GPE Personnel Manager

JOB SUMMARY

This position is a manager for the Gate, Perimeter and Exodus (GPE) department and a member of the GPE Management Team, and is primarily responsible for managing and overseeing personnel related functions. This includes recruitment and retention, personnel development, hiring, payroll, personnel data tracking, credentialing, and scheduling. In addition, the GPE Personnel Manager oversees communications and community engagement for GPE, and is responsible for GPE internal publications.  Reports to the GPE Department Manager. 

• Works in conjunction with Department Manager to and address general HR/personnel issues.
• Oversees recruitment and retention programs and scheduling of staff.
• Oversees scheduling process and technology.
• Coordinates with Burning Man PO and Tech Departments on related projects.
• Assists with department internal communications.
• Oversight of VC Team, Gate Web Team, and GPEEPS team roles. 

This temporary role is:

• From March - August and September - November: Part-Time (average 10 hrs per week),  Non-Exempt, Fully Remote.
• From August - September:  Full-Time Exempt, based on-site out of Black Rock City, Nevada. 

The deadline to apply for this role is 5:00 pm Pacific on March 13th 2026.

DUTIES & ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

People Operations / Human Resources (40%): 

• Manage the onboarding of all GPE Staff and Volunteers.
• Oversee recruitment efforts and develop and maintain relationships with GP&E staff and volunteers; work with the People Operations team to utilize current tools and explore communication options that will reach a broad and diverse audiences.
• Escalate specific instances of BMP Behavioral Standards Agreement, and incidents that require mandatory reporting to People Operations.
• In conjunction with GP&E Management, oversee all personnel issues. Interface with GPE on personnel matters; manage the documentation and tracking of all encounters and follow up with appropriate action plans when needed; take a coaching and counseling first approach to addressing personnel issues; summarize important observations for the GPE Management team.
• Schedule and hold check-ins with members of GPE; provide multiple avenues for crew members to share feedback; listen to suggestions and concerns to determine how best to keep harmony among the crew and improve retention.
• Help to bring new and prior GPE crew members onboard each season by providing updated information as well as a refresher on seasons past; collect necessary personal information and follow up on all questions from GPE Managers and individual staff members.
• Look out for staff in need of help and connect them to PO support and other resources as needed both on and off playa.
• In conjunction with GP&E Management, provide timely feedback to staff and volunteers regarding work performance. Create and implement general personnel development processes, including lead/manager development, volunteer enrichment, cohesive feedback between all departmental functional groups, and direct feedback to individual staff. 

Project / Process  Management ( 20%):                                                                

• Manage the Volunteer Coordination Team.  Review applications for new VCs and oversee their training. Provide oversight and support for VC Team projects and attend VC Team meetings as needed.
• Strategize new methods for and assist with retention and acculturation of volunteers.
• Oversee foundational processes including: volunteer labor scheduling; project staffing on playa; personnel details; ticketing and credentials; thank you cards; and service year patches. 
• Coordinate and review processes throughout the production cycle with an eye toward continued improvement.
• Review, analyze, and produce detail reports where applicable;  include successes and key learnings of the season.
• Host “on the fly” training for additional volunteers during emergency situations that arise on playa (ex. rain).
• Create and maintain documentation on personnel processes to ensure transparency in the department.

Communications (20%):                                                                                           

• Be the voice of GPE and represent our culture through written messaging and speaking engagements.
• Help to disseminate important information and updates to GPE staff and volunteers; explore various forms of communication to ensure we take a broad approach to reaching our members.
• Manage GPE Mailing list membership.
• Moderate GPE Mailing Lists and monitor staff interactions on Burning Man Hive, forums, journal posts, and other publications.
• Manage and develop content for the GPE website.
• Collect feedback from staff and volunteers.

Leadership (15%): 

• Lead meetings for GPE and other BMP staff; collect and disseminate critical information about on-playa happenings.
• Take charge and guide others during emergencies and high intensity events.
• Provide a strong example of leadership and mentor staff to ensure a successful event season.
• Provide a voice for the culture and community as a member of GPE.
• Provide guidance, training and support to volunteers stepping into leadership roles.

Other Functions and Responsibilities (5%)

• Perform other duties as assigned by GPE Department Manager or GPE Deputy Department Manager.
• Maintain project timelines.
• Attend the Burning Man event, performing general Council duties and oversight of Personnel functions.
• Submit a post-event report for the Personnel team highlighting what worked well, what did not work well, and suggested changes for the future. 

LEARNING AND TEACHING 

• Documentation - Drives the creation, publishing, and maintenance of process documentation related to assigned duties.
• Teaching – Takes a leadership role in the acculturation and training of staff. Teaches live or e-learning classes, as requested. Promotes a culture of teaching and learning throughout the community.
• Mentoring - Mentors subordinates in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and experience that will allow them to advance in the organization. Aids, encourages and inspires their team.
• Training development - Collaborates with the education team to develop training materials in their area of expertise, as requested.
• Learning – Pursues ongoing learning in their area of expertise, working to stay current on emergent knowledge, skills, and processes. Participates in conferences, forums, and networking events, where appropriate.
• Speaking – Represents Burning Man as a subject matter expert and culture-bearer, as requested.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• 4-5 years experience managing volunteers and employees.
• Proven leadership and senior management experience (2 years managing both teams and individuals).
• Very strong written and verbal communication skills, including ability to write effectively for public communication, documentation, and process descriptions.
• Ability to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
• Operates with a high level of integrity; honest, transparent and genuine.
• Acts with discretion and shows good discernment of sensitive information.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to work well with a wide range of people.
• Very detail oriented.
• Ability to think critically and problem-solve.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Ability to think clearly and remain calm under high pressure situations.
• Ability to work with highly confidential information.
• Significant knowledge and experience within the Burning Man Project, organization and community.
• Dedicated to Standards of Behavior and principles and ethics of the Burning Man Project.
• Proficient at working in Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc).
• Must be willing to travel and relocate for the duration of the GPE work season.(approximately 6 weeks)

PREFERRED

• Prior work involvement in areas of human resources.
• Knowledgeable of the development and implementation of database solutions.
• Experience with public speaking.
• Has prior experience overseeing a volunteer workforce.
• It is helpful if the candidate has previously been to Burning Man and/or is familiar with its culture.

Note: If you have gained the necessary experience to succeed in this role and have acquired this experience in other ways, we encourage you to apply and share all relevant experience in your application.

REQUIRED LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS

• N/A

COMPENSATION:

Individual compensation decisions are dependent on a variety of factors, including prior experience and geographical location. The anticipated salary range for this position is $10,000 -11,000 total. 

From March - August is $20.00 to $22.50 per hour.
From August - September is $1,100.00 to $1,333.00 per week.
From September - November is $20.00 to $22.50 per hour.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is primarily sedentary but will also include the need to find and meet with department representatives who may not be in the vicinity therefore this could include walking or using some form of transportation.  Some of the work will be in outside weather conditions and will be exposed to fumes or airborne particles as well as possible extremes in temperature.

NOTICE FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

• Burning Man Project celebrates the importance of creating a diverse environment and enthusiastically encourages Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Color, LGBTQIA+, Immigrant, women, and people with disabilities, of all ages, to apply.
• Burning Man Project provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
• Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.