Competitive Gymnastics Head Coach - La Jolla (McKinney)

YMCA of San Diego County•San Diego, CA

22h•$30 - $36

About The Position

The Competitive Gymnastics Head Coach oversees the branch’s competitive team gymnastics program, with a focus on competitive excellence, athlete development, long-term commitment, and team culture. The role leads, develops, implements, and evaluates training plans; mentors and supervises coaches; and manages program safety and administration. This position coaches the artistic competitive team, including Pre Team and Xcel Bronze. The schedule is Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00–6:30 p.m., with weekend competitions and preparation time. The coach leads the program’s strategy, training and competition preparation, team development, coach performance and mentoring, athlete assessment, parent and staff communication, safety protocols, and USAG-related registration and meet operations. The position serves as meet director for USAG meets and events. The incumbent has full staff supervisory responsibility, including hiring, training, performance evaluation, and discipline of direct reports. Staff supervised include Head Gymnastics Coaches and Team Gymnastics Coaches. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must be fingerprinted before reporting to work, with subsequent arrest notifications required. The YMCA considers qualified applicants with criminal histories under applicable fair-chance laws.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
At least 10 years of gymnastics experience.
At least 5 years as a professional-level competitive team coach across all USAG levels.
At least 2 years in a leadership or head coach position in an upper-level competitive gymnastics setting.
Must be at least 18 years old.
Must be fingerprinted before reporting to work and comply with subsequent arrest notification requirements.
CPR/AED and First Aid certification covering adults and children/infants, obtained within 30 days of hire and issued by the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or American Safety & Health Institute.
Advanced, hands-on career-level competitive coaching experience and demonstrated achievement of high professional standards.
Comprehensive knowledge of gymnastics techniques and ability to design progressive training drills and provide precise spotting across levels.
Leadership, organization, program planning and execution, and team-management skills.
Ability to inspect equipment, identify hazards, and implement preventive safety measures.
Knowledge of local, state, regional, and national gymnastics competition structures.
Expert knowledge of gymnastics technical skills, choreography, equipment use, and safety.
Professional-level competitive team management experience and a track record coaching successful gymnasts or teams; experience participating as a competitive gymnastics judge.
Understanding of child development and ability to adapt coaching methods to different age groups and skill levels.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills to provide clear instruction and feedback and engage with gymnasts, parents, and staff.
Problem-solving skills to address safety and performance issues and conflicts among team members.
Patience and dedication to developing athletes over time.
Visual and auditory ability to monitor team safety and respond quickly to critical incidents.
Ability to provide excellent customer service and maintain a professional, positive environment for gymnasts, YMCA members, coworkers, and the public.

Responsibilities

Lead all aspects of the assigned branch’s competitive team gymnastics strategy, including organizing, preparing, and implementing progressive lesson plans focused on skill advancement and mastery, choreography, team dynamics, competition readiness, commitment, and safety.
Develop and implement guidelines to help aspiring gymnasts, teams, and families understand program levels, progression, and requirements.
Build and maintain a supportive team culture, foster long-term commitment, prevent and resolve conflicts, support teams as they progress through competitive levels, and align schedules with participants’ commitments and aspirations.
Oversee daily training sessions at the Gymnastics Center and provide coaches with feedback and guidance.
Review coach performance and develop mentoring and action plans to support program strategies and safety plans.
Prepare teams for local, state, regional, and national competitions, including physical and mental readiness, routines, conditioning, injury prevention, mock competitions, logistics, registration, travel and accommodations when needed, uniforms and equipment, parent or guardian communication, emergency planning, and team coordination.
Lead head and team coaches in creating daily training routines that use gymnasts’ strengths, help them manage competition pressure, and encourage positive training and competition experiences.
Assess gymnasts and teams for appropriate training levels based on skill proficiency, physical readiness, mental preparedness, time commitment, and long-term goals.
Communicate program expectations, responsibilities, and individual and team progress to parents and gymnastics participants.
Develop gymnastics safety and maintenance protocols, ensure compliance, and take necessary immediate action during critical incidents at training sessions or competitions.
Maintain correspondence with USAG regarding coach and athlete memberships and registration.
Organize and host USAG gymnastics meets and serve as meet director for USAG meets and events.
Supervise staff, including hiring, training, performance evaluation, and discipline of direct reports.