Kennedy Mountain Campus Summer Seasonal Staff

Inside Higher Ed; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 29,372 - 30,996; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Room and board provided

Daily stipend of $159.20

Job summary

A university program in Colorado is seeking Summer Seasonal Staff to provide hospitality and oversight during summer camps and events at the Kennedy Mountain Campus. Responsibilities include supervising campers, assisting with events, and leading outdoor activities. Ideal candidates are at least 18 years old and possess strong communication skills. This position runs from July 6 to August 13, 2026, with room and board provided, offering a daily stipend of $159.20.

Qualifications

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• Prior experience working with youth is preferred.
• Willingness to obtain CPR/First Aid certification.
• Ability to pass background and driving record checks.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate summer camper supervision and activities.
• Provide customer service to all KMC clients.
• Assist in instructing outdoor activities.

Skills

Customer service

Outdoor skills

Communication skills

Flexibility

Job description

Job No: 498579

Work Type: Staff Full-Time, Staff Part-Time

Location: Red Feather Lakes, CO

Categories: Recreation / Kennedy Mountain Campus

About the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus

The Kennedy Mountain Campus (KMC) is in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado and situated on 724 acres of pristine wilderness adjacent to the Roosevelt National Forest. The Kennedy Mountain Campus core programs and events are designed to integrate the 4D Experience for DU students within the wilderness setting. The summer season at the Kennedy Mountain Campus is primarily focused on select events, rental groups, and summer camps.

Position Summary

The Summer Seasonal Staff position will work across all three of the KMC teams as determined by the summer event calendar. The primary focus of this position will be on the ability to provide a quality experience to any guests on KMC. This may include facilitating summer camper supervision, facilitating outdoor activities, helping with select events, and facility maintenance such as trail building, cleaning, or general upkeep. The Summer Staff will report to the Associate Director of KMC. Room and board are provided for the summer season with a daily stipend of $159.20. Staff training begins on July 6, 2026. Summer employment is available starting in July through August of 2026 with potential to extend prior and post season. This is a non-benefited position not to exceed 1,000 hours in a calendar year.

Scope

The Summer Staff position will work across all areas of the KMC teams as determined by the summer event calendar, staffing requirements, and upcoming events. The primary focus of this position will be on providing the highest quality of facilities, programs, and experiences to participants.

Essential Functions

Summer Camp

• Support the KMCWR division in the execution of its summer camp programs
• Serve as cabin camp counselor for PASS Camp at KMC summer camp events
• Maintains schedule for camp participants
• Provide supervision and support of camp environment, participants and staff
• Perform administrative tasks to support camp operations
• Responsible for camper supervision, safety, well-being, growth, and development
• Leads various summer camp activities such as morning meetings, evening activities, arts and crafts, and outdoor experience activities
• Records and tracks important camper information such as medication log, attendance, sunscreen checks, hydration checks, dietary restrictions, incident reports, etc.

Event Operations

• Provides exceptional customer service to all KMC clients, guests, and campers
• Assists with all event operations such as check ins/outs, set up and strikes, processing payments, and responding to requests
• Cleans all KMC facilities and equipment including but not limited to dining hall, kitchens, offices, cabins, restrooms, toilets, sinks, water fountains, showers, etc.

Outdoor Experience

• Assists in instructing various outdoor activities such as climbing, hiking, challenge course, archery, mountain biking, fly fishing, SUP, etc.
• Conducts trail work including, but not limited to, building trails, erosion control, trimming vegetation, trail analysis, materials transport, and the proper and safe use of tools, materials, and other equipment

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Employees working with children will be required to complete additional background checks and training as required by Colorado Child Care licensing (paid for by the University of Denver)
• Help maintain a clean and safe environment for all participants and events
• Recognize and respond effectively and efficiently to emergencies
• Able to work both collaboratively and individually
• Love of the outdoors and ability to share it with guests
• Excellent oral/written communication skills
• Self-directed, motivated, innovative
• Desire to learn new skills and concepts
• Strong sense of responsibility
• Enjoys working with peers, clients, and staff

Required Qualifications

• All summer staff must be at least 18 years old
• Prior experience in customer service and/or working with youth
• Ability to show flexibility and creativity as it relates to programming requirements
• American Red Cross CPR/First Aid/AED Certification, or willingness to obtain CPR/First Aid/AED certification.
• Ability to pass a background check
• Ability to pass a driving record check and comfort in driving ATV's and 15 passenger vans
• Basic knowledge of outdoor skills, maintenance, landscaping, and/or trail building or a willingness to learn

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with youth in an outdoor environment
• Wilderness medicine training, Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder
• Interest in climbing and the ability to learn to belay and assist in facilitating high ropes elements.
• Prior experience with trail building, landscaping, maintenance, and custodial work

Summer Staff - Outdoor Lead

In addition to all essential functions and duties listed above, there will be a group of 2 - 3 Summer Staff to serve as the Outdoor Technical Leads for specific outdoor activities. These Technical Leads will work with the DU Outdoor team to deliver high-quality outdoor activities, where adequate risk management is of the highest priority.

Outdoor Lead - Required Qualifications

• Meets all qualifications outlined above
• Experience belaying roped participants with multiple belay devices
• Experience following SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for outdoor environments
• Ability to manage youth in various, often austere weather conditions.
• If interested in the Summer Staff - Outdoor Technical Lead focus, please indicate your interest after being selected for an interview and follow up with an Outdoor Skills Resume at that time. A template of the Outdoor Skills Resume will be provided during the first round of the interview process

Outdoor Lead - Preferred Qualifications

• Wilderness First Responder or other advanced Remote Medical Certification
• Experience setting up roped rock climbs and leading climbing / via ferrata programming in an institutional setting.

Working Environment

• Works in all weather conditions and varying facilities and environments.
• Works regularly on nights, weekends, and holidays.
• The noise level is moderate.
• Exposure to blood-borne pathogens.

Physical Activities

• Ability to sit and stand repeatedly for many hours or days.
• Required to move over uneven terrain carrying upwards of 50 lbs.
• Ability to wake up early and/or stay up late
• Playing sports, active games, and outdoor recreation activities

Work Schedule

• This position's duration is from July 6th, 2026 to August 13th, 2026, with potential to extend.
• The work schedule may vary, with an average of 5 days on and 2 days off per week.

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is $159.20-$168 per day depending on position. The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate's sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers some benefits for non-benefited employees. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Application Deadline

For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) March 9, 2026.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Please Include The Following Documents With Your Application

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University's educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.

To apply, visit https://jobs.du.edu/en-us/job/498579