Lifeguard

Job Description

Job Description

Riverdale Country School, a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent all-gender school in New York City, is dedicated to inspiring students to live meaningful and purpose-driven lives. The school achieves this by fostering a culture of academic excellence, critical thinking, and curiosity, supported by a diverse and inclusive community. Riverdale emphasizes both high challenge and high support in its approach to education, encouraging students to engage deeply in interdisciplinary learning, research, and experiential education, both inside and outside the classroom and beyond our campuses. This holistic approach aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared to make a positive impact on the world.

At Riverdale, we strive to reflect the diversity of the New York metropolitan area in our students, faculty, and staff. We believe that a diverse and inclusive community enriches the educational experience and is integral to our mission. With a student body of approximately 1,300 students from 117 different zip codes, Riverdale is a vibrant community where 48% of our students identify as students of color. 

We seek to employ educators and leaders who bring a student-centered approach, passion for their work, a commitment to DEIB, and a desire to contribute to the growth and development of our entire school community.

Riverdale Athletics’ mission is to provide a meaningful athletic experience for each student-athlete, while maximizing student participation, promoting sportsmanship, representing the school with integrity, and understanding the importance of balancing the commitments of being a student-athlete. We aim to hire coaches who emulate the values of both Riverdale Athletics and Riverdale Country School.

Our group of coaches are dedicated to their given sport, student-athletes, and team. Coaches are public-facing representatives of the school and interscholastic athletic activities. Coaches should be viewed first as teachers who utilize effective teaching strategies, striving towards having expert knowledge in their discipline. Effective planning, instructional skills, and the ability to set expectations, motivate, and discipline student-athletes are essential components of being a successful coach.

The primary responsibility of a lifeguard is to prevent drowning and other injuries from occurring in the aquatic facilities. Candidates must be able to ensure the safety of patrons by minimizing or eliminating hazardous situations or behaviors. This person will need to be able to solve on-the-job issues by utilizing effective critical thinking and decision-making skills and possess the ability to work with diverse populations. Lifeguards must be able to enforce pool policies and be able to communicate effectively why policies are in place.

• Current Red Cross Lifeguard Certification Required
• Current CPR/ First Aid/AED Certifications Required
• Must be available to work a minimum of 10-15 hours per week
• Previous lifeguarding experience 

• Ability to react to emergency situations by quick movements, strenuous activity, and on occasion assist or lift persons in distress of varying weights
• Required to remain alert to dangerous situations while sitting, standing, or walking for various lengths of time

• Recognize and respond effectively in emergency situations by activating the Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
• Actively guards and scans the pool area at all times; refrains from socializing while guarding
• Communicate and enforce all pool policies and rules in a personable and professional manner.
• Dress and appearance are consistent with Riverdale standards including wearing your swimsuit, lifeguard shirt, whistle, and rescue tube while on duty
• Attend and participate in regular in-service training
• Provide a welcoming environment for all patrons.
• Document any incidents and injuries.
• Maintain a clean and tidy workspace.
• Perform other duties as assigned

• Must act and represent Riverdale in a positive and professional manner
• Maintain a standard of performance on daily tasks
• Maintain communication with other Aquatics Team members and your supervisors
• Communicate clear and concise information to patrons, students, emergency medical service personnel, and police services
• Adhere to all Riverdale guidelines and non negotiable items

• Ability to recognize and respond to emergencies through knowledge and application of lifeguard surveillance and rescue techniques
• Ability to enforce pool policies while providing a high level of customer service to students, faculty/staff, and community members
• Ability to display a positive attitude for all patrons and Riverdale staff
• Ability to prioritize tasks, manage their time, and balance professional and personal commitments
• Arrives prepared and on time for work and consistently demonstrates service excellence
• Able to assess a situation and make an informed decision independently
• Ability to work as a team with other lifeguards, facility staff, and administrators
• Positively promotes Riverdale to peers and patrons and takes the initiative to be involved throughout campus as needed
• Evaluation will be based on self, peer, and supervisory reviews

Hours: 10-15 hours per week

To apply for this position, please click on the red “Apply for this Job” button. Please submit a resume and cover letter.  If there are pronouns we should use in potential future communications, we invite you to share that information with us.  For information about this position and all open positions, please visit the Careers page of Riverdale’s website.

Benefits of Full Time Work at Riverdale Country School

Working at Riverdale Country School is a purposeful and meaningful career choice that comes with many benefits including:  

Transportation: Shuttle service is available to/from the 242nd St / Broadway subway station. Limited stops are also available near transit hubs in Manhattan including the Metro North Harlem Station and subway lines – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, A, B, C, and D. If there is need in the community, we can also run a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway / 246th St bus stop which connects to the #7, #10, and Express Buses to/from Manhattan.

Professional Development: A generous professional-development budget provides for conferences, skills training, and onsite training in areas such as mindfulness, coaching, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Grants and Stipends: All employees are eligible for Frankel Fellow grants, known as “passion grants,” which pay for enrichment activities. More than 120 grants have been made to faculty and staff since the program started in 2014. Stipends are available for coaching, affinity group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips (including global trips!).

Sabbatical:  Full time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.  

To apply for this position, please click on the red “Apply for this Job” button. Please submit a resume and cover letter.  If there are pronouns we should use in potential future communications, we invite you to share that information with us.  For information about this position and all open positions, please visit the Careers page of Riverdale’s website.

Benefits of Full Time Work at Riverdale Country School

Working at Riverdale Country School is a purposeful and meaningful career choice that comes with many benefits including:  

Transportation: Shuttle service is available to/from the 242nd St / Broadway subway station. Limited stops are also available near transit hubs in Manhattan including the Metro North Harlem Station and subway lines – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, A, B, C, and D. If there is need in the community, we can also run a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway / 246th St bus stop which connects to the #7, #10, and Express Buses to/from Manhattan.

Professional Development: A generous professional-development budget provides for conferences, skills training, and onsite training in areas such as mindfulness, coaching, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Grants and Stipends: All employees are eligible for Frankel Fellow grants, known as “passion grants,” which pay for enrichment activities. More than 120 grants have been made to faculty and staff since the program started in 2014. Stipends are available for coaching, affinity group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips (including global trips!).

Sabbatical: Full time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.  

Health Benefits: Riverdale offers and subsidizes health, dental, and vision insurance.  In addition, the school offers a flexible spending account through which employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses.  

Retirement:  Employees are eligible to join our Defined Contribution retirement plan through TIAA.  The school contributes 7% of an employee's annual salary to their retirement account.  

Vacation: Riverdale Country School has a generous time-off policy for staff in addition to vacations afforded by the school calendar.  

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.