Coach Across America Coach

Job Description

Job Description

ABOUT COACH ACROSS AMERICA

Founded in 2010, Coach Across America is a national nonprofit organization focused on the power of coaches to transform the lives of our nation’s most vulnerable youth, and the communities they live in, through sports. Coach Across America is based on a simple premise: That highly trained coaches can be among the most transformative adults in young people’s lives and inspire their success on the field, in the classroom, and in life.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Youth Sports Coach & Mentor will serve primarily through direct sports-based youth development, mentoring, and leadership programming with teenage and elementary-aged youth in Baltimore City. The Coach will use sports as a platform to help young people develop communication, teamwork, discipline, confidence, resilience, leadership, and healthy decision-making while building meaningful relationships with caring adults.

The Coach will plan, set up, lead, and assist with sports practices, skills-development sessions, fitness activities, games, mentoring, and character and leadership activities. The Coach will also help develop teenage participants as youth coaches by preparing them to lead younger children, teaching coaching and communication skills, observing their coaching, and providing feedback and encouragement.

A major responsibility of this position will be helping 10:12 Sports design and pilot an elementary-aged youth sports outreach initiative in Sandtown/West Baltimore. The Coach will help develop age-appropriate sports activities, serve directly with elementary-aged participants, support programming at neighborhood schools and community sites, prepare teen coaches to serve younger youth, coordinate equipment and activity plans, gather participant feedback and program information, and help evaluate and improve the pilot.

The Coach will also support the expansion and strengthening of existing 10:12 Sports programs, including football, basketball, year-round mentoring, summer programming, youth leadership activities, and school- and community-based sports opportunities.

KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as a coach and mentor for teenage and elementary-aged youth in Baltimore City.
• Plan, set up, lead, and assist with sports practices, skills-development sessions, fitness activities, games, and youth development activities.
• Build consistent and positive mentoring relationships with youth participants.
• Use sports to reinforce teamwork, communication, discipline, perseverance, responsibility, leadership, and healthy decision-making.
• Help develop teenage participants as youth coaches by preparing them to lead younger children.
• Teach teen participants coaching, communication, leadership, and teamwork skills.
• Observe teen coaches and provide constructive feedback and encouragement.
• Help design and pilot an elementary-aged youth sports outreach initiative in Sandtown/West Baltimore.
• Develop and facilitate age-appropriate sports activities for elementary-aged participants.
• Support programming at neighborhood schools and community sites.
• Assist with program equipment, activity planning, and program logistics.
• Gather participant feedback and program information to help evaluate and improve programming.
• Support existing 10:12 Sports programs, including football, basketball, year-round mentoring, summer programming, youth leadership activities, and school- and community-based sports opportunities.
• Communicate effectively with youth, families, staff, volunteer coaches, schools, and community partners.
• Complete required attendance, program evaluation, service-hour documentation, and Coach Across America/AmeriCorps reporting related to youth-development responsibilities.
• Participate in required trainings, team meetings, coaching, and professional development opportunities.
• Other duties as determined by your supervisor.

ANTICIPATED COACH SCHEDULE

September–May

• 35–40 hours per week, generally Monday–Friday, 11:00 AM–7:00 PM.
• Thursday evening programming.
• Approximately 1–2 Saturdays per month.
• Schedule may vary based on seasonal sports programs, school partnerships, special youth activities, and community events.

June–August

• 35–40 hours per week, generally Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
• Saturday sports programming during portions of the summer.
• Schedule may vary based on summer programming and community activities.

The Coach should expect some evening and weekend service throughout the year. Commuting time between home and the initial or final service location will not be counted as AmeriCorps service hours.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must meet all eligibility requirements for the Coach Across America/AmeriCorps program.
• Must be able to successfully complete the required 1,700-hour full-time service term.
• Strong interest in mentoring, coaching, and developing young people through sports.
• Ability to build appropriate and consistent relationships with teenage and elementary-aged youth.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with youth, families, staff, volunteer coaches, schools, and community partners.
• Reliable, mature, professional, and able to demonstrate integrity and good judgment.
• Willingness to receive feedback and participate in ongoing coaching and training.
• Comfortable leading or assisting sports practices, games, clinics, mentoring activities, and youth leadership programming.
• Previous experience in coaching, mentoring, teaching, camps, recreation, athletics, or youth development is preferred but not required.
• Ability to serve a flexible schedule averaging approximately 35–40 hours per week, including afternoons, evenings, and periodic Saturdays/weekends.
• Ability to pass all required background checks and complete all required training and service-term requirements.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, medical condition, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law.