Director of Personal Training & Fitness Development

Lakeshore Sport & Fitness•Chicago, IL

About The Position

We're looking for an experienced fitness leader who is ready to build something exceptional. This isn't a traditional Personal Training Manager position. We're looking for someone with significant health club and personal training leadership experience who knows how to grow a thriving fitness business, develop outstanding coaches, create innovative programming, and deliver an exceptional member experience. You'll lead the Personal Training department while collaborating with leaders across our portfolio of clubs and businesses to develop new fitness initiatives, share best practices, and build programs that can scale. If you're entrepreneurial, energized by creating new ideas, and passionate about developing both people and businesses, we'd love to meet you. This is a role for someone who sees opportunity everywhere and has the drive to turn ideas into successful programs.

Requirements

7+ years of leadership experience in personal training, fitness management, or health club operations.
Demonstrated success growing personal training revenue and building high-performing teams.
Significant experience hiring, developing, and mentoring personal trainers.
Strong understanding of personal training business operations, sales strategies, and client retention.
Experience creating successful fitness programming and launching new initiatives.
Proven ability to lead organizational change and inspire teams.
Excellent leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and execute ideas.
Current nationally recognized personal training certification.
Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Business, or related field preferred.

Nice To Haves

Multi-club fitness leadership
Premium health clubs or country clubs
Personal training business development
Fitness programming and product development
Small group training strategy
Weight loss and wellness program development
Budget management and P&L responsibility
Team leadership across multiple locations

Responsibilities

Lead and grow a high-performing Personal Training department with a focus on member results, team development, and business growth.
Recruit, hire, onboard, mentor, and retain exceptional personal trainers.
Build systems that help new trainers quickly develop successful books of business.
Coach trainers in sales, client retention, programming, communication, and career development.
Develop and execute strategies to increase personal training participation, revenue, and member engagement.
Create innovative programming including transformation challenges, weight loss programs, specialty coaching, wellness initiatives, youth fitness, active aging, recovery programs, and seasonal events.
Design and grow small group training programs that deliver exceptional results while expanding revenue opportunities.
Identify emerging fitness trends and bring fresh ideas that keep our clubs innovative and relevant.
Collaborate with leaders across multiple clubs and businesses to develop programming, share best practices, and create scalable fitness initiatives.
Partner with membership, aquatics, group fitness, racquet sports, and other departments to create integrated member experiences.
Analyze department performance using key metrics and continually improve profitability, participation, and member satisfaction.
Help shape the long-term vision for fitness programming throughout the organization.
Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.