Community Aquatics Program Operations Specialist

Community Aquatics Program Operations Specialist

Upper East Side - New York, NY 10128

Overview

Salary Range $32.97 - $35.71 Hourly Position Type Full Time Category Nonprofit

Description

Asphalt Green is a nonprofit organization that transforms lives and builds community through sports, fitness, and play for all.

Each year, Asphalt Green serves thousands of New Yorkers through sports, aquatics, fitness, camps, and community programs that promote health, personal growth, and lifelong participation in physical activity. Across three campuses and numerous community partnerships, Asphalt Green is committed to providing high-quality programs that are inclusive, accessible, and rooted in excellence.

Asphalt Green believes that access to movement, sport, and wellness can change lives. Our work helps young people develop confidence, resilience, leadership skills, and healthy habits that extend far beyond the playing field.

The Community Aquatics Program Operations Specialist serves as a key operational leader supporting the workforce and infrastructure behind Asphalt Green's Community Aquatics Programs, including Wave Makers NYC and other community-based aquatics initiatives. Reporting to the Community Aquatics Program Manager, the Operations Specialist helps ensure Community Aquatics maintains the staffing, systems, processes, compliance, and operational readiness necessary to deliver high-quality programming across a growing network of locations.

The Operations Specialist owns and coordinates critical workforce operations throughout the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, New York City Public Schools clearance, certification tracking, payroll administration, training coordination, employee communications, and workforce readiness. The role works closely with Human Resources, Payroll, Site Supervisors, the Field Supervisor, and Aquatics leadership to ensure frontline employees are successfully hired, prepared, supported, and able to contribute to program operations.

With no direct reports, the Operations Specialist leads through operational ownership, cross-functional coordination, sound judgment, and consistent follow-through. The position is responsible for developing and maintaining scalable systems and standard operating procedures that create a consistent employee experience and allow Community Aquatics to respond effectively to changing staffing needs, new program launches, and continued citywide expansion.

This is a hands-on leadership position for an experienced aquatics professional who combines strong people skills with exceptional organization and execution and is comfortable moving between recruitment, employee support, administrative systems, and on-site program needs.

This is a hands-on leadership position for an experienced aquatics professional who combines strong people skills with exceptional organization and execution and is comfortable moving between recruitment, employee support, administrative systems, and on-site program needs.

What You'll Do

• Workforce Planning, Recruitment & Hiring
• Onboarding, Compliance & Workforce Readiness
• Workforce Operations, Payroll & Employee Communication
• Training, Certification & Employee Development Support
• Program Operations & Expansion Support

What Success Looks Like

• Community Aquatics maintains a strong and responsive workforce pipeline, with recruitment and hiring activity aligned to current staffing needs and anticipated program growth.
• New employees move efficiently from candidate to hire to deployment, with onboarding, PETS clearance, certifications, systems, and other requirements actively tracked through completion.
• Workforce information is accurate, organized, and readily available, allowing the Community Aquatics Program Manager to make informed staffing and deployment decisions.
• Payroll and timekeeping processes are accurate and timely, with clear procedures and automated communications reducing recurring errors, missed deadlines, and unnecessary follow-up.
• Standard operating procedures, workflows, trackers, and employee communications create a consistent and effective workforce experience across Community Aquatics locations.
• Employees receive clear information regarding onboarding, payroll, certifications, compliance, training, and other employment requirements and know where to go for operational support.
• Training and certification infrastructure is organized and proactive, helping maintain a qualified, compliant, and deployment-ready workforce while creating opportunities for employee development.
• New programs and locations receive the staffing and hands-on operational support needed to launch successfully and stabilize quickly.
• Operational challenges are identified early and addressed practically, with the Operations Specialist demonstrating ownership, follow-through, and appropriate escalation.
• Site Supervisors, the Field Supervisor, Human Resources, Payroll, and Aquatics leadership experience the Operations Specialist as a reliable operational partner who strengthens the systems supporting frontline employees and program delivery.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 23 years of progressive experience in aquatics, recreation, youth programming, workforce operations, or a related environment, including experience supporting staff, programs, or operational systems.
• Experience participating in recruitment, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, or other employee lifecycle processes.
• Exceptional organizational skills and demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent workflows, deadlines, employee needs, and operational priorities.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with candidates, frontline employees, managers, and cross-functional partners.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to maintain accurate employee, payroll, compliance, and operational records.
• Ability to develop and maintain clear processes, workflows, standard operating procedures, and recurring communications.
• Sound judgment, initiative, and ability to identify operational problems, develop practical solutions, and appropriately escalate issues requiring management attention.
• Ability to lead through influence, coordination, and subject-matter expertise without formal supervisory authority.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Human Resources, Payroll, Aquatics leadership, Site Supervisors, the Field Supervisor, and other internal partners.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and ability to effectively utilize Paycom, Salesforce, and other organizational systems.
• Ability and willingness to regularly travel among Community Aquatics locations throughout New York City based on workforce, launch, and operational needs.
• Schedule flexibility based on program needs, including early mornings, evenings, occasional weekends, trainings, hiring activities, and new-site launches.

Employment Requirements

• Employment is contingent upon successful completion of all required background checks and New York City Public Schools Personnel Eligibility Tracking System (PETS) clearance. Employees must obtain and maintain an Active and Eligible PETS status throughout employment.

Required Certifications

• American Red Cross Lifeguarding certification, including First Aid and CPR/AED, is required for the position but does not need to be held at the time of application. Candidates must obtain the required certification within an established timeframe following hire; Asphalt Green will provide access to required certification training.
• American Red Cross Lifeguard Instructor certification is required within one year of employment. Asphalt Green will provide access to the necessary instructor-level certification and professional-development opportunities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting high-volume or multi-site aquatics, recreation, education, nonprofit, or youth-development operations.
• Experience working with Paycom or a comparable HRIS/timekeeping platform.
• Experience coordinating employee certifications, background clearances, or other workforce-compliance processes.
• Experience developing automated or standardized employee communications and administrative workflows.
• Experience facilitating staff orientation, certification courses, or professional-development activities.

Schedule and Work Environment

This role is based at Upper East Side; Off-site and requires the schedule and availability described in the Job Overview above.

Community Aquatics programming operates across multiple locations throughout New York City, including Asphalt Green's Upper East Side campus, River East Elementary School, Lehman College, BronxWorks, College of Staten Island, and George Washington Educational Campus.

The Operations Specialist will maintain a regular administrative base while traveling among Community Aquatics locations based on recruitment, onboarding, training, workforce, program-launch, and operational needs. MetroCard/public transportation expenses associated with required work-related travel will be reimbursed in accordance with Asphalt Green policy.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to perform the physical requirements associated with lifeguarding, staff training, and emergency response, including entering and exiting the pool, performing water rescues, and assisting participants during emergency situations.
• Ability to remain actively engaged and mobile during trainings, new-site launches, and periods of on-site operational support, including extended periods on pool decks and movement throughout aquatic facilities.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.