About the Role
A growing youth aquatics organization is seeking an experienced, hands-on Area Operations & Training Manager to lead day-to-day operations across multiple Jersey Shore locations.
This is more than a scheduling or administrative role. We are looking for a proven people leader who can take ownership of staffing, instructor training, program quality, customer service, administration, and business growth.
The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, making sound decisions, developing employees, solving problems, and ensuring that each location operates consistently and professionally.
This role is well suited for someone who has previously managed a team, program, department, childcare operation, aquatics program, recreational program, fitness facility, or other service-based business.
Key ResponsibilitiesOperations and Administration
- Oversee daily operations across multiple youth swim program locations.
- Create and maintain employee schedules based on enrollment, availability, and business needs.
- Ensure classes are properly staffed and address coverage needs before they affect customers.
- Maintain accurate staffing, attendance, training, certification, and operational records.
- Ensure administrative responsibilities are completed accurately and on time.
- Communicate expectations, schedule changes, and operational updates clearly.
- Identify recurring problems and implement practical, sustainable solutions.
- Make routine operational decisions independently.
- Escalate serious safety, employee, customer, or business concerns appropriately.
- Provide leadership with regular updates on staffing, operations, and program performance.
Instructor Recruitment, Training and Development
- Recruit, interview, onboard, train, and retain swim instructors.
- Maintain an active pipeline of qualified instructor candidates.
- Lead initial training for all new instructors.
- Teach instructors the organization’s curriculum, class-level requirements, teaching methods, safety standards, and customer-service expectations.
- Evaluate instructor readiness before assigning independent teaching responsibilities.
- Regularly observe lessons and provide direct, constructive feedback.
- Continuously coach and develop existing instructors.
- Conduct refresher training and skill-development sessions as needed.
- Address performance gaps involving teaching quality, curriculum knowledge, safety, attendance, reliability, professionalism, and communication.
- Identify strong employees and prepare them for additional responsibility or future leadership opportunities.
- Build a supportive, dependable, and accountable instructor culture.
Program Quality
- Become fully proficient in the organization’s swim curriculum, program levels, advancement requirements, teaching standards, and safety procedures.
- Ensure instructors understand what must be taught and demonstrated at each swim level.
- Monitor lesson quality and teaching consistency across locations.
- Support student evaluations and consistent advancement decisions.
- Ensure instructors follow the approved curriculum and teaching methodology.
- Maintain a safe, organized, professional, and welcoming environment.
- Assist with instructional or pool-deck coverage when operationally necessary.
Customer and Facility Relationships
- Respond to parent questions, concerns, and escalations promptly and professionally.
- Ensure customer issues are followed through to resolution.
- Build strong relationships with families, instructors, and facility partners.
- Communicate clearly regarding schedules, staffing changes, and program expectations.
- Protect the quality and reputation of the organization at every location.
- Represent the organization professionally in the local community.
Business Growth
- Identify opportunities to increase enrollment, retention, class utilization, and customer satisfaction.
- Recommend schedule changes based on customer demand and business performance.
- Help strengthen underperforming classes and locations.
- Support local outreach, community partnerships, events, and enrollment initiatives.
- Identify opportunities to add classes, expand schedules, and improve pool utilization.
- Bring forward ideas for improving employee performance, customer experience, and business results.
- Take ownership of the continued development and growth of the Jersey Shore operation.
Required Qualifications
- At least five years of progressively responsible experience in operations, aquatics, childcare, recreation, education, fitness, hospitality, youth programming, or another service-based environment.
- At least two years of direct employee supervisory or team-leadership experience.
- Experience scheduling, training, coaching, and managing employees.
- Experience onboarding and developing new employees.
- Experience providing performance feedback and holding employees accountable.
- Experience managing administrative responsibilities and maintaining accurate records.
- Experience independently resolving employee, customer, or operational issues.
- Demonstrated responsibility for a team, program, department, location, or business operation.
- Strong organization, time management, communication, and follow-through.
- Ability to manage multiple locations, schedules, employees, and priorities.
- Sound judgment and the ability to make decisions without continuous oversight.
- Reliable transportation and the ability to travel between program locations.
- Availability for some evenings and weekends based on lesson schedules.
- Willingness to become fully trained in the organization’s curriculum and operating procedures.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in aquatics, swim instruction, lifeguarding, coaching, or aquatic-program management.
- Experience in childcare, child development, early childhood education, recreation, camps, education, or youth programming.
- Experience supervising part-time or hourly employees.
- Experience recruiting and retaining employees in a service-based environment.
- Experience working directly with children and parents.
- Experience managing multiple sites or programs.
- Relevant education or professional training in business, child development, recreation, education, hospitality, or a related field.
- Current or previous lifeguard, CPR, first-aid, water-safety, or swim-instruction certification.
Candidates with significant experience leading childcare, recreation, youth-development, education, fitness, or service-based programs are encouraged to apply even if their direct aquatics experience is limited.
What Success Looks Like
The successful candidate will:
- Run daily operations without constant reminders or oversight.
- Maintain accurate schedules and dependable instructor coverage.
- Anticipate staffing needs and reduce last-minute shortages.
- Recruit and train new instructors efficiently.
- Ensure instructors are prepared before teaching independently.
- Continuously coach and develop existing instructors.
- Understand every program level and advancement requirement.
- Maintain consistent teaching, safety, and customer-service standards.
- Keep administrative work accurate, organized, and current.
- Communicate promptly and professionally with employees, families, and facility partners.
- Build a reliable, engaged, and accountable team.
- Improve enrollment, retention, class utilization, and program quality.
- Allow senior leadership to focus on strategy and growth rather than routine operational follow-up.
Ideal Candidate
You may be a strong fit if you:
- Have meaningful experience leading employees and running day-to-day operations.
- Enjoy training, coaching, and developing people.
- Can support employees while maintaining clear accountability.
- Take responsibility for results rather than simply completing assigned tasks.
- Notice problems early and follow them through to resolution.
- Are comfortable making decisions and having direct performance conversations.
- Are highly organized, dependable, and able to work independently.
- Care about water safety and creating a positive experience for children and families.
- Are motivated by the opportunity to improve and grow a local operation.
Compensation
- Starting annual salary of $42,000, based on relevant experience and qualifications.
- Paid training in the organization’s curriculum and operating model.
- Meaningful responsibility across multiple program locations.
- Opportunity to recruit, train, and develop a local team.
- Autonomy to improve operations and help grow the business.
- Direct access to senior leadership.
Application Questions
Please submit your résumé and briefly answer the following:
- How many years of experience do you have directly supervising employees?
- What types of teams, programs, departments, or locations have you managed?
- Describe your experience recruiting, onboarding, training, and developing employees.
- Describe an operation or program for which you had primary day-to-day responsibility.
- Tell us about an operational problem you inherited or identified. What did you do, and what was the result?
- Are you available to work evenings and weekends based on program needs?
- Are you able to travel between locations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties?
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $42,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
