Director of Day Camp

Position: Day Camp Director, full-time

For over 25 years, Ramah Day Camp has been a cornerstone of the Philadelphia Jewish community, providing an exceptional day-camp experience that introduces young people to the joys of Jewish living and the world of Camp Ramah. Located in suburban Philadelphia (Elkins Park, PA) and serving children from pre-kindergarten through 9th grade, Ramah Day Camp offers a fun, dynamic, and enriching summer where campers grow, explore, and create lasting friendships. Our campers experience the excitement of discovery, the warmth of community, and the opportunity to gain experience and thrive in an environment that celebrates Jewish values and traditions. Our mission is to create life-long Jewish connections, one happy camper at a time.

Principle Responsibilities:

The Day Camp Director is the primary professional responsible for the day-to-day, summertime, and year-round operations of our Day Camp in suburban Philadelphia. The Day Camp Director oversees a camp program that serves over 200 campers and 100 staff members each summer. Our director is in charge of the Jewish educational vision of our camp program and should be innovating our educational offerings, hiring and managing qualified staff, and ensuring the safety of our camp community.  In addition, the Day Camp Director is responsible for the sound fiscal management of an annual Day Camp budget.

The Day Camp Director will supervise our Day Camp assistant director, and work alongside our entire year-round staff, and will be directly supervised by our Executive Director.

The Ideal Candidate:

• A self-starter, you are reliable and can manage multiple, conflicting priorities. 
• You are a savvy leader, able to thoughtfully manage and inspire your staff. 
• You are someone who feels comfortable monitoring the physical, mental, and emotional health and safety of all campers, staff, and guests.
• You can successfully communicate with parents, community partners, and other outside liaisons.
• High-energy, patience, and genuine passion for working with children is necessary.
• Flexible and proven leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Year-Round Responsibilities:

• Coordinating recruitment efforts throughout the year to maintain a healthy camper enrollment each summer.
• Creating and attendance at year-long calendar of events, including but not limited to, open houses, community events, camper reunions, etc. which aim to connect the community to camp throughout the course of the year.
• Recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training a full roster of talented, dedicated, and inspiring staff members who make Ramah Day Camp a warm, nurturing environment.
• Working alongside our Director of Advancement to identify and actualize fundraising projects specifically for our day camp, as well as be a full and active participant in organizational development activities.
• Serving as the primary professional on our Day Camp Committee, a standing sub-committee of our Board of Directors.
• Working alongside our Tikvah Director, continuing to maintain and expand upon the Tikvah (Special Needs) offerings at our Day Camp, ensuring the creation of an inclusive Jewish environment.
• Attending and participating in several yearly conferences, including those related to Ramah, the American Camp Association, and the Jewish Agency training seminar in Israel.
• Creating, analyzing, and managing a comprehensive annual budget, working alongside our Executive Director, Director of Finance, and our Finance Department.
• Partnering with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors in determining strategic vision, long-range and short-range planning for the Day Camp.

Summertime Responsibilities:

• Managing the day-to-day operations of a safe, fun, and experiential Jewish day camp.
• Overseeing transportation logistics.
• Coordinating and supervising staffing for before and after care options.
• Supervising all aspects of camper care; and alongside a team of professionals, supervising the physical and emotional well-being of all our campers and staff.
• Creating the most amazing, inspiring, and all-out-fun Ramah Day Camp summer experience.

Required qualifications and experience:

• A master's degree in education, Judaic Studies, Social Work, or another related field. (Bachelor’s degree required)
• Minimum five years’ experience working with children full-time in a summer camp or elementary school setting.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Experience recruiting campers and excitement about creating strong relationships with parents and other caregivers. 
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organization, and personal skills.
• Experience recruiting, supervising, and training staff and volunteers.
• Ability to develop and manage a budget.

• Strong connections in the Jewish community, and ability to work with a highly skilled team of camp professionals and lay leaders.
• Experience creating and implementing developmentally appropriate and engaging child-centered programming. 
• Eagerness to participate in fundraising, including donor prospecting and stewardship, and grant reporting.
• Knowledge of Jewish culture, values, and some spoken Hebrew language vocabulary. Experience leading and facilitating meaningful t’fillot.
• Basic fluency in Microsoft Office, social media platforms, marketing platforms (e.g. Constant Contact, Canva), database management platforms (e.g. CampMinder) or ability to learn.
• Eagerness to participate in fundraising, including donor prospecting and stewardship, and grant reporting.

• Familiarity with and affinity to Jewish camping, and preferably the mission of Camp Ramah in particular.