Retreat Center Director

Southern Dharma Retreat Center (SDRC) is seeking a Retreat Center Director to ensure a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for exceptional retreat experiences and residential life by overseeing daily operations, facilities, and on-site staff. The Retreat Center Director leads a small team of on-site staff, retreat managers, residents, and volunteers, and reports to and collaborates with the Executive Director.

Mission:

To offer meditation retreats, provide Dharma instruction, and support communities, grounded in Buddhist practice traditions.

Vision:

To bring about personal and collective awakening based in mindfulness (sati), wisdom (pañña), and ethics (sila).

Organizational Priorities

The Board of Directors and Staff of Southern Dharma have identified the following as the highest priorities for the new Retreat Center Director to focus on:

• Strengthen physical infrastructure of SDRC in collaboration with the Executive Director with a focus on staff housing and retreatant experience
• Develop and update organizational systems, structures, and policies in collaboration with the Executive Director in order to sustain core programs
• Support on-site staff in fully embodying the value of hospitality to ensure exceptional retreat experiences

Primary Responsibilities:

• • On-Site Operations Management
    • Manages and oversees day-to-day operations on site at the Retreat Center
    • Oversees the functioning, cleanliness, and safety of all facilities and grounds, in cooperation with Facilities staff
    • Supports and protects silent retreat environment
    • Establishes and adheres to operating procedures and recommends changes to policies to ensure staff, retreatant and teacher satisfaction
    • Maintains and updates online databases
    • Creates fair and functional on-site team schedules, balancing team capacity with retreat needs to ensure seamless retreat support; with ability to cover shifts in all areas as needed, including relief cooking
  • Staff Supervision & Culture
    • Fosters a supportive, growth-oriented staff culture rooted in compassionate communication and accountability
    • Effectively recruits, hires, trains, leads and supports the on-site team; provides coaching, feedback, evaluation, professional development, and clear direction.
    • Leads the on-site team in the selection, onboarding, and mentoring of residents and volunteers
    • Cultivates a spirit of mindfulness among onsite staff, to better embody the Dharma and carry out the mission of Southern Dharma
    • Tends a healthy environment for staff members living in community and sharing space
  • Program & Retreat Coordination
    • Collaborates with Executive Director to plan the retreat calendar and diverse, high-quality programmatic offerings that align with organizational and staff capacity
    • Oversees end-to-end retreat processes with attention to detail, including registration
    • Ensures timely processing of all retreat-related tasks including: Set-up, arrival and check-in, orientation, closing announcements, dana (voluntary contribution) instructions and processing, and check-out
    • Manages retreat schedules and assists guests and teaching staff as needed
  • Relationship Management & Communication
    • Builds strong working relationships and communications with the Executive Director, on-site staff, and the Board of Directors and related Board Committees
    • Maintains supportive relationships and manages general inquiries and feedback with teachers, teaching assistants, and retreatants, responds to concerns with kindness and compassion; uplifts and de-escalates issues as needed
  • Retreatant & Teacher Experience
    • Centers spiritual hospitality and care in serving retreatants, teachers, and guests.
    • Suggests and implements creative new approaches to providing a high-quality and high-impact guest experience
    • Leads evaluation processes to better understand programmatic impact and opportunities for improvement
  • Budget & Resource Management
    • Supports management of operations budget by monitoring and reporting on departmental expenses
    • Collaborates with Executive Director and staff on developing annual and capital budgets

Desired Experience, Skills, and Attributes

Southern Dharma is committed to building an inclusive workforce and leadership team that represents its diverse community. Candidates with a compelling combination of most of the following experience, skills, and attributes are encouraged to apply:

• • Spiritual & Cultural Alignment
    • Basic knowledge of Buddhist teachings and contemplative practice required
    • Multi-day meditation retreat experience, ideally in a number of different practice traditions
    • Must be open to and have respect for diverse spiritual traditions and cultures
    • Desire to live in intentional community with fellow practitioners and a commitment to personal development
    • Understanding and appreciation of spiritual hospitality and customer service orientation
  • Leadership & Management
    • Two or more years of leadership experience
    • Strong management skills: ability to appropriately assign or delegate work and authority to others
    • Inclusive decision-making and accountability: ability to make timely, thoughtful decisions centering staff input and taking responsibility for outcomes
    • Experience leading staff who live where they work
  • Operations & Systems
    • Facilities management experience and/or natural affinity: logical and clear-headed, good problem-solving skills, resourceful, ability to prioritize, and attention to detail; experience with stewarding facilities and land in a rural setting.
    • Systems thinking: ability to maintain and improve internal processes and identify efficiencies across operations
    • Problem-solving & initiative: brings creativity to challenges and proposes thoughtful improvements
    • Financial acumen: ability to manage budgets and track spending
    • Technology skills, including knowledge of the Google Suite, Quickbooks Online, retreat booking platforms, and video conferencing software
  • Interpersonal & Communication Skills
    • Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills: warm, patient, grounded presence
    • Reading, writing, and oral proficiency in English required: must be comfortable with communicating with staff, retreatants, and teachers professionally
    • Ability to handle stressful situations and conflict with kindness, calm, and focus
    • Culturally sensitive and inclusive: ability to navigate diverse needs and identities with respect and care, with active interest in the integration of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into the workplace and the Dharma teaching & learning ecosystem

Location & Working Environment: The Retreat Center Director resides on-site, approximately one hour’s drive from Asheville, NC.

Southern Dharma Retreat Center is remotely located in a beautiful hollow about two thirds of the way up Hap Mountain. The terrain is hilly, and our walking paths are gravel, dirt, or mulch. All lodgings require navigation of stairs or uneven terrain to access the dining area and Meditation Hall. As such, the retreat center is not currently accessible to individuals with significant mobility limitations.

This role involves regular physical activity, including walking across uneven terrain, climbing stairs, lifting and carrying supplies up to 50 pounds, and supporting occasional setup or cleanup tasks. Candidates should be comfortable working in a rustic, outdoor-oriented environment in varying weather conditions.

Compensation: $48,000 annual salary, plus on-site room and board with an estimated annual value of $11,400. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) salaried, exempt position. Other benefits include paid time off, 100% employer-paid health insurance, and support for retreat attendance.

Anticipated Start Date: August 2025

To apply: Include a résumé and a cover letter that describes how your qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of Southern Dharma. Application review will begin in June, and the position will remain open until the right candidate is identified.

Send application materials or questions to: search@southerndharma.org with the subject line: “Retreat Center Director 2025”

Application review will begin in early June and the position will remain open until filled. Applicants who are selected to move forward in the hiring process will be notified. Initial interviews will be conducted via Zoom; finalists will be invited to an on-site interview.

Note: Southern Dharma is currently also hiring an Executive Director, whose primary responsibility is to provide strategic leadership, organizational oversight, resource development, and representation in the community in order to sustain the organization’s mission, financial health, and 47-year legacy. The Executive Director will supervise and partner closely with the Retreat Center Director in the achievement of Southern Dharma’s mission and vision.