Lifeguard

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Lifeguard  Job Code: 310604

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt; Job Classification: C

Reports to: Aquatics Director Revision Date: 10.2026

The YMCA is a leading non-profit that continues to strengthen communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. As one of the nation’s largest providers of swim lessons, we strive to promote confidence and safety in and around the water. A lifeguard at the YMCA creates a safe and positive atmosphere that welcomes all individuals while promoting and sustaining safe conditions for the pool and surrounding areas in accordance with YMCA policies and procedures. Lifeguards at the YMCA are also expected to present themselves in an exemplary manner while maintaining an upbeat, optimistic, and passionate attitude about the YMCA during their shifts.

Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. In the Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. We are welcoming:  we are open to all. We are a place where you can belong and become. We are genuine:  we value you and embrace your individuality. We are hopeful:  we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world. We are nurturing:  we support you in your journey to develop your full potential. We are determined:  above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger beginning with you.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Maintains active surveillance of the pool area. 
• Knows and reviews all emergency procedures and responds to emergency situations immediately in accordance with YMCA policies, procedures, and the "Safe-in-Six" model; completes related reports as required. 
• Remains calm and objective when under pressure or when challenged by others. 
• Maintains accurate records as required by the YMCA. 
• Performs opening, closing, and cleaning responsibilities. 
• Performs chemical testing as required and takes appropriate action. 
• Provides a high-quality customer service experience to all members, guests, and participants. 
• Attends all mandatory monthly in-service trainings and additional required trainings. 
• May assist in maintaining a safe aquatic environment, including adding pool chemicals as needed and directed. 
• Lifeguard rescue skills must meet YMCA of the USA standards, and all evaluations must successfully meet required expectations. 
• Completes all other duties as assigned. 
• Maintains a minimum attendance rate of 80% for all scheduled shifts and demonstrates reliability and dependability in reporting to work on time. 
• Demonstrates constant attentiveness and remains free from distractions while on duty, including refraining from cell phone use, socializing, reading, or engaging in any activity that detracts from active surveillance responsibilities. 
• Performs roving lifeguard duties during high-volume program times, including swim lessons, aquatic fitness classes, swim team practices, and pool rentals, to ensure adequate supervision and patron safety throughout the facility. 
• Maintains professional conduct and appearance at all times and serves as a positive representative of the YMCA's mission and values. 
• Exhibits sound judgment, maturity, and professionalism when interacting with members, guests, participants, volunteers, and fellow staff. 
• Communicates concerns, incidents, maintenance issues, and safety hazards promptly to supervisors and completes required documentation accurately and timely. 
• Demonstrates strong situational awareness and proactively identifies and addresses unsafe conditions before they become emergencies. 
• Assists with crowd control, lane management, and enforcing pool rules during busy operational periods and special events. 
• Maintains all required certifications and ensures certifications remain current without lapse. 
• Accepts coaching, feedback, and performance evaluations professionally and demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement. 
• Supports fellow staff members and contributes to a culture of teamwork, accountability, and safety. 
• Maintains confidentiality and professionalism when discussing members, participants, and internal YMCA operations. 
• Adheres to all YMCA policies, procedures, dress code requirements, and standards of conduct. 
• Demonstrates flexibility and availability to support varying operational needs, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, special events, and emergency coverage when needed. 
• Ensures all rescue equipment, first aid supplies, and aquatic areas are maintained in a clean, organized, and emergency-ready condition. 
• Serves as an ambassador of safety by consistently modeling proper rescue techniques, professional behavior, and member engagement practices. 
• Actively participates in drills, audits, and safety evaluations and consistently meets or exceeds YMCA and Association performance expectations. 
• Understands that patron safety and active surveillance are the highest priorities and that all other tasks are secondary to maintaining effective lifeguard coverage. 
• Must be able to work in indoor and outdoor aquatic environments and may be exposed to heat, cold, humidity, direct sunlight, wind, rain, changing weather conditions, pool chemicals, and wet or slippery surfaces. 
• Demonstrates exceptional professionalism, attentiveness, and rescue readiness while on stand, recognizing that failure to maintain these standards may result in corrective action up to and including termination of employment.
• This is an in-person job and duties as such cannot be performed remotely.  

Abuse Risk Management for E mployees and volunteers who do not directly supervise youth: 

• Adhere to policies related to boundaries with youth.
• Attend required abuse risk management training. 
• Report suspicious and inappropriate behaviors and policy violations. 
• Follow mandated abuse reporting requirements.
• Adhere to job specific abuse risk management responsibilities. 

• Developing Self & Others
• Engaging Community
• Critical Thinking and Decision Making

• Minimum age of 16
• Obtains current certifications in the following courses: YMCA Lifeguard V6, ASHI Basic Life Support, First Aid and Emergency Oxygen within 60 days of hire.
• Maintains vigilance in entire zone of surveillance that include distress signals in and around the aquatic environment.
• Demonstrates ability to prevent, recognize and respond to swimmers in need of assistance and maintain a duty to act in an emergency.
• Ability to work in a diverse role with different ages groups.
• Ability to model exemplary behavior.

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, either with or without reasonable accommodation.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment.
• The employee must occasionally lift, push, pull and/or move up to 40 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Sufficient strength, agility, and mobility to perform essential functions of position and to supervise program activities.
• Remain alert with no lapses of consciousness.
• Physical ability to act swiftly in an emergency.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee frequently is required to stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, crawl, talk, hear, stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms.

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