Leadership of Family Camp in the Cascade Mountains
Organizational Overview:
Holden Village is a remote wilderness community, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, that welcomes all people into the North Cascade Mountains, above Lake Chelan, Washington to form and renew their relationships with God, the earth, and each other.
Since 1962, Holden Village has transformed from a copper mining town into a vibrant community of education, programming, and worship.
Role Responsibilities:
Overview:
The Executive Director(s) is/are responsible to the Board of Directors for nurturing and keeping the Mission, Vision, and Values as the vital center of the life and work of Holden Village. The position includes:
- Leadership of a unique Christian retreat center located in a remote alpine setting, curating a multi-generational year-round community that has tens of thousands of supporters worldwide.
- Being guardian of a highly relational ethos that has existed for over 60 years, defined by hard work, worship and gathering, hilarity, faith, and shared experience.
- Managing multiple strategic relationships that include the institutional church, schools, regional businesses, corporations, other nonprofits, the state of Washington, and particularly the USFS (which issues the permits that allow Holden to exist).
Leadership of a Collaborative, Welcoming Community:
- Articulate and live out the Mission, Vision, and Values with all Villagers. Collaborate with the Board to implement the Strategic Plan.
- Build and maintain relationships with all Villagers and community partners, such as the USFS, Rio Tinto, the Yakama Nation, and Chelan School District.
- Leadership of a community of faith and practice; collaborate with the Village pastor and staff in framing the worship experience of the community, including a required daily Vespers service for all villagers.
- Develop and oversee the design, execution, and evaluation of programs and education consistent with the ministry of Holden Village, including the Summer Teaching Programs.
- Oversee capital campaign and fundraising, and develop other financial resources with Board approval and support.
- Through staffing, programming, outreach, and training, ensure that Holden upholds a commitment to racial equity, social justice, accessibility, and inclusion of people from a wide diversity of communities, including racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, gender, sexuality, and ability identities.
Staffing and Human Resource Management:
- Provide overall day-to-day management of the Village.
- Hire and supervise all senior managers and the Village pastor, and oversee recruitment, hiring, and training of year-round staff and seasonal volunteers.
- Community-crafting, making sure that volunteers and employees have the right jobs and find their work meaningful.
- Nurture a sense of community and hospitality for all Villagers, inside and outside of Holden. Engage practices supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion on multiple levels.
- Create a work culture of cooperation, supportive delegation, and empowerment.
Operations Management:
- Oversee the Village's facilities and business operations, delegating and prioritizing a wide variety of critical tasks.
- Oversee the care and maintenance of Holden's physical infrastructure.
- Develop and propose annual budgets for Board review and approval.
- Oversee and be accountable for finances, including income, expenditures, external contracts, and all other financial matters.
- Support ongoing fundraising, grant-writing, and the Advancement/Capital Campaign.
Public Relations:
- Serve as the spokesperson for the ministry of Holden Village, nationally and globally, to cultivate relationships with existing and potential guests, staff, faculty, donors, and partners. Oversee the writing, printing, and distribution of all of Holden's promotional and informational materials.
Candidate Qualifications:
Qualifications, Experience, and Skills:
- Have a living connection with a congregation in a denomination in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a broadly ecumenical understanding of Christianity, and an ability to engage in faith-based learning in a variety of contexts.
- Experience training and engaging others in both large and small groups.
- Demonstrated commitment to and experience with organizational practices supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly related to racial justice.
- Demonstrated experience with volunteer supervision, leadership development, and young adult formation.
- Adaptive communication skills, including interviewing, coaching, and intercultural collaboration. Experience in recruiting, selecting, nurturing, supervising, and evaluating staff.
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university (required); Masters degree preferred. Committed to full-time presence at Holden Village for up to 5 years.
Physical and Mental:
- Ability to live, work, and lead in a remote alpine community without fast or consistent access to in-person medical, dental, and behavioral health care.
- Ability to live in a wilderness context, managing life in a community situated in a place that includes changes in elevation, lack of air conditioning in the summer, large amounts of accumulated snow in the wintertime, wildlife, and sometimes-inconsistent internet connectivity.
- The ability and willingness to serve as a leader in emergency situations, including medical and behavioral health emergencies, fire emergencies, wildlife management, and evacuations.
- Strong sense of self-care and sustainable work/life balance while living in a remote community with those you are leading.
Application Process:
A completed application consists of:
- A resume
- Three (3) references
- Three (3) total essays, with each essay (1000-word maximum, double-spaced) responding to each of the following prompts:
- Describe your spiritual journey and identity.
- Describe your leadership/management experience and how it relates to an organization like Holden Village, and your vision for leadership at Holden.
- Choose one (1) or more of Holden Village's Values and describe in the PDF how you would use it/them in implementing the vision described above.
