Lifeguard

WHO WE ARE:

West End House (WEH) is a vibrant community anchor and youth development organization rooted in Boston’s Allston neighborhood and serving young people citywide. Since 1906, we have empowered youth to succeed academically and in life—providing high-impact programs that foster learning, creativity, wellness, leadership, and economic mobility.

Our 46,000-square-foot facility offers a safe and dynamic space where young people build lasting relationships, explore their strengths, and chart their own paths to success. Programming spans seven interconnected focus areas—from academics and mental health to food security and the arts—designed to help youth thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

With a trauma-informed approach, a deep commitment to equity, and strong community partnerships, West End House continues to evolve to meet the needs of Boston’s youth and families—ensuring every young person has the opportunity, support, and confidence to lead, create, and thrive.

We are committed to advancing racial equity through our work and throughout all aspects of our organization- our youth programs, our community and family engagement, and our board and leadership. Our employees reflect and build upon our values - opportunity for all, youth first, joy, equity, and community.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

At the West End House (WEH) our mission is at the heart of all we do. We provide high-impact programs that support youth as they achieve academic success, explore the arts, develop career readiness & leadership skills, and adopt healthy lifestyles. We are committed to advancing racial equity through our work and throughout all aspects of our organization - our youth programs, our community and family engagement, and our board and leadership.

As a Lifeguard at West End House, you will bring your deep knowledge of pool safety, training in lifeguard rescue, and passion for aquatics instruction to your work. You will facilitate an effective swimming program for a diverse community of youth between the ages of 7-18. You will be responsible for supervising all program activities in the pool and be constantly prepared to perform rescue procedures in case of an emergency. In partnership with the Facility Manager, you will maintain the physical space compliant with relevant regulations.

During the execution of your duties, you will use your talents working with young people to build close-knit relationships that will help youth remain engaged in programming. These relationships, in combination with reflections from program data, will enable you to adapt and grow the program to create the best outcomes for young people. This is a part-time role, 10 to 15 hours per week, reporting directly to the Aquatics Coordinator.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide aquatics instruction to youth through swim lessons
• Supervise the pool area during all swim activities and be prepared to step in to perform rescue procedures, including first aid, CPR, or other life-saving care treatment
• Attract and recruit youth to Aquatics from within West End House programs as well as the broader community
• Enforce WEH aquatic policies and public health regulations
• Collaborate with the Facility Director to identify any potential health, safety, or accident risks
• Complete and record water testing daily
• Maintain a system of assessment, recording deep end tests and swim levels to ensure advancement of skills
• Focus on improvement and ensure consistent delivery of high-quality programs.
• Build long-term, trusting relationships with the youth
• Manage and provide feedback to assigned volunteers and peer leaders
• Collect & submit youth participation numbers
• Implement/adhere to BGCA membership and safety requirements

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

There are a multitude of ways to learn and grow professionally and we know that people gain skills through a variety of experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. With this in consideration, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate most of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• High school graduate
• LGT Certification
• CPR/FPR and Standard First Aid Certification
• WSI Certification strongly preferred
• Past experience in aquatics program facilitation is a plus
• Proven track record of building trusting relationships with youth through empathy and robust communication skills
• Strong group and/or program facilitation skills

WHAT WE OFFER:

The salary range for this role is $22-$25. Rates of pay within this range will be commensurate with experience and based on factors such as years of experience, educational qualifications, and proficiency in a second language.