Seasonal Camp Director - New Haven

Job Details

• Location: 830 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06511
• Pre-Season Hours: Approximately 80 hours of online training from hire to start of camp (April - June). Flexible schedule.
• Camp Dates: 6/15/2026 (Mon) - 8/21/2026 (Fri) (in addition, two weekends will be required for move-in and out of camp)
• Camp Hours: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Virtual Training: Must be available for virtual training on one of the following dates -- 4/25, 5/9 or 5/16 12-6pm EST
• Pre-season Hourly Wage: The hourly rate for this position is $32.50 per hour. The pay range listed here is what Steve & Kate's Camp in good faith anticipates offering for this job opening. Actual compensation offers within this range will depend on experience and other relevant business or organizational factors.
• Summer Salary: $1,300 weekly

At Steve & Kate's, we put radical trust in kids so that they learn to trust themselves. Campers choose minute to minute what they do at camp, with whom, and for how long...because kids who learn to make decisions today build the self-confidence they will need to wrangle unknowns tomorrow. If you join our team as a Seasonal Director, you will sharpen your inherent leadership skills and do meaningful work, while getting an immersive experience of creativity and play.

Steve & Kate's Summer Camp is an 8 to 11 week program, running from June to August. Training for this position will begin in April. In the pre-season, you will be trained by our Team Leads in all things camp, and you will slowly take on more responsibility until you own all camp positions on a daily basis.

The job, in a nutshell: Help run all facets of a self-directed camp.

Our management team will prepare you for camp, and then they will hand you the reins approximately 1-2 weeks before the Summer begins. While running camp you will build relationships with hundreds of parents and children, helping them overcome fears, discover passions and generally find their groove at Steve & Kate's. You will help train, lead and inspire a team, and oversee the day-to-day operations for your site to keep things running smoothly, safely and up to code. If you are interested in a career at Steve & Kate's, this is a great way to gain valuable experience!
How do you know if you are the right candidate? If you answer yes to all of the questions below, you should definitely apply:

• Do you appreciate and agree with our self-directed approach for kids?
• Would sparking up conversations with staff, campers and parents fit in your comfort zone?
• Are you comfortable navigating challenging and sometimes sensitive interactions?
• Are you the type of person who can't rest until you have done everything possible to make someone feel cared for? Like, if someone you knew was in need, would you do more than send them a "thinking of you" text?
• Can you multitask like you are a Hollywood Power Agent all while keeping calm, level-headed and nice?
• Do you have the stamina to keep up (Literally) with 4 - 12 year old's bursting with energy and creative potential? And, can you bench press the equivalent of a kindergartner? (Just Kidding -- but can you lift up to 30lbs?)

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Shares responsibility for all stages of the employee life cycle for seasonal teams of up to 30. Also, attraction, recruitment, onboarding, development, retention and separation.
• Acts as an on-site manager responsible for all facets of a day camp that runs 8 - 11 weeks, with an average of 150 campers (or more) per day, generating 6 -7 figure revenue.
• When issues come up at camp, handles crises, emergencies, behavioral and medical responses as needed.
• Manages customer contact for their programs, including responding to email and phone inquiries in a timely manner. Also providing exceptional customer service and handling sensitive and escalated matters for hundreds of prospective and attending camp families.
• With support, manages compliance processes and ensures implementation of company, city and state required policies for camps and/or childcare facilities as applicable to their locality.
• Manages a six-figure budget for personnel, food and programming needs.
• Oversees all logistics and inventory management functions for hundreds of items valued in excess of six-figures, which are needed to run camp programs.
• Manages relationships with the host school that rents out the facility where our camp runs; also responsible for overseeing janitorial arrangements, security and site planning to ensure sanitary, safe and smooth operations.

Job Requirements

• At least 21 years of age with a high school diploma or GED required
• Bachelors Degree preferred
• At least one of the following:One prior season as a Camp Director16 weeks of Administrative or Supervisory experience in an organized camp Completed equivalent Administrative or Supervisory training or experience in an organized youth program (thru ACA)

Additional Job Requirements

• Past management or leadership experience is required; experience hiring and managing teams of 5 or more is preferred
• During camp programs, the Director is expected to be on-site. When camps are not in session, most planning work can be done remotely, but Directors are expected to be actively marketing, recruiting staff and promoting camp in their community.
• On-site management at camp can be physically demanding, with extended periods of time on your feet, outside and occasional activity requiring physical exertion.
• Candidate who meet the ACA standard of being at least 25 years old are preferred.
• Directors will be expected to run break camps throughout the year.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the employee to comply with all applicable federal, state, local, Steve & Kate's Camp, Bright Horizons’, and client site requirements concerning immunizations, employment physical/screening, and health and safety training. If hired, you will work in person in a schooled-aged camp setting to provide supervision, care, program delivery, and services per Steve & Kate's Camp and Bright Horizons’ policies, procedures and guidance, in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations, and in a manner that will ensure the safety of children in Steve & Kate's Camp's care and the employee.

Steve & Kate's Camp and Bright Horizons comply with all laws that require reasonable accommodations for qualifying disabilities and/or pregnancy-related limitations. The full set of physical requirements for this role are as follows:

• Maintain and follow all safety and health rules of the location.
• Organize and maintain clean and accessible activity spaces.
• Assist in camp set-up and breakdown during move-in and out weekends.
• Stand for long periods while supervising children and facilitating activities.
• Participate in athletic games.

Benefits:

• Where local regulations mandate, this position is eligible for sick time.

Deadline to Apply: This posting is anticipated to remain open until April 15, 2026.