Lead Swim Instructor

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center; San Rafael (CA); On-site; USD 53,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Parental leave

Paid time off

403(b)

Job summary

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael, CA is seeking a Lead Swim Instructor to oversee daily aquatics operations, ensure safety, and maintain high instructional quality across indoor and outdoor pools. The role balances hands-on teaching with administrative leadership and staff mentorship.

The position is full-time (40 hours/week), requires WSI certification, and offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of active experience teaching swim lessons to diverse age groups (infants through adults).
• Leadership or coordination experience with scheduling, deck management, or staff training is highly desirable.
• Flexibility to maintain a 40-hour weekly schedule including late afternoons, evenings, and weekends.

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain and publish staff schedules to cover all classes, clinics and private lessons.
• Coordinate coverage and approve time-off, arranging substitutes as needed to prevent cancellations.
• Teach swim lessons and provide emergency instructional support when needed to ensure program continuity.
• Monitor enrollment, track class placements and ensure proper student-to-instructor ratios.
• Enforce curriculum standards (American Red Cross or equivalent) across all levels and mentor staff.

Skills

Leadership

Scheduling

Mentorship

Communication

Safety awareness

Education

Water Safety Instructor (WSI)

Lifeguard Instructor (LGI)

Job description

Lead Swim Instructor

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center

200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA 94903

$30 an hour - Full-time

Job details

Pay

• $30 an hour

Job type

• Full-time

Shift and schedule

• Evenings as needed

Benefits

• 403(b) matching
• 403(b)
• Parental leave
• Health insurance
• Retirement plan
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off

Full job description

Experience & Schedule Availability

Overview

The Lead Swim Instructor assists with overseeing the daily operations, safety, and instructional quality of the aquatics department’s swim lesson programs across both indoor and outdoor pools. This is a full-time, 40-hour per week position that balances hands-on teaching with administrative leadership, coordinating schedules for group, private, and specialized swimming lessons. Approximately 1/2 of the time in this role will be dedicated to administrative tasks, and 1/2 of the time will be spent actively serving as a swim instructor. The Lead Swim Instructor supervises and mentors instructional staff, ensures adherence to curriculum standards, manages instructor coverage and shift vacancies, and maintains a welcoming, high-energy environment for participants and families.

Responsibilities:

• Instructor Scheduling: Assist with creating, maintaining, and publishing weekly or monthly schedules for instructional staff to ensure all group classes, private lessons, and clinics are properly staffed, filling in as a sub as necessary.
• Coverage Coordination: Manage instructor shift trades, approve time-off requests, and proactively secure substitute instructors for last-minute absences filling in as a substitute instructor when required—to avoid class cancellations.
• Emergency Instructional Support: Step into the water and teach active swim lessons immediately when backup instructor coverage cannot be found, ensuring seamless program continuity.
• Roster & Class Tracking: Monitor student enrollment, coordinate deck placements, and manage student tracking logs to ensure proper class leveling and student-to-instructor ratios.

Supervision, Curriculum & Mentorship

• Curriculum Enforcement: Oversee the implementation of the swim lesson curriculum (American Red Cross or equivalent), ensuring consistent, high-quality instruction across all skill levels.
• Staff Mentorship & Training: Lead regular in-service trainings for instructional staff, audit teaching techniques, and mentor junior or seasonal instructors on class management and safety.
• Skill Evaluations: Oversee or conduct student swim assessments to ensure proper class placement, and coordinate the distribution of progress reports and achievement certificates.
• Attend regularly scheduled Fitness & Aquatics management team meetings and serve as a Lead on Duty.
• Monitor staff records and certifications and provide reports to management as directed.
• Maintain professional image and manner constant with the JCC’s mission and goals.
• Other duties as assigned by manager. Additional duties to assist the Fitness & Aquatics department will be required.

Program & Member Support

• Customer Service: Act as the primary point of contact for parents and members regarding swim lesson progress, registration, scheduling adjustments, and program details.
• Conflict Resolution: Address and constructively resolve member or parent concerns regarding student placement, instructor assignments, or progress tracking.
• Event Logistics: Coordinate seamless transitions on the pool deck between swim lessons, lap swimming, and group fitness classes, maximizing space utilization and safety.
• Teach Red Cross WSI classes up to 5 times/year.
• Coordinate youth swim/camp programs with camp and ECE staff.

Safety & Deck Operations

• Deck Supervision: Maintain high visibility on the pool deck during peak lesson hours to support instructors, monitor student safety, and ensure proper equipment setup and teardown.
• Emergency Readiness: Assist lifeguards during incidents, serving as a secondary first responder, managing crowd control on the deck, or directing students safely out of the water.
• Equipment Maintenance: Inspect and maintain instructional equipment (kickboards, pull buoys, platforms, and teaching toys) daily for cleanliness, safety, and organization.

Qualifications

• Job Type: Full-time, 40 hours per week.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of active experience teaching swim lessons to diverse age groups (infants through adults) and skill levels, preferably in a multi-pool or fitness center environment.
• Leadership: Prior experience assisting with program coordination, lesson scheduling, deck management, or staff training is highly desirable.
• Scheduling Availability: Must maintain a flexible 40-hour weekly schedule—including late afternoons, evenings, and weekends—to align with peak youth and adult swim programming hours.
• Supervisorial experience preferred, but not required

Certifications & Instructional Skills

• Primary Certification: Water Safety Instructor (WSI) certification (American Red Cross or equivalent) is required.
• Advanced Training: Lifeguard Instructor (LGI) or specialized certifications in adaptive aquatics or infant swim instruction are highly preferred.
• Safety Credentials: Current Lifeguarding/First Aid/CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer certification.
• Hold or acquire (within first 1-year of employment) Red Cross WSIT certificate.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Physical Stamina: Ability to spend extended periods in the water teaching and demonstrating swim strokes, and the physical capacity to assist or rescue students if necessary.
• Environment: Comfort working in humid indoor aquatic facilities and variable outdoor weather conditions (sun, heat, wind) for prolonged shift durations.

Position and Compensation

• $30/hour
• Allowance toward health, dental, vision insurance; life and disability insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• JCC family membership; discounts on JCC programs and events, and more.

Pay: $30.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• 403(b)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Gym membership
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Are you comfortable working in humid indoor aquatic facilities as well as variable outdoor weather conditions?

Experience:

• Swim Instructor: 2 years (Required)

Work Location:

• In person