Ekone Ranch Program Manager

Ekone Ranch is looking for our next fabulous program leader to shepherd summer camp, school field trips, and programs for kids, families, and adults!

Job Purpose:  1. Continuation and advancement of an excellent Ekone Summer Camp program that imbues children with an ethic of stewardship and authentic community experience that empowers them to be transformative citizens of the earth.  2. Creation, facilitation and support of school field trips and other programs for children, adults and families in service to SEF’s mission.

Essential Job Duties:

Summer Camp

Manage all aspects of Ekone Summer Camps, ensuring that Ekone Summer Camps continue to provide a safe, wholesome and one-of-a-kind transformative experience.  Including:

Camp marketing, registration, administration, and communications
Curriculum development and implementation
Staff, intern, and volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision, with about 15 staff, 10 interns and 10 volunteers each season
Stock camp supplies and work with ranch team to ensure facilities readiness
Participate in creation and management of annual budgets pertaining to camps and programs
Directly lead some sessions of camp, coordinate with other leaders for some sessions
See https://www.ekone.org/session-schedule to learn more about our most recent lineup of summer camps

Other Programs

Seek, design and coordinate “shoulder season” programs, ranging from school field trips with curriculum designed and provided by Ekone staff, to adult retreats with outside facilitation.  Including:

Primary point of contact with all inquiring program leaders
Create and implement contracts and curriculum per the needs of each group
Recruit and manage program staff and volunteers
Interface between the workings of the ranch and program needs
Conduct outreach and marketing to generate new programs as appropriate
Host/orient each program or coordinate with other staff to host
Click Here for a brief overview of 2022 shoulder season programs

Equity, Access, and Cultural Appropriateness Initiatives

Foster equitable access to Ekone’s programs and the nourishing space of this land, with programs and partnerships serving a diversity of children, families, and adults, while balancing the revenue-generating needs of Ekone programs.  Including:

Cultivate partnerships with organizations and schools serving marginalized communities to create collaborative program opportunities
Conduct specific outreach and build relationships with local and regional tribal communities, working towards restoring access for the native people whose land we occupy
Administer a summer camp scholarship program prioritizing diversity
Facilitate continuing efforts at appropriate and responsive curriculum and delivery, with awareness of cultural appropriation, the historic and continued oppression of indigenous people, and the culture of white supremacy

Mentorship & Leadership Development

Partner with the wisdom of the next generation, with opportunities for mutual learning and discovery. 

Facilitate a Youth Council to provide a youth perspective in SEF governance
Create opportunities for advancement and learning among Ekone youth, including appropriate training and mentorship
Nurture relationships with Ekone youth year-round

Possible Job Duties:

Depending on the skills and interests of our preferred candidate, some of the following could be applicable:

Fundraising, specifically for equity and access initiatives
Cooking for groups
Horse wrangling & coaching
Gardening
Our programs emerge from the skills and passions of our staff.  What are yours?
Ekone Ranch has a “do what needs to be done” staff culture, and it’s expected that all staff pitch in as needed with various ranch functions regardless of whether it fits tidily into our job descriptions.    

Required Qualifications:

Demonstrated passion for outdoor education
MS Office proficiency, including basic spreadsheet competence
Google workspace proficiency
Excellent email management
Experience managing staff and volunteers
Experience with seasonally intense work
Ability to handle physically, mentally, emotionally, and environmentally demanding work, including living and working in the same location
Required to live on site at least seasonally.  Some remote work is possible seasonally.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires ability to:

Work up to a 3-month period with minimal time off
Work long days when needed, sometimes 12-14 hours, with much of the day on your feet and actively engaged with participants, in all weather including summer heat
Hike 5 miles on uneven terrain
Lift 50lbs
Work at a desk; use a computer; communicate with colleagues and clients via phone, in-person, and digital channels (email, video conferencing, etc)

Desired Qualifications:

Mental health training
Wilderness First Responder certification
Proficiency with SurveyMonkey (our current camp registration system)
Proficiency with Little Green Light or similar CRM software
Experience with community living

Reporting & Supervision

SEF is led by a three-person Leadership Circle, consisting of the Executive Director, Operations Director, and Cemetery Director, who together report directly to the Board of Directors.  This position will be supervised by the Operations Director (Liz Coppola), with significant collaboration and support by Executive Director (Shonie Schlotzhauer), Horse Manager (Jenna Milton), Volunteer Coordinator (Michelle Sager).  The outbound Program  Director (Caitlin Jones) will also be retained at 10 hours/month January-June for the purposes of training and mentorship. 

Compensation

In 2022, we adopted a transparent policy to set compensation for all staff, based on an analysis of market rates, accounting for years of experience, and adjusted for the limitations of our modest budget.  This policy will be reviewed and updated annually. 

Program Manager base salary is $34,240, assuming two years of relevant professional experience, plus $800 for each additional year of incoming professional experience.  SEF values employee satisfaction and retention, and staff can expect annual salary increases.  We hope to reach fully competitive salaries over the next 3 years.

Hours

This is a full time (40 hours/week average), exempt position, with the expectation that hours will flex towards long days and weeks May-October and a lighter schedule November-April.  When programs are not in session, there is a high degree of flexibility and autonomy in work schedule. 

Benefits

Onsite housing provided
Phone, internet, and mileage reimbursement
$1000/year professional development allowance
Paid time off, inclusive of holidays and sick leave, 3 weeks in first year with one additional week each year up to 6 weeks
We are currently unable to provide health and retirement benefits

Equal Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. 

Application Process & Hiring Timeline

Please familiarize yourself with our website, www.ekone.org, and complete the application questionnaire here.  You may also send a resume and any questions or other background materials to shonie@ekone.org (but it’s not required for our process).  Phone calls are discouraged, let’s save it for interviews ~ thank you for understanding.

We will begin responding to applicants and scheduling interviews on November 7.  Ideally, our selected candidate will begin training (full time or part time) in December, with the outbound Program Director who departs at the end of the year.  Start date is flexible based on the needs of our preferred candidates.

How to apply:

Please familiarize yourself with our website, www.ekone.org, and complete the application questionnaire here.  You may also send a resume and any questions or other background materials to shonie@ekone.org (but it’s not required for our process). Phone calls are discouraged, let’s save it for interviews ~ thank you for understanding.