Looking to get your foot in the door in camping? Hoping you’ll land somewhere that really wants to coach you, support your growth, and help you succeed? This job at YMCA Camp Immokalee is the one for you!

📌 Salary: $44,000
🏡 Housing: This one’s complicated. We don’t have any houses or apartments available at this time, but you will be required to stay on site in our nurse’s room (private with bathroom) for any weekends you’re responsible for. At this time, we do not have summer housing available. A housing stipend may be provided until new housing is made available at camp. Once housing is available at camp, living on site will be a requirement.
📍 Location: Keystone Heights, FL—an hour from Jacksonville and St. Augustine, and two hours from Orlando.

You can read the full job description and apply here—but we all know job descriptions don’t always tell the full story. That’s why we’ve pulled back the curtain to give you a real look at what this position entails and what it’s like to be part of YMCA Camp Immokalee.

Camp Immokalee Overview

Camp Immokalee is a year-round camp facility with:

• 10 weeks of overnight summer camp serving around 180 campers per week
• 10 weeks of summer day camp serving around 50 kids per week
• 2 weeks of staff training (one certification week and one training week)
• Seasonal overnight programs throughout the year, including Halloween Camp, Winter Camp, Spring Break Camp, Teen Weekend, Family Camp, and Women’s Wellness Weekend
• School’s Out Day Camps on days local schools are out
• Weekend retreats and rentals most weekends August-November and March-May, with lighter bookings December-February

Camp Immokalee has most of the popular camp activities (archery, BBs, canoeing, etc.) and specialized activities like horses, tubing, water sports, and a new Adventure Course. We’re located on Lake Brooklyn, a public lake.

We’re located in Keystone Heights, Florida, just an hour from Jacksonville and St. Augustine, a little under an hour from Gainesville, and two hours from Orlando. Keystone Heights is a small town in Clay County School District, with a heavily involved local community.

Our full-time team is small, and the recent departure of a married couple leave us hiring two key positions. During this process, we’ve identified the need for a few other part-time positions we believe we’ll be able to fill locally and quickly. See our proposed organization chart here.

Being Groups and Retreats Director & Assistant Camp Director

Our Group Retreats & Events Director / Assistant Camp Director will have dual reporting:

• For retreats and group rentals, they will report directly to our on-site Associate Vice President (Allison Krabill).
• For day camp and overnight camp, they will report to the Camp Director (once hired). If this position is filled first, they will temporarily report to the AVP for all responsibilities.

This role is responsible for the day-to-day operations of retreats and day camp while providing support for overnight camp as needed.Those responsibilities include including:

• Recruiting, hiring, training, and onboarding weekend retreat and day camp staff
• Planning schedules and activities for groups and day camp programs
• Recruiting and retaining campers and groups
• Enhancing guest and camper experiences to drive retention and positive word-of-mouth
• Working with facilities and kitchen teams to coordinate operations smoothly
• Ensuring safety and risk management compliance across all programs
• Supporting overnight camp through program and staff supervision
• Collaborating with First Coast Y branches and departments to strengthen partnerships
• Supporting budget management and revenue growth for retreats and events
• More

Where We Are

Over the last five years, the First Coast Y has invested over $3 million into Camp Immokalee’s facilities. While there’s still work to do, the commitment to camp’s growth and improvement is clear.

Overnight summer camp saw significant growth beginning in 2019 and remained strong through COVID-19. However, numbers declined after Summer 2023. Rebuilding overnight camp enrollment will be a key focus for the Camp Director, with support from the Assistant Camp Director where possible.

Off-season overnight camps and day camp have also seen slight declines, though not as steep as summer overnight camp. The biggest challenge for day camp is integrating it more seamlessly with overnight camp—in the past, day camp has felt secondary, often getting the last pick of activities. To fix this, we’re intentionally making this role the dedicated day camp lead, rather than adding it onto other staff members’ plates.

While not ACA accredited, we uphold exceptionally high safety standards set by the First Coast Y. Safety and risk management are a strength, but our programming needs fresh energy and innovation to continue growing and evolving.

Who We’re Looking For

This is a perfect entry-level role for someone eager to dive into camp leadership and outdoor hospitality. You don’t need decades of experience—just a passion for camp life, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn and grow. We’re looking for someone who is:

✔ Excited to step into a leadership role, even if it’s your first full-time camp job
✔ Organized and adaptable, able to juggle retreat logistics, day camp energy, and summer camp excitement
✔ A problem-solver, thinking ahead to make sure every guest and camper has an unforgettable experience
✔ A self-starter, comfortable taking the lead—especially with our AVP out on a short break in June/July to welcome a new baby (but still just a text or call away – we promise!)

If you’re looking for your first big opportunity in camp leadership, where you can gain experience, build your skills, and make a real impact, this is it!

The First Coast Y

We’re part of the larger First Coast Y association based in Jacksonville, with 16 branches throughout the First Coast region. We’re 45 minutes from the nearest branch (Dye Clay Family YMCA) and an hour from our metro office.

Our association offers us great support in accounting, HR, marketing, risk management, aquatics, and more. We support the association by promoting membership, taking part in association activities, serving on committees and task forces, and contributing financially to support other Y programs.

Questions?

Email AVP Allison Krabill at akrabill@fcymca.org.