J Bar L Ranch Looking for Housekeeper & Guest Assistant, Landscaping & Personal Assistant at Lima, Montana Full Time

We are looking for a full-time housekeeper to live and work on our beautiful, secluded, conservation-oriented ranch for the summer season, and a part-time personal and gardening assistant to the owner, also a live on-site position. These positions will be very well suited for two people who love very remote living, exquisite natural landscape, and detail-oriented cleaning and care of historic lodging cabins. Our ranch has 10 historic buildings, that are rented for retreats and vacation rentals and we are looking for someone or a duo to take care of all housekeeping between rentals, housekeeping and support for the owner when present, as well as some gardening maintenance and planting. 

Your Role as the head of Housekeeping: To ensure that all guests have an exceptional experience while at the J Bar L through the cleaning and preparation of our properties, as well as being a key member of and working well with our guest ranch crew. 

You will be the primary person responsible for all cleaning and laundry between guest stays. You will assist with a variety of organizational and customer-service related tasks and will work towards enhancing our guest program by communicating needs and ideas regularly with the guest ranch team. Flexibility, reliability and good communication are essential in this position.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Cleaning—Clean and stock guest cabins with high attention to detail. Maintain health standards while using primarily “green” products.
• Laundry—Launder and replace all linens between guest visits maintaining linen organization by property.
• Guest Services—Periodic greeting of guests, and sharing about the ranch and its vision with inquiring visitors. Provide excellent customer service by maintaining professionalism, confidentiality, and patience, even when fielding requests and complaints.
• Supplies & Equipment—Maintain cleanliness and organization of housekeeping supplies, equipment and vehicle. Regularly monitor supply levels communicate needs to the guest services team. May require periodic trips to town.
• Maintenance—Notify the Ranch Foreman of any necessary attention or repairs to buildings or equipment. There may be occasions when you will be asked to assist with ranch landscaping, spa maintenance, etc.
• Other Duties—Please have a general willingness to “lend a hand.” This is essential on our small team for everyone to work together to help pick up slack and make things run smoothly. Tasks may include: running errands, assisting with garden and greenhouse maintenance, cleaning ranch vehicles, and possibly occasional meal service support for guest retreat events.

Necessary Knowledge & Abilities

• Experience as a housekeeper is preferred.
• You must be willing to assist in our effort to deter and properly dispose of mice and insects. We live in a wild and remote valley and this is something we are constantly working to mitigate together.
• You must have a valid driver’s license.
• This is a physical job for sure—you must be comfortable working with your hands and able to lift, climb, and stand for long periods of time.

Who You Are: Traits and Values

• You are excited to join conservation-minded team and are willing to embrace and uphold the values of the ranch while on property.
• You are a detail-oriented self-starter who is great at seeing needs, prioritizing, and proactively taking care of things.
• You are reliable, content working individually, and are able to maintain high standards and efficiency with little supervision.
• You like to learn and are open to receiving feedback as well as collaborating and sharing ideas with the greater team.
• You are a good communicator who is comfortable communicating needs, challenges, and new ideas respectfully with peers and managers.
• You are happy to live in our remote location and are excited to get out and explore this corner of Southwest Montana.
• You understand that flexibility is key in this remote location and are able to adapt and re-prioritize when plans change, and challenges inevitably arise.

The part-time personal assistant position also involves some housekeeping, laundry, grocery store runs, some equine care, and gardening. This position pays hourly, with other opportunities to help with occasional event cooking for additional income, as well as assist with guest services housekeeping. 

Who We Are

The J Bar L Ranch is a holistically-managed cattle operation, with three restored homesteads that we rent to curious, nature-loving guests through summer vacation rentals and retreat offerings. We care about our land and animals deeply as exhibited through our animal husbandry, land management, and conservation partnerships. We are dedicated to co-existing and leaving a positive impact on this landscape.

We are located in the remote Centennial Valley near Monida on the Montana/Idaho border. We sit just north of the Continental Divide and are within two hours reach of West Yellowstone, Dillon, and Idaho Falls. Our location is ideal for folks looking to experience Southwest Montana during the precious summer months through hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing, etc.  

Details

• This is a seasonal job, approximately 35 hours per week, working varied hours depending on guest rental schedule. 
• Our season runs May 1 through late October; you must be willing to stay the duration of the season.
• The schedule is flexible, though dictated by guest arrivals and departures. Some nights and weekends will be required.
• A monthly salary, housing and a vehicle for ranch work will be provided. Employees are responsible for purchasing their own food.