We’re excited for you to explore our available positions and find the one that fits you best! Working at CWR means more than working together, you’ll also be living together, so we’re looking for people who are hardworking, positive, respectful, adaptable, and genuinely enjoy being part of a close-knit team. Ranch life is fast-paced, highly social, and physically demanding, with long days, changing priorities, and everyone expected to step in wherever needed. All applicants must be quick learners who can absorb a lot during our two-week training period, use good judgment, solve problems, and work confidently both independently and with others. Employees must be able to lift and carry at least 50 pounds, work indoors and outdoors in changing Montana weather, have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record, and commit to the full season unless hired under an approved internship schedule. When you work, live, eat, and spend much of your summer together, being a great teammate matters just as much as being great at your job.
Before You Apply
Below you’ll find a description and requirements for each available position. Please read them carefully and only apply for positions you are genuinely qualified for and have the experience or skills to perform. Our hiring process is thorough and takes a significant amount of time for both our team and our applicants, so please be honest about your experience and abilities when selecting positions. If a job requires a specific skill, whether that’s extensive horse experience, fly fishing, childcare, cooking, equipment operation, or another specialized skill, we expect applicants to already have that experience unless the description specifically says otherwise. We’re happy to train the right person on how we do things at CWR, but we cannot train an entire profession in two weeks.
Wrangler
Wranglers are primarily responsible for leading horseback rides and guided hikes while creating a safe, fun, and memorable guest experience. Extensive horse and trail-riding experience is required, including confidently handling and riding young or green horses while simultaneously monitoring guests, communicating with riders, navigating trails, and maintaining strong situational awareness. Wranglers must be highly social, outgoing, patient, safety-conscious, and comfortable working with both adults and children, with the ability to teach basic riding skills and horsemanship clearly and confidently. Applicants must have a genuine love and respect for all animals, strong backcountry navigation skills, experience driving a truck while pulling, backing, and maneuvering a horse trailer, and a clean driving record. Wranglers must provide their own Western saddle, saddle pad, headstalls/bits, and appropriate Western riding/work attire and be comfortable hiking in the backcountry. Tractor and horse-packing experience are preferred but not required.
Kids’ Wrangler – Additional Requirements beyond Wrangler Requirements
In addition to the Wrangler requirements above, Kids’ Wranglers must genuinely enjoy working with children and be patient, energetic, safety-conscious, and able to keep kids engaged while confidently managing multiple children and horses. Must be able to teach basic riding and horsemanship in an age-appropriate way, remain calm in unexpected situations, communicate well with parents, and have roping experience. This position may also supervise off-ranch adventures with the owners’ boys (ages 10 and 13) or guests’ children. Previous experience teaching, coaching, rodeoing, mentoring, or leading youth activities is strongly preferred.
Lead Wrangler
The Lead Wrangler performs all regular Wrangler duties while also helping set the standard for the barn, mentoring newer Wranglers in procedures, horsemanship, guest service, safety, and teamwork, and stepping in when additional experience, judgment, or leadership are needed. This role is best suited for an experienced Wrangler who is confident, dependable, respected by others, and willing to lead by example while working alongside the rest of the crew.
Intern Wrangler (Wrangler in Training)
The Intern Wrangler Program is a 4–8-week unpaid opportunity with room and board for individuals who already have a solid horse background but aren’t quite ready for a full Wrangler position. This hands-on program is designed to build horsemanship, trail, ranch, and guest-ranch experience with the goal of developing the skills needed to become a confident, capable Wrangler and potentially return to CWR in a future Wrangler position. Applicants must have at least four years of riding experience, be comfortable catching, saddling, and handling horses, confidently ride at the walk, trot, and lope, and have a basic understanding of feeding and horse health and care. Applicants should be hardworking, outgoing, self-motivated, detail-oriented, eager to learn, and willing to start at the bottom, work hard, and earn additional responsibility as their skills grow. Truck/trailer and tractor experience are preferred but not required.
Maintenance
Applicants must be comfortable operating pickups, 4-wheelers, and trailers, including hooking/unhooking, pulling, backing, and maneuvering trailers. Must be able to independently operate, maintain, and sharpen a chainsaw and safely cut and remove trees and limbs, as well as cut, split, and move firewood. Basic mechanical and maintenance skills are required, including using hand and power tools, checking fluids and gauges, changing oil and tires, repairing fences, mowing, weed eating, irrigation, landscaping, minor building repairs, and assisting with general ranch and barn duties, including basic horse care. Preferred experience includes ranch/farm work, property maintenance, landscaping, construction, operating and maintaining ranch equipment or tractors, trail clearing and maintenance, and horse or pack experience.
Fishing Guide
Applicants must have extensive fly-fishing and spin-fishing knowledge and experience, including casting, knots, fly selection, reading water, equipment setup, and proper fish handling. Must be a patient, confident instructor who genuinely loves fishing and the outdoors and enjoys working with guests of all ages and abilities. Applicants must be physically fit, safety-conscious, and comfortable hiking, wading, carrying gear, and spending full days outdoors in changing Montana weather and rugged terrain. Knowledge of Southwest Montana waters, trails, wildlife, and local ecology, along with previous guiding experience, is preferred.
Ranch All-Around
One of the most versatile positions at CWR, working across multiple departments and stepping in wherever the ranch needs you most. No two days are exactly the same! You may spend a day helping with housekeeping or dishwashing, serving and visiting with guests, assisting in the office, babysitting two kids, providing guest transportation, leading a guided hike, or even helping around the barn. This position is perfect for someone who enjoys variety, learns quickly, loves working with people, and is willing to jump in and help wherever needed. Housekeeping and dishwashing are regular and expected parts of this position, along with the opportunity to experience many other areas of ranch life.
Breakfast & Lunch Chef
The Breakfast & Lunch Chef prepares breakfast and lunch five days a week, plus one double shift covering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including cooking steaks one evening each week. Previous cooking experience is required, along with strong egg-cooking and baking skills. Candidates must be creative, resourceful, organized, efficient, clean, and team-oriented. ServSafe certification is required upon hire.
Dinner Chef
The Dinner Chef prepares dinner five days a week, including 1–2 double shifts covering breakfast and dinner when the Breakfast Chef is off. Previous cooking experience is required, along with experience in menu planning, food ordering, inventory management, and working within a food budget. Candidates must be creative, organized, efficient under pressure, clean, and team-oriented. ServSafe certification is required upon hire.
Ranch Cook & Baker
A fun and varied kitchen position for someone who enjoys both baking and cooking. The Ranch Cook prepares many of the homemade ranch favorites our guests look forward to, including fresh breads, cookies and baked goods, homemade sauces, salad dressings, specialty items, and individually made-to-order sandwiches based on each guest and crew member’s selections. This position also takes the lead in the kitchen for two breakfast shifts and one lunch each week, while working alongside and supporting our Chefs with meal preparation. Some kitchen experience is required, along with creativity, organization, cleanliness, and a team-oriented attitude. ServSafe certification required upon hire.
Lead Server
Previous serving experience is required. Servers must be highly social, outgoing, and guest-focused, with exceptional customer service skills and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment. This position also plays an important role in keeping the Main Lodge clean, organized, and welcoming, including regular cleaning and housekeeping of common areas, dishes, kitchen cleanup, and general lodge upkeep. Candidates must be clean, efficient, detail-oriented, and team-minded. Food Handler Card required upon hire.
Server/Dishwasher
This position rotates weekly between serving and dishwashing, offering a mix of guest interaction and behind-the-scenes kitchen work. One week you'll work alongside the lead server and the next you'll wash dishwasher and kitchen cleanup for a busy guest ranch serving approximately 45+ guests and crew. No previous experience is required, although restaurant, serving, or high-volume dishwashing experience is preferred. Candidates must be hardworking, efficient, clean, organized, team-oriented, and comfortable interacting with guests. Food Handler Card required upon hire.
Office Assistant
The Office Assistant works closely with Melissa and Ranch Operations to help keep the administrative side of a busy guest ranch running smoothly. This is a full-time, primarily desk-based position responsible for reservations, guest communication, phones, check-ins and check-outs, filing, tours, ordering ranch supplies and merchandise, basic website and social media tasks, and general office administration. Previous office experience is preferred, but strong computer skills are required, including proficiency with Outlook, Excel, Word, social media, and the ability to learn new software quickly. Candidates must be excellent multitaskers with strong math skills, attention to detail, good judgment, and a warm, professional personality.
Expect to spend most of your workweek at a computer and on the phone in the ranch office—not outdoors. This position is best suited for someone who genuinely enjoys computers, organization, helping guests, and working behind the scenes. Must also be comfortable with the occasional dog, cat, or other ranch animal wandering into the office.
Housekeeper
The Housekeeper is responsible for keeping guest cabins and shared ranch spaces clean, organized, welcoming, and consistently up to CWR standards. We’re looking for someone who is naturally clean, highly detail-oriented, self-motivated, and comfortable with cleaning, laundry, cabin resets, and maintaining an orderly environment throughout the day. This person should notice the small things others might miss and take pride in making each space feel fresh and guest-ready.
Previous housekeeping experience is preferred but not required. Candidates must be hardworking, dependable, comfortable working independently, and also a strong team player with natural leadership qualities who is willing to jump in wherever needed.
Adventure Sidekick & Hiking/Fishing Guide
Love to fish, hike, camp, ride horses, shoot your bow, skateboard, scooter, play basketball or soccer, swim, read, explore—or ever thought about becoming an Uber driver? This might be the perfect summer job for you!
This unique position is part Adventure Sidekick for the ranch owners’ two boys, Braxton (13) and Sawyer (10), and part fishing/hiking guide for CWR guests and their kids. We’re looking for someone who genuinely enjoys kids and the outdoors and is fun, outgoing, patient, energetic, adventurous, responsible, and a positive role model.
Must Haves: Strong fly-fishing and spin-fishing experience, comfortable hiking and navigating outdoors, physically fit, self-motivated, confident teaching kids and beginners, and able to safely lead outdoor adventures. Horse experience preferred.
Guest Adventure & Transportation Guide
Helps create memorable off-ranch experiences for CWR guests through guided hikes, outdoor adventures, airport and event transportation, and weekly Yellowstone tours. We’re looking for someone who is outgoing, dependable, safety-conscious, organized, and comfortable spending full days with guests while providing exceptional customer service. Applicants must have a clean driving record, strong communication skills, good judgment, and the ability to confidently lead groups, navigate changing plans and weather, and help make every outing safe, smooth, and enjoyable.
Ranch Nanny & All-Around
Love little kids but also want the experience of spending a summer on a Montana guest ranch? This position gives you a little bit of everything!
The Ranch Nanny will primarily care for two young children, ages 1 and 3½, while also providing occasional childcare for guests’ young children as needed. We’re looking for someone who genuinely loves babies and toddlers and is patient, nurturing, playful, attentive, and dependable. This is also an all-around ranch position and includes a couple of dishwashing shifts and 1–2 housekeeping shifts each week, helping with cabin flips, daily cleans, and general housekeeping. This position may include split shifts, with hours scheduled in both the morning and evening, and occasional help in other areas of the ranch as needed.
Must Haves: Previous experience caring for babies and toddlers, and excellent judgment and communication skills. Must be flexible, team-oriented, comfortable around animals, and willing to jump in wherever needed.
Barn & Ranch Operations Lead
This position helps oversee the barn, horses, trails, equipment, maintenance, and outdoor operations at CWR. Responsibilities include mentoring and training Wranglers, teaching CWR standards and the trail system, putting together daily rides, matching horses and riders, ordering hay, grain, barn, and vet supplies, monitoring horse care, and helping keep the barn running safely and smoothly. Applicants must be experienced horsemen comfortable starting and developing colts, riding green horses, identifying training needs, and progressing horses for ranch work. This role also includes opening and closing the ranch, trail clearing, equipment operation, trailer hauling, and routine maintenance and repairs. We’re looking for someone who is hardworking, honest, dependable, observant, self-motivated, and willing to mentor others and lead by example. Exceptional guest service is essential, along with a polished Western presentation that reflects the CWR brand. Extensive horse, colt-starting, trail, equipment, and maintenance experience, plus Wilderness First Responder certification, are required.
Ranch Operations
This unique position works closely with the owner to help keep the guest-facing and behind-the-scenes sides of CWR running smoothly. Responsibilities include the office, housekeeping, All-Around staff, guest services, reservations, check-ins and check-outs, gift shop, bookkeeping, bill paying, scheduling, appointments, and the countless day-to-day details that keep the ranch moving. You’ll also spend plenty of time with guests—greeting arrivals, checking in throughout their stay, joining them at dinner, socializing, answering questions, coordinating activities, and making sure they feel genuinely cared for from the moment they arrive.
This role also helps shape how CWR is seen beyond the ranch through social media, content creation, website management, SEO, blog writing, and building an engaged online following. We’re looking for someone who is highly organized, outgoing, creative, observant, self-motivated, and naturally takes ownership—someone who notices what needs to be done, handles it, follows through, and doesn’t need to be reminded.
Because this person will be one of the faces of CWR, a polished, professional Western presentation is important. Think NFR-quality Western style meets authentic Montana dude ranch—not corporate business attire. You should take pride in how you present yourself and understand that every interaction with a guest is part of the CWR experience.
Must Haves: Strong office, computer, bookkeeping, organizational, and customer-service skills, along with experience in social media, websites, content creation, and SEO. Must be confident working with people, juggling multiple priorities, solving problems, making decisions independently, and politely holding others accountable. Previous hospitality experience is strongly preferred, and horse and ranch experience would be a huge bonus. Above all, we’re looking for someone who can truly become an extension of the owner—someone trusted to take things off Melissa’s plate, keep this side of the ranch running, and help make CWR feel effortless for our guests.
