Groups and Retreats Director

Frost Valley YMCA is located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, 2 hours north of New York City!
Job Description

The Group and Family Retreats Director leads the development, implementation, and facilitation of all family programs, youth retreats, Scout groups and specialty camps/conferences attending Frost Valley. Additionally, the Director supervises the Group and Family Retreats Coordinator and has joint supervisory responsibility for more than 21 Outdoor Instructors. Providing outstanding customer service to over 10,000 yearly Group and Family Retreats (GFR) guests is our highest priority. The primary responsibility of the GFR Director is to maintain high-quality conference and retreat programs and to provide outstanding customer service to all GFR guests. This position requires working Wednesday through Sunday between September and June. 

Qualifications
  • Relevant education and/or work experience required
  • Previous supervisory experience required 
  • Minimum two years experience in a camp, conference center, hospitality and/or YMCA setting, especially working with large groups
  • YMCA Camp experience preferred 
  • Excellent customer service skills 
  • Able to connect with guests, lead staff, balance short- and long-range planning, and work with a high level of attention to detail 
  • Level II Challenge Course certified or ability to obtain certification preferred 
  • Experience with Camp Brain, Google Suite and Asana preferred 
  • Possess a valid US Driver’s License and be able to pass internal FV driver training 
Essential Functions
  • Function as the primary point of contact for all Group and Family Retreat groups.  This will include having a physical presence when groups are onsite and will function as the Director on Call when GFR participants are at Frost Valley.  
  • Provide outstanding customer service including but not limited to: communicating with groups and families before, during and after their stay; maintain a positive attitude, be able to adapt to situations and be willing to accommodate to the requests of certain groups, acknowledging certain guests backgrounds and culture requests for meals/programming, be patient and empathetic, be able to be an active listener ensuring customers questions and concerns are in a way that makes them feel heard and provides a solution; work with other Frost Valley Departments to ensure realistic requests by guests are resolved in a prompt, efficient manner.  
  • Coordinate with Reservations and the Front Desk Manager to plan an efficient and well-organized check-in process.
  • Share on-call responsibilities for evenings and overnights, which could include weekdays to support the Year Round Program depts. 
  • Contribute to the hiring, scheduling, training, mentoring, evaluation and supervision of 20 plus Outdoor Instructors.
  • Hire, train, supervise, evaluate and mentor the Group and Retreats Coordinator. 
  • Work with support departments (maintenance, housekeeping, reservations and the front desk) to ensure a high-quality experience for our guests especially when schedule changes arise.
  • Manage and oversee the GFR expense budgeting lines.
  • Providing logistics for GFR programming including but not limited to directing the set up of program spaces  (moving chairs and tables, etc.). The Director must also be available to our guests to bid farewell; the Director will also be required to supervise staff with post-visit clean-ups and staff meetings if necessary. 
  • Provide creative ideas and implementation for new program areas and theme weekends.
  • Work with reservations department to ensure accurate and timely information is entered into reservations software. 
  • Demonstrate good judgment in decision-making and willingness to support the Frost Valley and YMCA Character Values. 
  • Work with the Business Development and Reservations Department to develop and execute specialty weekend programs such as Women's Wellness Weekend, Y Guide Alumni weekend, and holiday-themed weekends.
  • Work with Business Development and the Reservations Department to plan out the calendar for the upcoming year to include themed weekends and special events. 
  • Oversee payroll for GFR coordinator, as well as outdoor instructors.   
  • Ensure staff compliance with all personnel policies.
  • When applicable, assist with the implementation of GFR marketing strategies.
  • All other duties assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Relevant education and/or work experience required.
  • Previous supervisory experience required. 
  • Minimum two years experience in a camp, conference center, hospitality and/or YMCA setting, especially working with large groups.
  • YMCA Camp experience preferred. 
  • Excellent customer service skills. 
  • Able to connect with guests, lead staff, balance short- and long-range planning, and work with a high level of attention to detail.
  • Level II Challenge Course certified or ability to obtain certification preferred. 
  • Experience with Camp Brain, Google Suite and Asana preferred.
  • Possess a valid US Driver’s License and be able to pass internal FV driver training.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.
  • The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
  • May require long periods of time sitting.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

FROST VALLEY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Exciting Perks and Benefits: Medical/Dental/ Vision insurance effective the 1st of the month, after completing 60 days, Biweekly PTO accruals and sick time, free access to onsite gym, free meals during work hours, 403(b) Smart Saving account accessible immediately upon hire, company paid Life Insurance and Long Term Disability, additional voluntary insurance options such as Short Term Disability.