Summer Camp Counselor

Job Summary

The Junior Marine Biologist (JMB) Summer Camp Counselor is responsible for aiding in the supervision of all camp participants and daily administration of the Summer Camp Program, including ensuring the well-being and safety of all participants on and off-campus, administering activities, providing daily feedback to the Camp Manager, filling out paperwork and maintaining daily logs, and maintaining a fun and safe environment for the participants. The JMB Camp Counselor is also charged with supervising the high school volunteer Youth Ocean Leaders.

Hours: 40 hours/week

Tuesday – Saturday, May 19 – May 30, 2026, between the hours of 8 AM - 5 PM

Monday – Friday, June 1 - August 10, 2026, between the hours of 8 AM - 5 PM

Core Responsibilities:

Lead campers through hands-on activities, labs, presentations, off-campus field trips, and experiments.

Ensure that campers are at all times supervised and maintain a safe and enjoyable camp environment.

Responsible for the direct supervision of Youth Ocean Leaders (YOL’s); act as a leader and mentor for YOL’s, providing them with instructions for daily activities.

Maintain a well-organized system to track each camper’s medical conditions as well as photo release restrictions.

Keep track of supplies for camp and convey any camp needs to the education department staff.

Ensure participants are safe (properly hydrated, playing areas are free of hazards, etc.); perform headcounts of participants throughout the day.

Follow all protocols found in the camp standard operating procedures.

Responsible for maintaining the scientific integrity of camp curricula.

Interact and communicate with parents/guardians during drop-off and pick-up times.

Assign duties for daily set-up and clean-up of the camp area.

Carrying/keep track of activity supplies throughout campus as well as off site.

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Experience

Must be at least 20 years or older.

Maintain current Adult and Child CPR/AED certifications (provided during training) as well as be a strong swimmer.

Must possess a valid driver’s license and must pass an annual Level 2 background screening through DCF Clearinghouse.

Must possess previous work with summer camps or interaction with large groups of children.

Must have experience in some fields of science such as biology, marine biology, ecology as well as a general knowledge of Florida ecosystems preferred.

Outgoing and energetic personality

Employment Timeframe

Must be able to attend mandatory training sessions Tuesday – Saturday between the hours of 8am- 5pm from May 19 – May 23 & May 26 – May 30, 2026. This includes Summer Camp Open House on Saturday, May 30th.

Must be available to work for duration of camp, which runs from Monday – Friday between the hours of 8am- 5pm from June 1, 2026 – August 7, 2026 (10 weeks total).

After camp cleanup, inventory, reviews, and evaluations on Monday, August 10 between the hours of 9am-5pm.  

About Us

Founded in 1983, Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a leading cultural attraction in South Florida that provides open access to all guests. Today the Center is a global leader in the research, rehabilitation, and protection of sea turtles, serving our broader mission to promote ocean ecosystem conservation. Annually we reach 900,000 guests with our transformational education programs and partner with nearly 100 organizations across six continents and 16 countries in ocean conservation. In early 2022, we opened a new 27,500 square-foot campus that greatly expands our exhibition, education, and convening space and doubles our medical facilities.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Successful applicants must be comfortable in a highly dynamic environment in an active and busy office or outdoor setting. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is frequently required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. This position may involve working outdoors in Florida, often in hot and humid conditions, and at events that extend into evening and weekend hours. Must be willing and able to travel for offsite programming and possess a valid driver’s license.

Notes 

This is a seasonal position and must pass Level 2 Background Screening which requires fingerprinting for statewide criminal history checks through FDLE and national criminal history checks through the FBI and may include local law enforcement checks. The successful incumbent may be required to perform tasks beyond the scope of this job description as requested by the supervisor. This recruitment may be used to select candidates for additional open positions. It is our policy that all team members, including newly hired, transferred, and promoted team members, will be carefully monitored, and evaluated for an initial introductory 3-month period on the job. After satisfactory completion of introductory evaluation, such team members will be evaluated annually.