Position Summary
Slate Pickleball Club is seeking a high-energy, passionate, and elite-level leader to serve as our High Performance Junior Academy Manager. In this dual-focused role, you will be the driving force behind our premier youth pickleball performance pipeline, implementing Slate’s world-class methodology.
An ideal candidate pairs an elite competitive background with a deep passion for education, mentorship, and athlete development. You won't just coach; you'll build a culture of Academy excellence, design periodization plans, manage parent relations, and run high-octane, addictive classes that establish Slate as the absolute pinnacle of high-performance pickleball programming.
Core Responsibilities
Academy Leadership & Administration
- Program Growth: Lead, scale, and actively promote the new High Performance Junior Academy, driving enrollment and maximizing court utilization.
- Curriculum & Periodization: Design and execute comprehensive lesson plans, player assessments, long-term athletic periodization plans, and high-performance classes.
- Parent & Member Relations: Act as the primary point of contact for academy parents, delivering upscale customer service and clear, professional communication regarding player progression.
- Administrative Management: Organize court time, manage your private lesson book seamlessly, and fulfill all administrative duties required to run a tight operational ship.
On-Court Excellence
- Methodology Delivery: Embrace and deliver Slate's industry-leading, world-class coaching standards to players of all developmental levels.
- On-Court Energy: Bring relentless positive energy, engagement, and a caring personality to every private lesson and group session.
- Team Collaboration: Attend all staff meetings and professional development trainings; act as a collaborative team player and a positive force on and off the court.
Position Requirements
- Elite Player Pedigree: Minimum current or historical DUPR rating of 5.0+.
- Collegiate Athletic Background: Former NCAA Division 1 student-athlete (Tennis background preferred).
- Professional Tour Experience: Demonstrated competitive experience and success on the pro circuit (PPA, APP, or MLP).
- Expert Player: Mastery-level understanding of modern pickleball rules, mechanics, court positioning, and high-level strategy.
- Physical Stamina: Physically capable of standing, moving, feeding, and playing at a high intensity for up to 8 hours a day on-court.
- Coachability: A strong desire to learn, adapt, and refine your personal coaching framework to match Slate's elite methodology.
- Business Acumen: Strong organizational skills, time management, sales drive, and exceptional interpersonal communication skills.
- Coaching experience: Must have tournament-player coaching experience of at least 1 year. Must enjoy working with all ages and stages.
What We Offer
- Opportunity to lead a flagship burgeoning junior program at a premier, upscale pickleball club.
- Highly competitive compensation and bonus structure package.
- Access to a highly motivated, affluent member base.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $80,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- On-the-job training
- Paid time off
- Paid training
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
Application Question(s):
- Did you participate in Division 1 college athletics?
- Have you competed on any professional pickleball tour?
- Are you rated a verifiable 5.0 DUPR or higher, or have you been rated 5.0 DUPR previously?
Education:
Experience:
- tennis or pickleball coaching: 1 year (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Northbrook, IL 60062 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Northbrook, IL 60062: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
