Aquatics Director

Catch the Wave Swim Club is looking for an Aquatics Director for our Janesville facility. This is a leadership role for someone who loves working with kids, is confident in the water, enjoys developing staff, and wants to help lead a high-quality swim lesson program. The Aquatics Director is the face of the aquatics program. You help set the tone for the facility, build relationships with students and families, train instructors, support lesson quality, and make sure the swim program runs the way it should. This is not an office-only management role. Our Aquatics Directors are hands-on and in the water regularly. You will teach classes, work directly with students, train staff, fill in when instructors are absent, and help make sure our curriculum is being taught correctly. If you are looking for a role where you mostly manage from the sidelines, this is not that role. If you are excited to lead from the pool deck and in the water, this could be a great fit.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for someone who brings a strong mix of leadership, reliability, swim experience, and care for kids and families.

A strong candidate will have:

Management, leadership, coaching, or team-leading experience Swim experience or strong comfort teaching in the water Experience working with kids Strong communication skills Positive energy and professionalism Reliability, consistency, and ownership The ability to train, coach, and lead staff A genuine care for students, families, and team members Reliability is extremely important in this role. The facility depends on the Aquatics Director being present, prepared, and consistent. This person plays a major role in making sure lessons can run smoothly and families have a great experience.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Responsibilities include: Teaching swim lessons and working directly with students Filling in for instructors when coverage is needed Training, coaching, and developing swim instructors Monitoring lesson quality and student progress Making sure classes are taught correctly and consistently Building relationships with students and families Supporting families with questions, concerns, and class-related issues Handling escalated customer concerns when needed Helping ensure classes are properly staffed Opening and closing the facility Overseeing daily pool maintenance and water checks Ensuring daily cleaning tasks are completed Keeping the facility safe, clean, organized, and ready for families Learning reception responsibilities and helping with customer support when needed Setting the tone for a positive, professional, high-quality swim lesson environment

INTRODUCTORY TRAINING PHASE

This role begins with a paid introductory training phase. Because our Aquatics Director is expected to teach, train instructors, and lead lesson quality, this phase is designed to help you learn the Catch the Wave curriculum, become confident teaching our class levels, understand our systems, and show readiness to lead the aquatics program. The introductory training phase is expected to last approximately 6 to 10 months , depending on performance, readiness, and how quickly the required benchmarks are met. During this phase, pay is $20/hour .

Typical introductory training phase schedule:

Monday:

3:00 PM•8:00

PM Tuesday:

3:00 PM•8:00

PM Wednesday:

9:00 AM•8:00

PM Thursday:

3:00 PM•8:00

PM Friday:

Off Saturday:

8:30 AM•2:30

PM Sunday:

Off This is approximately 32 hours per week during the introductory training phase. The training schedule is more structured because it is built around active lesson times. During this phase, you need to be present during lessons to learn the curriculum, teach classes, train in the water, observe staff, and build consistency with our program. Once the required teaching, leadership, reliability, and performance milestones are reached, the position transitions into the full-time salaried Aquatics Director role.

FULL-TIME AQUATICS DIRECTOR SCHEDULE

Once fully transitioned into the salaried Aquatics Director role, the schedule has more flexibility. A typical full-time schedule may look like:

Monday:

1:30 PM•8:15

PM Tuesday:

1:30 PM•8:15

PM Wednesday:

9:00 AM•7:30

PM Thursday:

1:30 PM•8:15

PM Friday:

Off Saturday:

Off Sunday:

8:00 AM•2:30 PM, depending on facility needs The full-time salary for this role is approximately $50,000/year , which averages around $24/hour . While the schedule above gives a general idea, the salaried Aquatics Director role is more task-based and has room for flexibility. Many responsibilities can be adjusted based on assigned tasks, enrollment size, lesson schedules, staffing needs, and facility needs. The main expectation is that facility coverage is handled, lessons are supported, staff are trained, families are taken care of, and assigned responsibilities are completed. Exact hours may vary in both the introductory training phase and the full-time salary role based on enrollment, class schedules, staffing, and overall facility needs.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should meet the following requirements: Must have experience working with kids Must have swim experience or strong comfort teaching in the water Must have management, leadership, coaching, or team-leading experience Must be reliable, consistent, and able to take ownership of facility operations Must have reliable transportation Must be able to pass a clean background check Must be willing and able to complete lifeguard certification if offered the position Lifeguard certification is not required to apply, but it will be required as a condition of employment if hired. Certification reimbursement is available with certain conditions. Full reimbursement details and requirements will be discussed during the interview process.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

At Catch the Wave, teaching is the foundation of everything we do. The Aquatics Director is responsible for making sure families have a great swim lesson experience. That means understanding the curriculum, knowing how to teach it, training others to teach it well, and being willing to get in the water to lead by example. This role is hands-on, people-focused, and quality-driven. You are the person helping make sure students are progressing, instructors are supported, families feel confident, and the facility is running smoothly. If you are a reliable leader who loves working with kids, enjoys teaching and developing staff, and wants to play a major role in building a high-quality swim program, this could be a great fit.

Pay:

From $49,502.70 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Employee discount Flexible schedule Health insurance Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person