Retreat Operations Manager

Set among 400-plus acres of serene oak woodlands in the secluded hills of West Marin County, California, Spirit Rock Meditation Center is a refuge from everyday life where it's truly possible to quiet the mind, soften the heart and see life in a new way. Spirit Rock’s vision is to bring people to a depth of realization of the Buddha’s path. This vision is realized by Spirit Rock’s mission of providing individuals with teachings to manifest wisdom. Spirit Rock offers Dharma teachings, insight meditation retreats and programs to all levels of practitioners.

We know by experience, prioritizing diversity and inclusion throughout our hiring process allows equitable treatment and accessibility to everyone seeking employment at SRMC. We strive to create a workplace culture that reflects the communities we serve and empowers everyone to bring their full and authentic selves to our teams. All employees have the responsibility to treat fellow employees with the utmost of respect and dignity, at all times.

 In conjunction with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI Plan) Spirit Rock Meditation Center (SRMC) is committed to a diverse workplace environment where everyone is welcome. We honor and celebrate different ideas, voices, perspectives and backgrounds that help us create a robust and innovative multicultural organization.

Summary of Job

Spirit Rock is seeking a mission-centric, collaborative, action-orientated person to lead the retreat operations team. The Retreat Operations Manager is the primary role that devotes itself to the oversight of logistical planning, implementing and managing every Spirit Rock program (150+ annually) whether residential retreat, multi-day non-residential retreat, drop-in class, day retreat, special event and/or benefit either directly or via supervision of Retreat Operations staff. The Retreat Operations Manager develops strong relationships with teachers, partners well with other Spirit Rock department managers and provides exceptional customer service for all practitioners. 

As we reopen campus this summer, the Retreat Operations Manager will have significant responsibility for hiring new staff and building out the Retreat Operations department. They will also develop and implement new processes/procedures in accordance with hospitality best-practices and COVID protocols. 

All operations staff work together to complete the needed duties while we are ramping up post-COVID shut-down and always during normal circumstances when someone is on vacation, retreat or out sick. This means you may have to take on tasks outside the normal scope of your job. Flexibility and an attitude of service are a requirement for this role.

Qualified candidates who self-identify as a Black Indigenous Person of Color (BIPOC) and/or are part of the LGBTQI community are especially encouraged to apply.  

Specific Responsibilities

Retreats

• Ensure proper logistical planning, execution and reconciliation of all Spirit Rock programs (residential retreats, daylongs, multi-day non-residential retreats, benefits and special events) in the Residential Retreat Center and the Community Meditation Center.
• Develop and implement consistent processes and procedures for pre/during/post retreat logistics. 

Personnel Management

• Hire, supervise, train and manage all retreat staff consisting of two Retreat Support Associates who live onsite in staff housing, three Retreat Coordinators, one AV Engineer, one Volunteer Coordinator plus occasional “extra hires” as needed.
• Assess employee utilization and workload to determine appropriate staffing levels.  If appropriate, develop a business case to add/subtract/supplement headcount.

Internal Partnership

• Programs:  develop and implement clear guidelines that ensure effective hand-off between initial program booking and retreat operations.  
• Facilities: maintenance and cleaning of all retreat spaces as well as retreat set-up and parking support. Collaborate during the annual budget process to ensure ongoing care facility needs/upgrades are included in fiscal planning. 
• Development: ensure all components of donor retreats meet the goals of the Dev department. Work with Dev on the meal dana system and post-retreat dana collection.  
• Communications/Marketing: ensure alignment between marketing messages (including website) and retreat operations.
• Registration: ensure that operations are aligned w/ registration statistics. Ensure appropriate allocation of scholarships and work-exchange meet the needs of the program. 
• Culinary Operations: work w/ kitchen on all catered programs to ensure smooth operations including pre/during/post for all catered programs as well as special dietary needs for teachers/practitioners. 
• Finance: monitor, review, and approve reimbursement requests for all retreat-related expenditures, including supplies and teacher travel. Ensure ongoing fiscal year budgets are on target for Retreat Operations. 

Teachers

• Ensure that the teacher’s vision for each retreat is being operationalized to the fullest extent possible. 
• Develop and build strong relationships with individual teachers and teaching teams. 
• Partner deeply with coordinating teachers and the teaching team to provide them with a high-touch, customer service experience while teaching at Spirit Rock. 
• Ensure appropriate communication related to attendance numbers, handouts, audiovisual and other logistical needs is offered to the teachers before, during and after the retreat.
• Ensure effective feedback opportunities for teachers related to the organization and logistics of the event.

Practitioners

• Ensure all retreat participants receive hospitable and friendly care during their retreat. 
• Ensure retreat participants with special needs such as mobility challenges are accommodated to the best of our ability.  
• Ensure all emergency situations are handled and practitioners are appropriately cared for via onsite retreat support staff and/or outside medical help if necessary.  

Qualifications

• Five + years of experience in high-volume, high-touch event and/or hospitality management.
• Three + years of supervisory experience including annual review and goal setting.
• Experience in building partnerships with key stakeholders including teachers, guests, and donors. 
• Experience with and training about issues related to “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” and a willingness to take an active role in organization-wide inclusion work related to race, ethnicity, physical ability, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation and age. 
• Experience in process development, documentation, implementation and follow-through as related to project or event management.
• Flexible schedule – willing and available to work nights, weekends and holidays when required. Experience with Raiser’s Edge, Retreat Guru or equivalent software a plus.
• Knowledge of Theravada and other teachings as appropriate for Spirit Rock and ongoing Dharma practice a plus.