Director of Swim Academy

ASPHALT GREEN INC•New York, NY

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Swim Academy serves as the business and operational leader responsible for the performance, growth, and day-to-day execution of Asphalt Green’s learn-to-swim enterprise. This role owns the commercial success of Swim Academy, including earned revenue, enrollment growth, class scheduling, pool utilization, instructor staffing, registration performance, retention, customer experience, and operational systems. The Director is responsible for ensuring Asphalt Green fully maximizes pool inventory, instructional capacity, and commercial opportunities while maintaining a high-quality participant experience aligned with the organization’s mission, safety standards, and service expectations. This role requires a leader who combines business acumen, aquatics knowledge, operational discipline, and strong people leadership. The ideal candidate is analytical, systems-oriented, customer-focused, and experienced in managing a high-volume earned-revenue program, commercial swim school, aquatics operation, or similar service-based business. As a cross-functional leader, the Director partners closely with Aquatics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Customer Experience, Youth Development, and campus-based teams to ensure Swim Academy operates efficiently, consistently, and strategically across all sites. This role complements, and does not duplicate, competitive and team-based aquatics functions led elsewhere within the Aquatics department. This role has responsibility across the Asphalt Green organization and requires regular travel between locations. The position is in-person 4–5 days per week based on operational needs. Portfolio Scope The Director of Swim Academy oversees Asphalt Green’s learn-to-swim business across the Upper East Side and Battery Park City campuses. This role is responsible for Swim Academy enrollment, revenue performance, scheduling infrastructure, instructor staffing models, participant retention, customer experience, and pool-space utilization. This position supervises Swim Academy leadership staff and influences a large part-time instructional workforce across multiple program sessions and seasonal cycles. Key areas of scope include: Multi-site Swim Academy operations across Asphalt Green locations. Annual revenue, enrollment, retention, utilization, and labor targets. Oversight of Swim Academy managers, coordinators, principals, instructors, and instructional leadership staff. Pool-space utilization, class scheduling, staffing models, registration performance, and customer experience. Cross-functional partnership with Aquatics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Customer Experience, Youth Development, and campus leadership. Why This Role Matters Swim Academy is both a mission-driven program and a major earned-revenue operation for Asphalt Green. The Director of Swim Academy ensures that Asphalt Green delivers high-quality learn-to-swim programming while building the systems that support growth, sustainability, customer retention, and strong financial performance. This role directly impacts how effectively Asphalt Green uses pool space, instructional talent, registration systems, scheduling models, and customer engagement strategies. Strong leadership in this role helps expand access to swim instruction, improve participant progression, strengthen customer experience, and support the long-term health of Asphalt Green’s aquatics business. The Director is expected to bring structure, data, accountability, and strategic thinking to a complex operation that depends on strong coordination across teams, locations, schedules, staff, systems, and participant needs. What You’ll Do Business Operations & Revenue Optimization Lead the strategic and day-to-day operation of Asphalt Green’s Swim Academy business across program locations. Drive revenue growth through optimized scheduling, class offerings, pool-space utilization, pricing analysis, registration strategy, and program expansion. Analyze enrollment, retention, waitlist, customer demand, and participation data to guide business decisions. Improve conversion, retention, customer communication, service recovery, and the overall registration experience in partnership with Marketing and Customer Experience. Identify new revenue streams, program enhancements, and operational efficiencies that support sustainable growth. Infrastructure & Operational Leadership Own Swim Academy scheduling infrastructure, operating systems, staffing models, and workflow standards. Ensure lessons, classes, and program offerings are appropriately staffed, scheduled, and aligned with available facility capacity. Develop scalable systems that improve consistency, efficiency, accountability, and participant experience across locations. Collaborate with Operations and Aquatics leadership to maximize facility utilization and align programming priorities across departments. Ensure compliance with aquatics safety protocols, organizational policies, program standards, and operational expectations. Team Leadership & Staff Development Supervise and support Swim Academy managers, coordinators, principals, instructors, and instructional leadership staff. Establish clear expectations, accountability systems, performance standards, and communication norms across the department. Lead or support hiring, onboarding, training, evaluation, coaching, and professional development of Swim Academy staff. Build a customer-focused and performance-oriented team culture centered on operational excellence, safety, service quality, and participant experience. Hold teams accountable for enrollment goals, class quality, schedule execution, staffing consistency, and customer service expectations. Financial Management & Strategic Planning Lead the development and management of Swim Academy budgets, forecasts, revenue targets, and financial performance reporting. Own annual Swim Academy revenue, enrollment, retention, and utilization targets and remain accountable for achieving established performance goals. Monitor revenue performance, labor costs, contribution margins, staffing efficiency, and operational expenses to support strong financial outcomes. Partner with Finance and senior leadership on annual planning, forecasting, pricing, revenue strategy, and long-term business planning. Use data and financial analysis to guide decisions, identify risks, support growth opportunities, and improve operational performance. Data, Systems & Performance Management Establish and maintain systems to track enrollment, utilization, retention, staffing efficiency, revenue performance, and program outcomes. Develop dashboards, reporting structures, and key performance indicators that support accountability and informed decision-making. Use participation, customer, operational, and financial data to evaluate performance and identify growth opportunities. Analyze customer experience and operational workflows to improve service quality, retention, registration performance, and business outcomes. Ensure reporting is consistent, timely, useful, and connected to operational and financial decision-making Strategic Growth & Organizational Collaboration Partner with internal stakeholders to support the long-term strategic growth of Asphalt Green’s aquatics business. Collaborate across departments to align Swim Academy operations with organizational priorities, participant pathways, and campus needs. Support integration and alignment between Swim Academy, AGUA, community programs, and broader aquatics initiatives. Identify opportunities to strengthen participant progression, retention, and long-term engagement within the aquatics ecosystem. Represent Swim Academy as a key business and operational function within the broader Asphalt Green organization What Success Looks Like Success in this role means Swim Academy operates as a strong, well-managed, revenue-generating, mission-aligned business within Asphalt Green’s Aquatics department. A successful Director of Swim Academy will: Increase enrollment, retention, utilization, and earned revenue through thoughtful business planning and strong execution. Improve scheduling systems, staffing models, pool-space usage, and operational workflows. Build clear performance dashboards and reporting tools that support better decision-making. Strengthen customer experience, communication, registration performance, and participant retention. Develop a high-performing team culture built on accountability, service quality, safety, and operational excellence. Partner effectively across Aquatics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Customer Experience, Youth Development, and campus leadership Who You’ll Work With The Director of Swim Academy works closely with the Senior Director of Aquatics, Swim Academy managers, coordinators, principals, instructors, instructional leadership staff, and broader Aquatics team members. This role also partners regularly with Finance, Marketing, Operations, Customer Experience, Youth Development, campus leadership, registration support teams, and other departments connected to enrollment, scheduling, participant experience, facility use, and program growth. The Director will also interact with participants, families, members, and customers whose experience with Swim Academy directly shapes program retention, satisfaction, and long-term engagement with Asphalt Green.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
At least 5 years of leadership or operational management experience in aquatics, youth sports, fitness, recreation, commercial swim school operations, or a related service-based business.
Experience managing earned-revenue programs, commercial operations, customer-facing services, or large-scale program operations.
Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgets, revenue targets, labor models, forecasting, operational expenses, and performance metrics.
Experience overseeing scheduling systems, staffing logistics, program capacity, and operational infrastructure in a multi-program or multi-site environment.
Familiarity with swim lesson operations, aquatics programming, aquatic facility management, or learn-to-swim business models.
Experience using data to evaluate performance, improve efficiency, increase retention, and support business growth.
Strong leadership skills with experience supervising managers, coordinators, instructors, or front-line teams.
Strong organizational, communication, relationship-management, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work cross-functionally with senior leaders, department partners, campus teams, and customer-facing staff.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Sports Management, Business Administration, Recreation Management, Nonprofit Management, or a related field.
Experience in a high-volume commercial swim school or multi-site learn-to-swim business.
Experience with Salesforce, registration platforms, scheduling systems, dashboards, or business intelligence tools.
Experience managing pricing analysis, customer conversion, waitlist management, customer lifetime value, or retention strategy.
Experience supporting participant progression across swim lessons, competitive pathways, community programs, or broader aquatics programming.
Experience leading operational change, process improvement, system implementation, or business growth initiatives.
Additional aquatics, recreation, fitness, business, or operations-related certifications.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic and day-to-day operation of Asphalt Green’s Swim Academy business across program locations.
Drive revenue growth through optimized scheduling, class offerings, pool-space utilization, pricing analysis, registration strategy, and program expansion.
Analyze enrollment, retention, waitlist, customer demand, and participation data to guide business decisions.
Improve conversion, retention, customer communication, service recovery, and the overall registration experience in partnership with Marketing and Customer Experience.
Identify new revenue streams, program enhancements, and operational efficiencies that support sustainable growth.
Own Swim Academy scheduling infrastructure, operating systems, staffing models, and workflow standards.
Ensure lessons, classes, and program offerings are appropriately staffed, scheduled, and aligned with available facility capacity.
Develop scalable systems that improve consistency, efficiency, accountability, and participant experience across locations.
Collaborate with Operations and Aquatics leadership to maximize facility utilization and align programming priorities across departments.
Ensure compliance with aquatics safety protocols, organizational policies, program standards, and operational expectations.
Supervise and support Swim Academy managers, coordinators, principals, instructors, and instructional leadership staff.
Establish clear expectations, accountability systems, performance standards, and communication norms across the department.
Lead or support hiring, onboarding, training, evaluation, coaching, and professional development of Swim Academy staff.
Build a customer-focused and performance-oriented team culture centered on operational excellence, safety, service quality, and participant experience.
Hold teams accountable for enrollment goals, class quality, schedule execution, staffing consistency, and customer service expectations.
Lead the development and management of Swim Academy budgets, forecasts, revenue targets, and financial performance reporting.
Own annual Swim Academy revenue, enrollment, retention, and utilization targets and remain accountable for achieving established performance goals.
Monitor revenue performance, labor costs, contribution margins, staffing efficiency, and operational expenses to support strong financial outcomes.
Partner with Finance and senior leadership on annual planning, forecasting, pricing, revenue strategy, and long-term business planning.
Use data and financial analysis to guide decisions, identify risks, support growth opportunities, and improve operational performance.
Establish and maintain systems to track enrollment, utilization, retention, staffing efficiency, revenue performance, and program outcomes.
Develop dashboards, reporting structures, and key performance indicators that support accountability and informed decision-making.
Use participation, customer, operational, and financial data to evaluate performance and identify growth opportunities.
Analyze customer experience and operational workflows to improve service quality, retention, registration performance, and business outcomes.
Ensure reporting is consistent, timely, useful, and connected to operational and financial decision-making.
Partner with internal stakeholders to support the long-term strategic growth of Asphalt Green’s aquatics business.
Collaborate across departments to align Swim Academy operations with organizational priorities, participant pathways, and campus needs.
Support integration and alignment between Swim Academy, AGUA, community programs, and broader aquatics initiatives.
Identify opportunities to strengthen participant progression, retention, and long-term engagement within the aquatics ecosystem.
Represent Swim Academy as a key business and operational function within the broader Asphalt Green organization.