Senior Manager of Snow Surfaces

The Senior Manager of Snow Surfaces provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the Grooming, Snowmaking and Terrain Park departments while focusing on innovation, continuous improvement and alignment with Mountain Operations and company goals.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Lead and direct the efforts of the Snow Surfaces teams to positively impact the guest and employee experience; recruit, coach, and develop a high-performing team aligned with company values and competencies. 


• Foster a fun, collaborative work environment focused on safety. 


• Coordinate with managers to facilitate department activities/responsibilities related to recruiting, hiring and training staff; support and coach managers to achieve desired outcomes and goals. 


• Oversee short and long-term planning, operating budgets and capital expenditures of the Snow Surfaces departments; ensure departments operate within budget parameters. 


• Goal setting, performance management and progress tracking; ability to communicate expectations and hold staff accountable both verbally and in writing.  


• Assist managers with establishing standards for operational performance; ensure quality of training programs.  


• Assist managers in developing, coordinating and implementing guest/employee focused safety programs; develop a comprehensive multi-year strategy to continue the resort’s journey towards safety excellence. 


• Development and implement incident reduction and prevention strategies to minimize risk and liability exposure; ensure required signage and terrain markings are current and displayed appropriately.  


• Prepare and maintain administrative and operational reports and records; ensure accuracy and timeliness of checklists, logs, employee/guest incident reports and other documentation.   


• Establish strong working relationships/partnerships across all resort operations; facilitate effective communication between departments. 


• Maintain appropriate, professional relationships with all levels of staff, business partners and contractors.    


• Assist with capital planning for new equipment and expansion projects including collecting bids, building budgets, coordinating contractors and in-house departments; maintain professional and productive relationship with contractors and suppliers to ensure successful execution.  


• Act as project leader in the field for summer projects, repairs, run expansions, slope improvements and erosion control. 


• Support water distribution for the snowmaking system through maintenance, repair, monitoring and compliance activities; oversee operations, regulatory compliance and planning. 


• Enact general emergency procedures; coordinate and respond to emergencies as needed.   


• Provide direct support to the Mountain Operations team and other duties as assigned. 


• Assist Health and Safety and HR with employee safety related issues such as injuries or property damage and ensure appropriate level of investigation and documentation is provided. 


• Hands-on execution in the field including nights during snowmaking and grooming season (mid-Oct to mid-April).    


• Timely communication of terrain openings, collaborating with Patrol, Marketing, Ski and Ride School and Dir. Mtn Operations to ensure the needs of the company are prioritized.  

Qualifications 

• High level of energy and enthusiasm for skiing and riding. 


• Proven ability to motivate employees and drive engagement. 


• Strong commitment to the success of individual employees, the department and the resort. 


• Project management skills; ability to multi-task, delegate, lead and manage multiple projects at once.  


• Ability to manage a budget and use excel at intermediate level.  


• Ability to handle conflict with diplomacy and tact. 


• Exceptional employee/guest relations skills with the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. 


• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. 


• Weekend and holiday availability required as well as flexibility with work schedule; available on-call as necessary. 


• Ability to lift 50 lbs regularly and up to 100 lbs on occasion. 


• Ability to work in severe and inclement weather conditions 

Education and Experience 

• 5+ years Mountain Operations leadership experience with demonstrated progression of responsibility in multiple departments; expert knowledge in most, if not all areas of responsibility. 


• Experience operating snowcats, operating snowmaking equipment, building and maintaining terrain parks, summer ski trail maintenance and biking/hiking trails preferred. 


• Working knowledge of water management, pumps, variable frequency drives, flow, intake, filters and system management.  


• Proficient with Word, Excel, Outlook and other Microsoft Office applications. 


• High school diploma - required; college degree – preferred. 


• Valid Driver’s License.