Urban Adamah is an educational farm and community center in Berkeley, California that integrates the practices of Jewish tradition, mindfulness, sustainable agriculture, and social justice to build loving, just, and sustainable communities. We provide training programs, educational workshops, and community celebrations for more than 8,000 visitors annually.

About The Role

As the Retreats & Celebrations Director you will hold responsibility for the marketing, sales, production, and execution of all overnight retreats, celebrations rentals, and day-use site rentals. You will lead retreat development, marketing, guest services, and be responsible for setting and achieving the annual growth targets. This includes managing retreats and site use by outside individuals and organizations, as well as collaborating with members of the Urban Adamah staff team to produce rich in-house programming. You will own Urban Adamah’s retreats and site rentals’ business, and carry out the vision, values, and culture of the organization in all related programming.  This work includes creating joyful experiences for guests through thoughtful coordination and advanced preparation, upkeep of the guest environments in collaboration with the Facilities Director and housekeeping staff, and graceful execution of onsite experiences.

Marketing & Business Development

In this role, you will:

• Create, manage, and execute on a marketing plan, in collaboration with the Marketing & Communications Manager, to promote Urban Adamah as a retreat, celebration, and meeting venue.
• Develop a business plan to set and achieve growth targets for retreat and site rental related earned revenue, through ensuring outstanding guest experiences, including communications, accommodations, dining, and program experiences
• Ensure Urban Adamah is well known on key rental and event venue platforms
• Establish a referral program to ensure word of mouth promotion and generate original ideas for promoting the full utilization of the Celebration and Retreat site.

Guest Services & Operations 

As Director you will establish and ensure excellent customer service standards across intake, sales, production, and execution of retreats.

• Manage guest communications, including email, calls, texts, and onsite visits in a timely way, providing excellent customer service, as reflected in guest feedback.
• Guarantee seamless guest experiences, including preparing lodging needs, managing on-site guest experience, and trouble-shooting issues as they arise.
• Work with the Kitchen Manager to provide uncompromising high quality dining experiences, as reflected in guest comments and evaluations.
• Be responsible for a housekeeping team and site hosts to provide high standards and outstanding performance

Administrative Oversight 

You will maintain an impeccably organized approach to administrative work at all times.

• Set pricing, policies, and practices that meet the needs of Urban Adamah and the community we serve
• Coordinate all onsite activities and staffing needs, and ensure proper maintenance of the Retreat Lodge, Community Hall, and other celebration and retreat spaces
• Assess existing systems used to manage sales tracking, scheduling, contracting, digital and physical record keeping, budgeting, etc., and develop new systems as needed
• Partner with the Facilities Director, Marketing & Communications Manager, Executive Director, housekeeping team, and other staff and vendors as needed
• Manage contracting with and work of all vendors, including custodial and linen services, in-house food services and kitchen manager, outside catering services as needed, etc.

 

About You

You are passionate about Urban Adamah’s mission to build community, and are excited to contribute to it by bringing people together for retreats and celebrations. Your past experience demonstrates the ability to set and achieve strategic goals for establishing a thriving hospitality business. You are a strategic thinker and have the entrepreneurial skills needed to set targets and take responsibility for ensuring both guest satisfaction and revenue generation. You have demonstrated managerial and administrative excellence. You are able to see the big picture while also ensuring details are managed in timely and efficient ways.  You are adept at creating new organizational systems, and excel as a self-guided problem solver.

We are open to applicants with varying levels and types of experience, provided you possess the skills required to successfully execute the job described above. You might be a good fit if you possess/demonstrate the following.

COMPETENCIES AND STRENGTHS 

Administrative & Organizational Excellence

You have demonstrated skill in setting and achieving hospitality industry growth targets.
You have entrepreneurial skills and are excited to take this project to the next level.
You have a proven ability to work well both independently and as part of a team.
You possess excellent organizational skills, balancing big picture and fine detail work.
You have managed multiple projects simultaneously, and produced excellent and timely outcomes.
You are very comfortable with or have a demonstrated ability to learn new technology, including Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, Slack, Asana or similar project management software, and CRM systems.

Self-Awareness & Partnership

You take full responsibility for your work and approach it with a problem-solving mindset.
You balance self-confidence and humility, making the most of your strengths, and welcoming feedback.
You demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, valuing the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from different backgrounds.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE POSITION

The physical demands listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee in this position. Some accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to succeed in the role:

Typing, writing, reading, hearing, and speaking
Standing and walking for several hours, as well as sitting, squatting, crawling, climbing, and lifting up to 25 lbs.

Additional Details

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This is a full-time, benefited, and exempt position that includes healthcare, holidays, and paid time off. The salary range for this position is $84,000 to $114,000 per year. Comprehensive benefits include:

• 100% health care coverage for self and 50% coverage of dependents in a Silver Tier Kaiser plan or its equivalent in our carrier’s options
• 80% coverage of dental insurance for self
• Paid vacation days beginning at 15 days; 20 days in second year; incremental increase to 25 days
• 5 paid sick days per year
• Up to 20 paid holidays (a mix of both national and Jewish holidays)
• Tax-free retirement account after 2 years
• A pre-tax FSA for medical, dependent care, and transit
• Paid and unpaid parental, medical, and bereavement leave (following 1 year of employment)
• Paid Jury Duty leave
• Unpaid time off

SCHEDULE 

This is a full-time, exempt position. General hours of employment at Urban Adamah are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. This role will require a fair amount of evening and weekend work. The Director will be on call some nights and weekends, should a site host need to reach out in case of emergencies.

SUPERVISION

This position is supervised by Urban Adamah’s Executive Director.

 

Application Details

We deeply value the diversity of insight, perspective, and experience brought by people from diverse backgrounds. This includes Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian people, LGBTQ, and gender non-conforming people, people with disabilities, Black Jews, Jews of Color, Sephardi Jews, and Mizrachi Jews. We also welcome applications from people of diverse religious, spiritual, and cultural backgrounds. We affirmatively seek to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION INCLUDES

Cover letter, resume, three professional references with a note about how you know each of them, and responses to the following short questions. Responses can be in paragraph form or bulleted, as you prefer. There is a maximum of 200 words for each answer.

• Please tell us about your success in a previous role that most matches this position, and/or most prepares you to succeed in this role.
• Please tell us about a project or initiative you launched or led that illustrates your entrepreneurial skills.
• How has your personal background and lived experience prepared you to contribute to Urban Adamah’s commitment to cultural responsiveness, and diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Applications will be accepted until March 10th, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received. If you have any questions about the position or the application, please contact Adam Weisberg at adamw@urbanadamah.org.