Aquatics and CYF Programs Director

YMCA of Greater Toronto; Toronto; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

YMCA of Greater Toronto is seeking a dynamic Aquatics & CYF Programs Director to lead development and delivery of comprehensive Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family programs. You will oversee budgeting, staffing, and training while ensuring safety and compliance with YMCA standards.

The role requires strong leadership, budget management, and a commitment to inclusive, high-quality experiences for diverse participants, including effective volunteer engagement and staff mentorship.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years' progressive experience in lifeguarding, swim instruction, teaching aquafit classes, and staff supervision.
• Post secondary education in Recreation Leadership, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in developing, promoting, planning, and implementing all Aquatics programs, including lessons, aquafit, leadership courses, and lifeguarding.
• Provide leadership in developing Child, Youth, and Family programming using YMCA standards, including soccer, basketball, karate, dance, and leagues.
• Support seasonal programs by assisting supervisors with camps and aquatic programming.
• Develop and monitor departmental budgets, purchasing equipment and programming materials.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate staff; provide coaching and performance management.
• Recruit, train, and retain volunteers with guidance and recognition.
• Oversee scheduling and payroll accuracy within budget.
• Conduct internal safety audits and ensure compliance with standards; implement corrective actions.
• Provide ongoing staff development and ensure certification and growth pathways.
• Ensure qualified staff including Instructors, Examiners, and Coaches are available.
• Provide direct program support including swim lessons, lifeguarding, aquafit, and coaching.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Staff supervision

Training & development

Communication

Program development

Education

Bachelor’s or related field

Lifeguard/Instructor certifications

Tools

Computer applications

Job description

Job Category: Health & Fitness Program Delivery

Requisition Number: AQUAT006538

Locations

Showing 1 location

Scarborough YMCA Health & Fitness Centre
Scarborough, ON M1P, CAN

Location: Scarborough Health & Fitness YMCA Centre

Work Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Employment Type: Contract Full Time Salaried, 6 Months (Existing Vacancy)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Anticipated Start Date: October 16, 2026

Deadline to Apply: October 5, 2026 at 5:00 pm

Be the Spark! Join our passionate team and help us to achieve great things in our community!

The Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family (CYF) Programs Director leads the development, planning, and delivery of comprehensive Aquatics and CYF programs, ensuring quality, safety, and age-appropriate experiences across all facilities. The Director is responsible for ensuring safe and compliant daily operations in accordance with YMCA and public health standards. The role also oversees departmental operations, including budgeting, staffing, and volunteer engagement. Responsible for fostering professional growth, ongoing training, and certification for Supervisors, program staff and volunteers, while providing direct program support when required. The position ensures effective workforce management and promotes positive participant experiences through leadership and relationship building.

In this role, you will:

• Provide leadership in developing, promoting, planning, and implementing all Aquatics programs offered by the Health Fitness facility, including lessons, aquafit, leadership courses, and lifeguarding.
• Provide leadership in developing, promoting, planning, and implementing Child, Youth, and Family programming using YMCA standards, including but not limited to soccer, basketball, karate, dance, and leagues, ensuring quality, safety, and age-appropriate program offerings.
• Provide leadership and support to seasonal programs by assisting the Child, Youth and Family Programs Supervisor with March Break and Winter Camps and the Aquatics Supervisor with summer camp aquatic programming.
• Develop and monitor departmental budgets, ensuring accountability and control for fiscal goals; purchase equipment (safety, aquafit), uniforms, first aid supplies, and programming materials.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family Programs staff; provide coaching, recognition, and performance management as required.
• Recruit, train, and retain volunteers, providing guidance, support, and recognition to ensure meaningful engagement in programs.
• Oversee scheduling and workforce management for Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family Programs staff, including approving timecards, managing vacation and time-off requests, and ensuring payroll accuracy within budget.
• Conduct internal audits and regular safety checks of the pool and program areas to ensure compliance with Federal, Provincial, and YMCA standards; implement corrective actions and follow-up as needed.
• Provide ongoing training, communication, and professional development for staff and volunteers, ensuring completion of all mandatory onboarding, quarterly, and annual training—both in-person and virtual—while creating clear pathways for certification and growth.
• Ensure the department has qualified and trained staff to meet fiscal goals by ensuring Instructors, Examiners, and Coaches are certified, trained, and available.
• Provide direct program support where needed, including teaching swim lessons, lifeguarding, leading aquafit classes, and coaching or instructing Child, Youth and Family programs.
• Act as the Designated Pool Operator as outlined in the Ontario Health Regulations 565.
• Support the staff team in the role of Service Leader, promoting positive member experiences using the Y Way framework and fostering relationships with participants and families, responding to feedback.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

You bring:

• Post secondary education in Recreation Leadership, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years' progressive experience in lifeguarding, swim instruction, teaching aquafit classes, and staff supervision.
• NL, Standard First Aid with CPR-C, NL Instructor/Examiner, LSS Standard First Aid Instructor/Examiner, LSS Instructor, YMCA Swim Instructor, Aquatic Manager, and Aquafit Instructor certification preferred.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with attention to detail, and proficiency in computer applications and a willingness to learn new computer programs.
• Demonstrates strong leadership skills to motivate, coach, and develop staff and volunteers, and acknowledge and appreciate contributions; fostering a positive and accountable team culture.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to establish rapport with members, staff, and volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
• Flexibility regarding assigned working hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to speak multiple languages an asset.
• Excellent understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity, including the ability to identify and address barriers for seniors, work effectively with diverse stakeholders, and integrate equity into program design.
• Focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of all children, youth, and vulnerable people in YMCA programs including understanding legal and moral obligations related to reporting suspected child abuse to Child Protection Services
• YMCA Competencies: Accountable, Relationship-Builder, Improvement-Orientated, Team Player & Leader, Equity and Wellbeing Promoter

Why work for the YMCA?

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a charity that ignites the potential in people, helping them grow, lead, and give back to their communities. We are committed to helping our employees reach their full potential and are recognized as a great place to work. We offer meaningful jobs and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals and the health of our communities. See what you can expect from the YMCA here .

Joining the Y means contributing to over 170 years of providing opportunities for people to shine through programs and services, such as health and fitness, licensed child care, camps, employment and immigrant services, education and training, and services for youth, families, and seniors. Learn more in our2025–2030 strategic plan, Greater Together ,which outlines how we are focused on building communities where people feel healthier and more connected to their neighbours.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. We strive to remove barriers to employment and recognize that diverse staff who reflect the communities we work in enrich the experiences of our participants and our team. As an equal opportunity employer, we invite applications from all qualified candidates including racialised people/people of colour, Indigenous Peoples, disabled people/people with disabilities and members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

If we can make the recruitment process more accessible for you, please let us know when we reach out about a job opportunity so we can work with you to accommodate your needs.

In keeping with our commitment to safety and child protection, job offers are contingent on the successful completion of a Police Records Check. Within the first four months and every three years thereafter, a Vulnerable Police Records Check is required. Learn more about these checks here .

The YMCA only considers applicants who are legally entitled to work in Canada. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, due to the volume of applications we receive, we can only contact candidates who are selected for an interview.