Director of Personal Training & Fitness Development

Lakeshore Sport & Fitness; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Lakeshore Sport & Fitness is seeking an experienced fitness leader to build and grow our Personal Training division across clubs. You will lead coaches, develop innovative programming, and deliver an outstanding member experience while driving revenue growth.

This role requires entrepreneurial drive, hands‑on leadership, and the ability to scale initiatives across multiple locations, partnering with other departments to create integrated, category‑leading programs.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of leadership experience in personal training, fitness management, or health club operations.
• Proven success growing PT revenue and building high‑performing teams.
• Experience hiring, developing, and mentoring personal trainers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a high‑performing Personal Training department with a focus on member results and business growth.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, mentor, and retain exceptional personal trainers.
• Build systems that help new trainers quickly develop successful books of business.
• Coach trainers in sales, client retention, programming, communication, and career development.
• Develop and execute strategies to increase PT participation, revenue, and member engagement.
• Create innovative programming including transformation challenges and wellness initiatives.
• Design and grow small group training programs that deliver results and expand revenue.
• Identify trends and bring fresh ideas to keep clubs innovative and relevant.
• Collaborate with leaders across clubs to share best practices and scale programs.
• Partner with membership, aquatics, group fitness, and other departments for integrated experiences.
• Analyze department performance using key metrics and improve profitability and satisfaction.
• Help shape long‑term vision for fitness programming across the organization.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Recruitment & onboarding

Sales strategy

Client retention

Entrepreneurial mindset

Executive communication

Cross‑club collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science

Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology

Bachelor's degree in Business

Current nationally recognized personal training certification

Job description

Overview

Build the Future of Fitness

We're looking for an experienced fitness leader who is ready to build something exceptional.

This isn't a traditional Personal Training Manager position. We're looking for someone with significant health club and personal training leadership experience who knows how to grow a thriving fitness business, develop outstanding coaches, create innovative programming, and deliver an exceptional member experience.

You’ll lead the Personal Training department while collaborating with leaders across our portfolio of clubs and businesses to develop new fitness initiatives, share best practices, and build programs that can scale. If you’re entrepreneurial, energized by creating new ideas, and passionate about developing both people and businesses, we’d love to meet you.

This is a role for someone who sees opportunity everywhere and has the drive to turn ideas into successful programs.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and grow a high‑performing Personal Training department with a focus on member results, team development, and business growth
• Recruit, hire, onboard, mentor, and retain exceptional personal trainers
• Build systems that help new trainers quickly develop successful books of business
• Coach trainers in sales, client retention, programming, communication, and career development
• Develop and execute strategies to increase personal training participation, revenue, and member engagement
• Create innovative programming including transformation challenges, weight loss programs, specialty coaching, wellness initiatives, youth fitness, active aging, recovery programs, and seasonal events
• Design and grow small group training programs that deliver exceptional results while expanding revenue opportunities
• Identify emerging fitness trends and bring fresh ideas that keep our clubs innovative and relevant
• Collaborate with leaders across multiple clubs and businesses to develop programming, share best practices, and create scalable fitness initiatives
• Partner with membership, aquatics, group fitness, racquet sports, and other departments to create integrated member experiences
• Analyze department performance using key metrics and continually improve profitability, participation, and member satisfaction
• Help shape the long‑term vision for fitness programming throughout the organization
• Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement

Qualifications

• 7+ years of leadership experience in personal training, fitness management, or health club operations
• Demonstrated success growing personal training revenue and building high‑performing teams
• Significant experience hiring, developing, and mentoring personal trainers
• Strong understanding of personal training business operations, sales strategies, and client retention
• Experience creating successful fitness programming and launching new initiatives
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and inspire teams
• Excellent leadership, communication, and relationship‑building skills
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and execute ideas
• Current nationally recognized personal training certification
• Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Business, or related field preferred

Preferred Experience

• Multi‑club fitness leadership
• Premium health clubs or country clubs
• Personal training business development
• Fitness programming and product development
• Small group training strategy
• Weight loss and wellness program development
• Budget management and P&L responsibility
• Team leadership across multiple locations

What Success Looks Like

• Personal training revenue grows significantly across the organization
• Trainers build sustainable, thriving businesses while delivering exceptional member results
• New programming generates excitement, engagement, and measurable business growth
• Small group training becomes a signature offering
• Members view personal training as an essential part of their club experience
• Trainers are continuously developing professionally and remain engaged with the organization
• Innovative ideas move quickly from concept to execution
• Collaboration between clubs creates consistency while encouraging innovation and local creativity
• The organization becomes recognized for delivering one of the strongest personal training experiences in the market

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help shape the future of fitness across a growing organization. We’re looking for a builder, someone who enjoys creating programs, developing people, solving challenges, and continuously raising the bar. You’ll have the autonomy to bring new ideas to life, collaborate with leaders across multiple businesses, and make a lasting impact on both our members and our team.

If you’re energized by growth, inspired by innovation, and ready to build something extraordinary, we’d love to hear from you.