At Caldera, we believe in the power of creativity. Our mission is to inspire and support youth from underserved rural and urban communities by awakening the potential of their creative voice. We do this through a unique fusion of art, environment and mentorship. Our Youth Program provides students from Portland and Central Oregon with long-term relationships with caring adults, which nurtures individual creativity, beginning in sixth grade and continuing into young adulthood.

As part of Caldera’s summer learning team, you will gain leadership, communication, and collaboration skills and unparalleled resiliency while building meaningful relationships with young learners and adults. You’ll have daily opportunities to expand your own creativity and sense of adventure, upheld in a supportive community full of networking opportunities. During your time off, you’ll be centrally located in Oregon’s playground for play in the Cascade Mountains, sampling local flavor, or simply relaxing on Caldera’s 116 acres of awe-inspiring property.

Position Title: Cook

Supervisor: Lead Cook & Camp Manager

Compensation:

• Salary/Rate of Pay: $117/day, with 1% increase for each year of experience working at Camp Caldera (not to exceed 7%)
• Training Rate: $50-117/day depending on whether meals are prepared
• Room and board provided during days with programming; room only during non-programming days. A light dinner will be provided on staff arrival days. Brunch is served on the last day of each session.

Location: This is a seasonal position at our Arts Center- 31500 Blue Lake Drive, Sisters, OR 97756 (transportation not provided).

Choose one or more sessions; placement is dependent on availability & scheduling (must be available for all dates in session(s) chosen). Must be available for training dates and on the following dates and times to start each session:

• PORTLAND Staff Training June 23-26
• SISTERS Staff Training July 1-2 
• Arrive between 1:00-2:00 pm July 6* for the Immersion 1 (High School) session July 7-16
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm July 19* for the immersion 2 (High School) session July 20-28
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm July 31* for the Discovery 1 (Middle School) session Aug 1-8
• Arrive between 4:00-5:00 pm Aug 11* for the Discovery 2 (Middle School) session Aug 12-19

*Indicates Half day compensation

Position Overview:

At Caldera, the kitchen staff is a very important part of the Caldera Community and is welcome to participate in daily program activities when kitchen duties are complete. Lead Cook, Cook, and up to five Kitchen Assistants maintain Caldera’s kitchen. Kitchen staff prepare meals that are healthy, delicious, and appealing to both youth and adults (roughly 100-120 each meal).

The Cook supports the Lead Cook in food preparation and training Kitchen Assistants as well as maintaining a friendly, sanitary kitchen and dining space. The Cook oversees the kitchen when Lead Cook is not present and assists in ensuring that Caldera meals meet Federal Summer Food Service Program meal requirements. This position provides support to the Lead Cook on budget management (approximately $25,000), staff oversight, and scheduling for Kitchen Assistants. This position begins before youth and staff arrive.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Maintain a clean, healthy work environment
• Oversee meal preparation under guidance of Lead Cook, providing abundant meals on a tight budget; follow serving guidelines while being sensitive to youth who may be familiar with the concept of scarcity and feelings of hunger
• As directed by Lead Cook, assist with supervision and training of kitchen staff
• Follow meal schedule determined by Lead Cook and Camp Manager
• Set up summer kitchen and break it down at the end of camp
• Assist with collecting and maintaining information required for Federal Summer Food Program audit
• Support Lead Cook with administrative duties as needed
• Share dishwashing and cleaning duties
• Other duties as assigned

General Responsibilities:

• Serve as mandatory reporter, working with Youth Impact Manager to report instances or suspicion of child abuse. Caldera has a zero tolerance policy around child abuse, and any negligence will result in immediate dismissal
• Promote program understanding and involvement through Caldera’s goals and agreements, participation agreement, and responsibility process
• Actively participate in all aspects of camp life including: camper orientation, community meetings, evening activities, campfire, free time, etc.
• Model appropriate camper behavior at all times
• Perform duties with consistency and integrity
• Set and respect personal boundaries while acting as mentors, guides, and allies to campers
• Oversee health and safety of charges in fire drills and emergency procedures
• Maintain cleanliness of living and common areas and help with clean-up at the end of each session

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum two years experience working in a kitchen including food inventory, budgeting, and menu planning
• Current Oregon Food Handler’s Permit required (must attach copy)
• Ability to set appropriate boundaries in a proactive and positive manner
• Willingness to live in a camp setting and work irregular and long hours. Additionally, you must have the ability to deal with limited cell and internet service and daily exposure to outdoor factors such as sun, heat, bugs, bats, snakes, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience in nutrition, and/or youth programming
• Supervisory experience
• Familiarity with anti-oppression frameworks and experience working with diverse staff and youth

Living Conditions:

• Requires on-site living in shared staff quarters.
• A vegetarian option (that may include eggs and/or dairy) will be available for all meals. We do our best to accommodate other dietary restrictions; however, employees with special dietary needs should plan to bring food to supplement or replace provided meals. Please address specific needs with your supervisor.
• Typical days are 10+ hours in length, with sessions that make for up to 10 straight days of work without a full day off. Each staff member will have at least 1 night off per session. 
• Alcohol and drugs are not permitted on campus, even in personal living quarters.

Working Conditions:

• Must be physically able to move around 116 acres of camp property with varied terrain
• Must have visual, perceptual, and cognitive ability to recognize and respond quickly to health and safety concerns of students and appropriately re-direct any behavior that is misaligned with Caldera agreements
• Employee must carry out their duties regardless of inclement weather, which can include but is not limited to, heat, rain, wind, cold, and smoky or dusty conditions.
• Moments of quiet and non-activity are few and spread out
• Creating a cohesive staff environment round the clock can be challenging. It is crucial that staff see youth and adults through a strengths-based lens and prioritize creating the best possible youth experience at all times, despite what challenges may arise at the staff level
• Physical Demands (which can include bending, stooping, hiking, climbing and stretching) are: 5% Sitting, 45% Standing, 30% Walking, 25% Lifting/Carrying/Pushing/Pulling Pounds 5 -80 lbs.

To Apply: 

Complete the application and questions and provide a reference, ideally from each of the following categories: a youth serving organization, a family member, and one other professional reference.

Equity & Inclusion

We recognize that Caldera communities face many societal inequities. We recognize the history and ongoing impacts of racism in our country, state, and institutions. We acknowledge that we will always have room to grow as an organization and as individuals in our understanding of racism and oppression.

We commit to continually examining our role in both perpetuating and combating institutional racism. We also commit to ongoing alignment of our policies and practices to advance racial equity, inclusion, and freedom of expression.

We commit to integrating equity and inclusion into all areas of our work to better serve our mission; when we do, we get closer to the world that we want for our youth. To ensure our own accountability, we will 1) seek deeper relationships with and feedback from our larger community; 2) use our Equity Plan to guide ongoing work; and 3) apply our Equity Lens to decision-making. We will also seek inspiration from artistic and cultural traditions.

Caldera is an equal opportunity employer encouraging applicants of all backgrounds and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

We encourage people of color and Caldera community members to apply.