensure program quality, governance, and impact while expanding to new locations and strengthening community ties. This role requires hands-on presence during camp sessions and evenings/weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in youth development, camps, education, or out-of-school-time programming in a mission-driven setting.
• Proven ability to develop and lead high-performing teams across multi-site operations.
• Experience working with Boards, funders, schools, and partners in a nonprofit environment.
• Overnight camp or multi-site youth development organization experience preferred.
• Valid driver's license required and ability to pass background checks.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on ASC's overall strategy, culture, finances, and multi-site expansion.
• Develop a long-term program strategy aligned with ASC's plan and capacity.
• Translate vision into actionable priorities with clear performance metrics.
• Provide concise data and risk assessments to the CEO and Board.
• Position ASC as a thought leader through partnerships and community engagement.
• Lead the scaling of program models and team structure as ASC grows.

Skills

Leadership

Youth development

Nonprofit experience

Team leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Driver's license

Job description

Chief Program & Impact Officer, Austin Sunshine Camps

Austin, TX | Full-Time | Year-Round

About Austin Sunshine Camps (ASC)

Austin Sunshine Camps’ mission is to provide the magic of overnight camp without the barrier of cost. We envision a world where all children have a place to grow, connect, and explore. Since 1928, ASC has provided free, fun-filled overnight camp programs for children by partnering with families who face barriers to accessing such programs. ASC has two camp locations, one in Zilker Park (Austin) and the other on Lake Travis (Marble Falls). We offer overnight camp to 760 children ages 8 to 15 through programs during the summer, spring break, and winter break. Campers swim, canoe, hike, learn new skills, create crafts, make music, and much more. During the school year, we engage with our community through seasonal programs, events, and our CIT program for high school students, ages 16 and older. These programs deepen relationships with families and increase access to the life-changing experience of camp.

Position Overview

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief Program and Impact Officer (CPIO) is a senior executive responsible for the strategy, leadership, quality, safety, community engagement, impact, and sustainable growth of all Austin Sunshine Camps programs.

The CPIO leads through a team of camp leaders and is accountable for ensuring that ASC's programs are safe, impactful, operationally excellent, responsive to community needs, and aligned with the organization's mission and strategic priorities. As ASC grows to serve more campers and expands to new locations in the future, the CPIO will play a central role in shaping how program quality, culture, and impact scale.

As a member of the leadership team, alongside the CEO, COO, and Chief Development Officer, the CPIO serves as a trusted thought partner to the CEO, a collaborative leader across the organization, and a highly visible external ambassador for ASC. The CPIO builds meaningful community relationships, identifies opportunities for partnership and growth, and translates external relationships and insights into opportunities that advance ASC's mission.

This role is based in Austin, with an expectation to work three days a week from ASC's Zilker Park office. The CPIO is expected to be fully present on the ground during camp sessions, and given the nature of camp, must be available for regular evening and weekend commitments, particularly during camp sessions and year-round family programming.

Team Structure

The CPIO leads a team of four full-time program staff:

• Camp Director, Zilker Park
• Camp Director, Lake Travis
• Camp Director, Spring Break & Winter Break programming
• Program Administrator

ASC is a team of 16 full-time employees plus 100+ seasonal staff hired across each camp session. The CPIO is joining an experienced group of camp professionals and is responsible for ongoing development and mentorship to maximize the potential of the team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a collaborative executive team member, taking shared ownership of ASC's overall strategy, culture, financial health, and multi-site expansion.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive multi-year program strategy aligned with ASC's strategic plan and organizational capacity.
• Translate high-level vision into actionable priorities, clear performance metrics, and sustainable accountability frameworks.
• Provide concise, decision-ready data and risk assessments to the CEO and Board of Directors.
• Position ASC as a respected thought leader in youth development and overnight camping through speaking engagements, partnerships, and strategic community engagement.
• Play a lead role in shaping and scaling ASC's program model and team structure as the organization grows to serve more campers and expands to additional camp locations.

People Leadership & Capacity Building

• Recruit, coach, and retain a high-performing Program/Camp Director team capable of independently managing multi-site operations.
• Build an organizational culture rooted in trust, ownership, psychological safety, continuous learning, and accountability.
• Establish clear decision-making frameworks, delegated authority models, and performance benchmarks for program staff.

Program Quality, Impact & Evaluation

• Build an organizational approach to impact measurement, using data and research to strengthen programs, inform strategic decisions, and communicate outcomes to funders, partners, and the Board.
• Oversee programmatic strategy across camps, CIT program, seasonal retreats, and year-round family engagement initiatives.
• Define and measure key indicators for program success, youth outcomes, camper retention, and operational efficiency.
• Leverage camper/family feedback, research, and youth development best practices to continuously enhance program quality.
• Partner with the Development team to ensure timely grant implementation, reporting, and stewardship of restricted program funding.
• Independently maintain and evolve ASC's program logic models and outcomes frameworks, staying current on trends in youth development and out-of-school-time programming to keep ASC's approach competitive for funding and aligned with best practice.
• Maintain executive accountability for organizational safety, risk management, emergency preparedness, and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure strict adherence to state licensing requirements, American Camp Association (ACA) accreditation standards, and legal mandates across all facilities.
• Proactively identify operational risks and establish escalation protocols for legal, safety, or reputational concerns.

Strategic Partnership & Community Engagement

• Serve as a visible, authentic ambassador for ASC across Central Texas, expanding network connections into actionable strategic partnerships.
• Build strategic alliances with school districts, youth-serving non-profits, government agencies, and community leaders.
• Collaborate closely with the CEO and Development team to engage funders, represent ASC at public forums, and cultivate revenue-generating opportunities.
• Assist in developing compelling cases for support, communicate program impact, participate in donor cultivation and stewardship, and ensure funders have confidence in ASC's program quality and outcomes.
• Develop long‑term strategies for camper and family engagement that strengthen belonging, increase retention, and cultivate lifelong connections to ASC.
• Manage program department budgets in close partnership with Finance, ensuring rigorous stewardship of resources.
• Ensure robust administrative systems exist for camper recruitment, enrollment, staffing, training, and cross‑departmental coordination.
• Ensure programs are implemented consistent with grant commitments, restricted funding requirements, and organizational priorities.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in youth development, camps, education, out-of-school-time programming, or a related mission-driven environment.
• Significant people leadership experience developing high-performing teams.
• Experience working in a nonprofit setting with Boards, funders, schools, and partners.
• Experience in an overnight camp or multi-site youth development organization preferred.
• Must have a valid driver's license, pass a criminal background check and be able to lift up to 35 pounds.

Annual salary for this role is $100,000 to $120,000, based on experience. Additional benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• SIMPLE IRA with a 3% employer match.
• Unlimited PTO.
• Eligibility for staff members' own children to attend camp, within ASC's policy for non-qualifying admissions.