Senior Director of Operations

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Operations provides strategic, spiritual, and operational leadership for Forest Home’s core guest-delivery engines: Retail (including the Creative Arts Center), Guest Dining, Buildings & Grounds, Accommodations, and localized Capital Projects.

This leader bridges the gap between high-level ministry vision and tactical execution, transforming camp infrastructure into an environment of spiritual transformation and exceptional hospitality. The ideal candidate applies a "Scaling Up" efficiency mindset to everyday camp operations, ensuring disciplined stewardship of resources while leading a diverse workforce of skilled trades.

Direct Reports & Scale

• Direct Reports: 4 (Department Heads for Buildings & Grounds, Guest Dining, Retail, and Accommodations)
• Total Department Leadership: 5
• Operational Footprint: Managing infrastructure supporting 2,100 beds and up to 4,500+ meals per day across a $250M+ physical asset footprint.

3-Year Strategic Key Performance Outcomes (Scorecard)

Success in this role will be defined by the achievement of the following distinct milestones within the next 24 to 36 months:

1. Retail Transformation & Margin Growth

• Revenue Expansion: Scale retail operations from a baseline of $800,000 to $1.2 Million in annual gross sales.
• Profitability Optimization: Drive retail net income from $50,000 to $200,000 through disciplined inventory management, lifecycle tracking, and staffing controls.
• Digital Extension: Successfully launch and scale an online e-commerce storefront to extend the Forest Home brand and revenue beyond seasonal attendance.
• The Creative Arts Center: Revitalize the traditional Crafts Center into a thriving, high-vitality Creative Arts Center designed for family campers. This space must deliberately foster deep conversations and creativity, providing guests with a high-quality physical keepsake that anchors the life-changing decisions they made for Christ at camp.

2. Dining Optimization & Cost Stewardship

• Procurement Rigor: Implement creative cost-reduction initiatives without compromising food quality, aggressively rate-shopping vendors and restructuring primary supply contracts.
• Tightened Controls: Introduce precise inventory tracking and lean kitchen protocols to control Prime Costs (Food + Labor) while maintaining a peaceful, connecting environment across 4,500+ daily meals.

3. Capital Project Governance & Communication

• Execution Rigor: Overhaul the organization, budgeting, and timeline forecasting of localized capital improvements (e.g., cabin renovations, dining hall upgrades).
• Communication Loop: Deliver projects strictly on time and within budget through meticulous scope-creep containment and proactive stakeholder communication, minimizing disruption to the camp schedule.

4. Infrastructure & Data Modernization

• Proactive Maintenance Roadmap: Transition Buildings & Grounds from a culture of "reactive fixing" to "proactive lifecycle management" by implementing a fully costed, data-backed 10-year maintenance schedule.
• GIS Infrastructure: Establish and maintain comprehensive GIS utility mapping and digital facility infrastructure logs for all underground lines, buildings, and physical assets across the property.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Operations & Hospitality Leadership
  • Act as the internal champion for guest satisfaction, ensuring accommodations, public spaces, and dining facilities constantly reflect organizational standards of excellence.
  • Establish, monitor, and enforce Internal Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with Programs and Guest Retreats, treating fellow executive directors as internal customers to deliver the precise spiritual ethos needed for every unique event.
• Fiscal & Contract Management
  • Maintain full P&L accountability for all operating units, driving lean methodologies to eliminate waste (time, food, energy) and maximize speed of service.
  • Leverage Forest Home's scale to negotiate enterprise-level contracts for food, linens, equipment, and utilities.
• Spiritual Team Leadership
  • Recruit, train, and spiritually disciple a diverse workforce of technicians, chefs, and retail staff, explicitly framing their daily labor as a critical, front-line ministry vocation.

Key Skillsets & Qualifications

• The Integrator Mindset: Exceptional ability to apply system-thinking and lean management principles to fluid, high-volume hospitality environments.
• Steel and Dirt Competency: Solid baseline understanding of facilities maintenance, preventative scheduling, utilities infrastructure, and basic project management/contractor governance.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong financial literacy with a proven track record of managing margins, inventory velocity, and labor cost optimization.

Executive Leadership

• Align fully with Forest Home’s Statement of Faith.
• Serve as a member of the Executive Team, contributing to the organization’s strategy, execution, people and finances.
• Collaborate with the President and Executive Team to develop and implement operational vision and strategic improvements for Guest Retreats.
• Work with President and Executive Team to launch new and innovative improvements to Guests Retreats to further the mission and vision of the organization.
• Provide strategic leadership to achieve 1-Year, 3-Year, and 10-Year Goals.
• Facilitate and support agreed special projects as requested by the President.
• Actively supports and participates in spiritual life activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education and/or Experience Required 

• Undergraduate business degree required. Master’s degree preferred.
• Strong experience in leading multi-million-dollar operations.
• Large staff supervisory experience with demonstrated leadership ability.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Uphold and support the Mission, Vision and Core Values of Forest Home
• Seek the Lord God and comfortable praying for people, both in person or on the phone
• Actively supports and participates in the staff spiritual life activities
• Signed statement of faith
• Able to build high-trust and engagement with President and Direct Reports.
• Solid Biblical and Theological understanding.
• Strong communicator, both one-on-one and in group settings.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to lead others, strategic thinking, and proven administration experience.
• Assume responsibility for developing a high-trust, engaged and accountable culture throughlevel-5 servant leadership (Jim Collins).
• Able to build and develop effective and high-performance teams.
• Able to handle confidential matters with excellence.
• Able to provide conflict resolution when necessary
• Able to deal with issues and problems with wisdom and effectiveness.
• Excellent customer advocacy skills with the ability to provide exceptional service to guests and churches through processes, procedures, and training.
• Able to accomplish assigned projects utilizing excellent communication (written and verbal), project management, time management and collaboration skills.
• Ability to perform high quality work.
• Ability to develop strong partner relationships with churches and organizations.
• Ability to work well in a variety of team environments.
• Actively supports and participates in the staff spiritual life activities.
• Regular, timely attendance.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and requires sufficient hand, arm, and finger dexterity to operate office machines. Requires mild physical work; some lifting, pushing, or pulling of objects over 20 pounds. Requires visual acuity to read words and numbers and speaking and hearing ability sufficient to communicate in person or over the phone.

ADA

The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Work involves moderate exposure to unusual elements such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, smoke, unpleasant odors. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud at times.

Forest Home Employment Status

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. All terms and conditions of Forest Home’s at-will employment, duties, and responsibilities are subject to the Forest Home Employee Handbook.

Forest Home Core Values

Surrender to Christ (Romans 12:1-2)

• Abide with the Lord daily through study of His Word and prayer
• Surrender to the Lord daily through obedience to His Word
• Worship the Lord with the Forest Home Community
• Commit to grow in your faith through regular attendance at a local church
• Prioritize God, Family, and Work appropriately
• Be prepared to share your testimony with staff or guests
• Walk in Biblical purity (1 Timothy 4:12) by rejecting one’s sinful nature

Love (I Corinthians 13)

• Display the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22)
• Be respectful to others
• Demonstrate compassion

Serve (Philippians 2:3-11)

• Give generously to God and others through time, talent and treasure
• Seek to put others’ needs above your own
• Demonstrate humility in both spirit and deed
• Actively look for ways to serve

Walk in Integrity (Titus 2:11-12, Proverbs 4:23-27)

• Show loyalty to others, even when they are not present
• Do the right thing, even when others are not present
• Extend trust and seek to believe the best in others
• Ask for forgiveness quickly when necessary
• Be truthful and transparent with others

Strive for Excellence (Colossians 3:23-24)

• Demonstrate accountability with time and resources
• Request and receive training
• Desire to improve, and challenge others to do the same
• Commit to exceeding guest expectations
• Refuse mediocrity

Engage in Community (I Thessalonians 5:11-13)

• Seek first to understand before being understood
• Communicate clearly, empathetically and respectfully
• Work through conflict Biblically (Matthew 18-15-17)
• Participate in intentional and purposeful community activities
• Partner with teammates for the goal of unity and team effectiveness
• Play and appreciate “campy” fun
• Faithfully pray for one another

Innovate (Ephesians 3:20-21)

• Dream Big
• Proactively seek solutions
• Think outside the box
• Dream, plan and execute new ideas
• Acknowledge and trust that all things are possible through Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 19:26)