Ranch Manager for private historic guest ranch

The Ranch was established as a dude ranch in the 1930s and is on the National Record of Historic Places. It served public guests until 1972 when three subsequent families used the Ranch to entertain friends and family. Today, the Ranch encompasses 360 acres nestled against the Custer National Forest with established trail access for hiking, horseback riding, hunting, swimming in a nearby mountain lake and fishing in the series of ponds and a creek on the property.

The manager would be expected to oversee all aspects of the Ranch operations as described below.

1. Guests and Recreation: With 6 guest cabins (9 rooms) plus the Owners Cabin, the Ranch can accommodate up to 20 people, with the typical number being 4-10 guests. The Manager should be personable, able, and willing to assist with guest activity and recreation. Activities have included navigating the fishing ponds, skeet shooting, horseback rides, creating cross country ski trails in the winter and so on. The manager will need to understand the local trail system in the neighboring forest.
2. Building Repairs, Maintenance and Construction: The property includes numerous historic buildings, including a main lodge, guest cabins, office, 3 shop buildings, a horse tack room. The historic buildings require ongoing maintenance and repairs. The manager should be able to take care of routine repairs and maintenance and oversee contractors for larger projects. We have equipment that needs to be serviced and maintained regularly. The Manager should have strong time management skills and be self-motivated as the ongoing projects and repairs are best done during the winter off-season, well in advance of the short Montana guest season.
3. Farming, Irrigation and Landscaping: The property contains hay fields which have been irrigated by various means (ditches, pipes, sprinklers), lawns with an extensive sprinkler system, fishing ponds which are fed from head gates, ditches and an irrigation reservoir in the National Forest. The Manager is responsible for maintaining the water system, managing the hay operation, and overseeing external landscapers who mow the lawns and maintain the plantings. Other responsibilities include tree maintenance, log clearing, brush burning, and fence repairs.
4. Horses: We have a herd of 8 horses. The manager is expected to provide ongoing care for the horses and ideally be able to assist guests with rides on the property and on trails in the adjacent forest. If the candidate does not have horsemanship skills than we would expect this to be outsourced to a local provider.
5. Fire Control: Our location near the national forest puts us at risk for fires. The manager is responsible for making sure that we are protected and vigilant. This primarily includes keeping the lawns irrigated and green, setting up the hose and sprinkler system near the buildings during fire season, and maintaining and operating our wildland fire truck.
6. Housekeeping: Seasonal cleaning, annual opening and closing of the cabins and weekly cleaning has been recently handled by an outside cleaning crew. The Manager would be expected to source cleaners and manage them according to agreed standards.
7. Safety: Safety is an ongoing focus, and we expect the manager to support us in this regard. This includes such items such as helmet wearing by visitors and minors while horseback riding, restrictions on ATV use, gun safety and fire prevention. We have specific rules regarding recreation (riding, hiking, hunting and fishing) by others on the property when we are not in residence.
8. Administration and Budgeting: We would expect the manager to maintain ranch records, organize outside suppliers and work towards a budget.
9. Other: The Ranch Manager is expected to maintain a meticulously neat and tidy ranch environment with all equipment stored in an appropriate place and under cover away from the elements. As overall manager, there will no doubt be other tasks and responsibilities not listed above.

Amenities and Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Health care stipend
• 401K
• Four-bedroom separate home [plus utilities]
• Ranch vehicle for ranch use (based on driving record)
• Pasture for an agreed upon number of personal horses

Certifications: First Aid and CPR