Head Diving Coach

Description

Job Classification:  Seasonal

Reports to:    Director of Swimming & Diving 

Department:   Athletics 

Summary

The Head Diving coach will create and sustain a vision that embodies the purpose and the goals of athletics at Mercersburg. The primary focus for every coach at Mercersburg is to provide a transformative experience for every participant in their program, regardless of level of play or area of contribution. The Diving coach is responsible for managing daily operations and other program-related duties. 

The Head Diving coach manages a diving program that collaborates with the Director of Swimming and Diving and other athletic staff to ensure a cohesive and successful aquatics program. The Head Diving coach is highly active in admission recruiting for the school, works with families on college recruiting opportunities, and engages in clinics, camps, and conferences in the off-season. 

Responsibilities and Duties

The Head Diving Coach is responsible for leading the girls and boys’ diving program and mentoring student-athletes in athletic and personal development. This role requires a passion for diving and the ability to create a positive and inclusive team culture that fosters growth and success. 

Leadership 

• Establish a vision for the program and demonstrate a commitment to the mission and the purpose of the program. Communicate and embody the competitive and cooperative nature of athletics, the need for teaching and learning, and the drive for achievement and improvement. 
• Effectively set and communicate short, intermediate, and long-term goals and execute action steps with the coaching staff and team(s). 
• Create and maintain an atmosphere of trust and respect for, and between, athletes and coaches through demonstration and application of integrity and high ideals in the sport and in relationships with athletes and coaches.
• Exercise self-control and sound judgment when engaged with staff and athletes during practices and competitive events, as well as beyond the athletic venue. 
• Consistently apply and strongly adhere to the rules of competition relative to the sport and a respectful approach to both victory and defeat.

 Organization and Instruction 

• Prepare and execute practices, contests, and other components of team operations effectively and efficiently. 
• Demonstrate proficient technical knowledge and strategies. Effectively convey these skills in teaching and guiding athletes of all abilities in the sport. 

Community 

• Promote and support all athletic teams. Emphasize, encourage, and recognize academic endeavors and other areas of school life beyond the athletic sphere. 
• Explore and encourage participation by athletes and coaches in charitable and community oriented activities. 

Administrative/Program Management 

• Adhere to athletic department philosophy, policies, guidelines, and calendar items. 
• Work with the athletic leadership to effectively administer and monitor team operations, including preseason preparations and post-season assessments, coaching assignments, scheduling, team travel, and team inventory maintenance. 

 Admission 

Independent schools rely on an admission process for enrollment, an exercise that involves all faculty to some extent and specifically involves athletic coaches in many instances. The basic expectations of head coaches are: 

• Participate in Admission Open Houses and Revisit Days. 
• Respond to inquiries from prospective students who express interest in the coach’s sport. 
• Respond to inquiries from prospective students who are referred to the coach by the admission office. 
• Meet prospective students who visit campus (outside of open house and revisit days) or arrange for assistant coaches to contact and/or meet with prospective students, when needed. 
• Communicate on a regular basis with admission officers during the admission process regarding prospective students. 
• Coaches are encouraged to initiate interest in the school and their sport by also cultivating appropriate relationships with college coaches, youth clubs and organizations, and other connections that can result in admission inquiries and applications. Any outreach is guided by 
• school admission parameters and Mid-Atlantic Prep League recruiting rules. 

Sports Communication 

• Facilitate submission of contest results to designated media outlets. 
• Submit cumulative and individual statistics to the athletic department for archiving at the end of each season. 

Coaching Development, Advancement, and Training 

• Engage in sport specific associations, attend clinics/conferences, and embrace opportunities that bring development in coaching methods, strategies, and approaches beyond workshops and seminars provided by the school. Head coaches should engage in these extended advancement opportunities at least once each two years. 

Note: All coaches complete mandated courses relative to athlete health and safety on a consistent basis, as directed by the Department of Athletics, in concurrence with applicable state and national rules and laws. 

 College Recruiting 

• Provide appropriate and accurate guidance to athletes who desire to compete on the collegiate level. This involves knowledge of opportunities and NCAA rules, coordinating recruiting video production, communicating with college coaches, and generally being active in the advising process for athletes and their families. 

Reflection and Review 

• All coaches engage in reflection and provide feedback about their experience and their contributions to the program after each season. Coaches also receive feedback from athletic leadership and from student-athlete surveys. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Mentoring student-athletes in athletic and personal development.
• Demonstrates  integrity and sound judgment at all times.
• Ability to establish and execute a cohesive program vision by setting and communicating goals.
• Ability to foster a positive and inclusive team culture.
• A disciplined, results-oriented, self-starter, demonstrating initiative and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Outstanding listening, analytical skills and strong interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.

Physical Demands

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

• Environment: Work is performed in both indoor and outdoor environments with exposure to all weather.
• Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to sit, walk or stand for prolonged periods of time; in some aspects of the job the requirement to balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, may be required; will use repetitive motions on a computer; may frequently lift up 20 lbs. or up to 10 pounds constantly and occasionally up to 50 lbs.; to travel in all modes of transportation; sufficient manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination to grasp, finger, and feel. 
• Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction.
• Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction. 

This description is intended to provide a general scope of the position. This job description may include other duties as assigned by the manager.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience at competing  and coaching on the high school level-junior varsity, varsity, or both, as a minimum
• Previous experience in coaching diving  is required
• Competing and/or coaching at the collegiate level is preferred
• The energy and ability to travel regularly.  Flexibility to work weekends, early mornings and evenings for athletic events
• Computer literacy (Google Workspace, internet, e-mail, scheduling, and database software programs.)
• Valid driver’s license
• Ability to drive a 9-passenger van