Group Leader Jobs at Summer Camps
Group leader jobs at summer camps are key leadership roles that sit between front-line counselors and senior camp leadership. As a group leader (sometimes called a unit head, division leader, or age-group head), you oversee a specific group of campers and the counselors who care for them. Whether you’re leading the youngest group at a traditional sleepaway camp or the oldest division at a large co-ed residential camp, this role blends supervision, programming, and mentorship into one of the most influential staff positions on the floor.
As a group leader at an overnight camp, you’ll mentor and manage counselors, plan age-appropriate programming, support camper experience, handle conflict resolution, and serve as a key link to senior staff. You’ll often coordinate parent communication, behavior coaching, and special events. Many residential camps consider group leader the strongest career step toward division director, program director, and assistant director roles in future seasons.
What does a group leader do at a summer camp?A group leader oversees a specific age group of campers and the counselors who care for them, mentors staff, plans programming, and serves as a key link to senior leadership at the sleepaway camp throughout the summer.
What background works best for group leader jobs at sleepaway camps?Prior camp counselor experience is essential, along with classroom teaching, youth development, or coaching backgrounds. Most residential camps require at least one full summer as a senior counselor before promoting to group leader.
How many campers and counselors does a group leader manage?Group sizes vary. Most sleepaway camps split the camper population into 3–5 groups by age, with group leaders managing 30–80 campers and 6–15 counselors. Smaller residential camps may have tighter ratios.
What does the pay look like for group leader jobs at summer camps?Pay is competitive and commensurate with leadership experience and group size. Overnight camps include room, board, and laundry alongside salary, which makes the overall summer camp package meaningfully more valuable than the base figure.
Is group leader a stepping stone to camp leadership?Yes — it’s one of the most common paths into senior leadership. Many program directors and assistant directors at residential camps started as group leaders, then grew into broader leadership roles over multiple seasons at the sleepaway camp.
Browse Summer Camp Group Leader Jobs for 2026
| Job Type | Setting |
|---|
| Full-Time Seasonal | Overnight Camp |
Start Date: June 1, 2026
End Date: August 31, 2026
Our Head Counselors (“HCs”) are the second-in-command in our 12 groups of campers – helping to run all aspects of a group’s day; joining in with activities, interacting with the campers, participating in activities, and accompanying the group on off-ground trips. This role is suited to staff who are going to bring lots of energy, enthusiasm and positivity, and who aspire to taking a leading role when called upon during the summer. These roles are ideal for someone with a passion for working closely with children, or who may be aspiring towards a career in education, childcare or social work.
