Summer Camp Program Director (2021) - Southern California
Galileo is looking for program visionaries to direct current or new Camp Galileo sites for the 2021 season. Summer Program Directors (internally referred to as “Camp Directors”) are outstanding leaders who assume overall leadership of a summer day camp location, including staff management, day-to-day operations, and creating a joy-filled summer camp culture.
We value divergent thinkers who bring various experiences and viewpoints to the table at Galileo. We strongly encourage members of underrepresented groups and people of diverse backgrounds to apply.
Who are you?
- You’re inspired by Galileo’s mission and purpose. Innovation education, project-based learning, youth empowerment, and creating safe, inclusive spaces all speak to the very heart of who you are.
- You’re an experienced, creative, fun-loving leader. You’re as comfortable resolving conflict between two campers as you are mentoring your staff or putting your own unique spin on a classic game.
- You’re communicative and trustworthy. As a relationship-builder and mentor, you measure your own success in large part by the success of those around you, and care deeply about helping them meet professional development goals.
- You’re an organized, problem-solving manager. You love fine-tuning operational logistics, ensuring program efficiency, and learning new strategies for driving overall performance.
- You’re ready to grow. You know that true mastery requires commitment, effort, thoughtful feedback, personal reflection, and implementation of lessons learned.
Who are we?
We think the world needs innovators. We also think kids who learn to explore and fail without fear—the essence of innovation—are happier, more creative and more confident when faced with life’s challenges. And we think kids with these skills are more likely to change our world and be the masters of their own.
Founded in 2002, Galileo operates educational programs for kids which includes summer day camps at 50+ locations throughout the Bay Area, SoCal, and Chicago, along with our new Galileo Anywhere virtual class offerings and Galileo at Home program. Our mission is to develop innovators who envision and create a better world, and we reach this mission through employment of our unique pedagogy, the Galileo Innovation Approach.
We’ve ranked #1 for Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the SF Business Times (and been on the list for eleven consecutive years!), and were named a Real Leader Magazine Top Impact twice and one of Forbes’ Best Small Companies. Being a Galileo Camp Director means joining an organization that is a model of innovative learning, with a company-wide commitment to inclusion and broadening our impact. Learn more about our financial assistance program and other community efforts.
What’s the job, really?
Pre-camp: Most Camp Directors have full-time jobs during the school year, and commit ~4-7 hours each week to their Camp Director role (March-May/June).
During Summer: Camp Directors work 55-65 hours each week during camp (and most camps run 6-8 weeks).
- You’ll brilliantly build, lead, and maintain your camp community. From prioritizing safety to mastering operations to nurturing and retaining staff to creating camp culture and traditions, you’ll work to identify and execute on your program vision, ensuring our campers have their most magical summers ever.
- You’ll train, collaborate with, motivate, and develop a team of summer staff. You’ll be a supportive manager with high expectations, who takes this part of your role seriously. You’ll actively evaluate potential—both strengths and areas of growth—and will thoughtfully push your team to greatness in ways that have an astounding ripple effect.
- You’ll create and build partnerships like a boss. As the face of Galileo in the community you serve, you’ll work closely with your manager on navigating your host school relationship, and consistently delivering exceptional service to our camper families.
- You’ll leverage existing (and carefully crafted) training and resources to masterfully manage your time and responsibilities, efficiently tracking your workflow details and calendar in the pre-season to prepare for camp.
What are we looking for?
- College graduate or equivalent work experience
- Experience working with K-8th grade children
- Demonstrated leadership experience (staff management experience a plus)
- Ability to work part-time January through May/June (~4-8 hours per week), and full-time in summer
- Camp experience is a bonus, though not required
- Readiness to stick around; we find that our team and team members benefit from a 3 year minimum commitment
Benefits & Compensation
- Financial reward. A California Camp Director typically earns $10,000-$12,000 per year in their first year. Galileo is unusual in that Camp Directors participate in—and benefit from—the financial success of their camps through our bonus program.
- Lasting positive impact on kids, staff, families, and communities. As a Galileo Camp Director, you’ll develop meaningful, multi-year relationships with staff members, campers and families. You’ll inspire the spark of camp, helping kids see themselves as true innovators.
- Leadership training & professional development. You’ll receive unique and exceptional training including weekly professional development and training sessions throughout the pre-camp season, monthly individual coaching throughout the pre-camp season, and weekly check-ins throughout the summer, mentorship, and access to Galileo’s network of prominent educational leaders. Camp Directors are given the tools, framework, community, and support to take ownership of and implement a fully-developed program.
- Opportunity. As Galileo grows, we’re often looking for Regional Directors, curriculum creators, and other full-time staff. Successful Camp Directors are likely candidates for such opportunities. We also have an extensive list of recruiting partners, which connect our staff with outstanding opportunities outside of Galileo.
- Community. You’ll become part of a current and former Galileo staff network of over 10,000 inspiring changemakers. Former Galileans stay connected, and have even gone on to create successful non-profit organizations together! Learn more about our staff here.
- Free camp. We offer either free camp sessions or significant camp discounts to all Galileo staff.
Work Location
March-May/June: In 2021, pre-camp season work is done remotely.
Summer: When it comes to camp assignments, we take your location preferences into consideration, and have ongoing, open dialogue about location options throughout the process.
COVID-19: As COVID-19 guidelines evolve, we’re working hard to create a COVID-safe camp model for our campers and teams. We'll aim to be transparent and communicative throughout our process if 2021 plans are impacted.