ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:

Join a team that is passionately committed to a vision for Knoxville’s youth that ensures every child in every neighborhood has the opportunity for a full life. (John 10:10) Supporting this vision, Emerald Youth Foundation, a Christian organization, is engaging 3,000 youth and their families with faith, learning, and health related programs and initiatives. Emerald Charter Schools, a K-8 Knox County public school, was launched by Emerald Youth and remains a partner organization.

BENEFITS:

• Medical, Dental, Life, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability insurance paid 100% for employee.
• Voluntary benefits available for family members
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Holidays

JOB TITLE: Gym Sports Ministry Director

REPORTS TO: Director of Sports Ministry

STATUS: Full-Time Exempt

JOB SUMMARY: The Gym Sports Director develops, plans, and manages, city-wide, competitive urban middle schools’ gym sports programs for Emerald Youth Foundation including but not limited to basketball and volleyball. The director serves as the face and voice of the gym sports program organizing programming and upholding quality of the offerings and is the liaison for the urban FCA ministry in EY gym sports, to help enable a strategy for day-to-day gym sports programming that helps young people become *comprehensively engaged, achieve critical youth development outcomes, and achieve life-long spiritual and physical life-styles.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

• Manage volleyball, basketball, and other gym sports leagues, camps, clinics, tournaments, tryouts, training, and special events for middle school, city-wide and competitive gym sports.
• Coordinate neighborhood gym sports structure and communicate with neighborhood Sports & Recreation Directors. Schedule and host playoff games. Visit teams and work with coaches on appropriate skills development training. Recommend players to recruit for Club teams.
• Coordinate middle school leagues and communicate with neighborhood Sports & Recreation Directors. Organize and run season and tournament play. Recommend players to recruit for Club teams.
• Organize, recruit players and coaches, select teams, and manage competitive seasons and teams. Hold parent meetings. Schedule practices. Visit teams and work with coaches on appropriate skills development training. Travel with teams and coaches to tournaments when possible.
• Ensure referees, clock operators, scorekeepers, etc. for middle school and competitive games/activities are secured.
• Ensure target numbers of youth and young adults are relationally and comprehensively engaged using gym sports offered by Emerald Youth or partnering organizations, while valuing and upholding Emerald sports philosophy.
• Develop and implement a recruitment system for gym sports programs that will help identify, recruit, engage, support, and retain neighborhood youth and young adults to participate in the Emerald Youth middle school, neighborhood, and competitive gym sports programs. Connect uninvolved participants to neighborhood programs, as needed.
• Develop relationships that lead to family engagement with Emerald Youth Foundation.
• Ensure constraints or leakage are identified that could keep children, youth and young adults from being comprehensively engaged or meeting outcomes. Seek solutions working collaboratively with others to attempt and resolve issues so youth can move forward in ministry initiatives.
• Work closely with human resources in the selection process of new team members. Recruit, communicate, and engage relationally with core volunteers, coaches, and AmeriCorps team members and ensure staff does the same. Ensure candidates are screened through human resources and volunteers are entered into the volunteer database. Create a culture for securing support from indigenous population in both volunteering and employment, and manage HR people systems in area.
• Work with team to develop objective performance measurements across gym sports ministry initiatives to ensure consistent high-quality performance is met and development opportunities are recognized and addressed. Train team in areas as needed and serve in training role through Emerald University or during sports trainings as needed. Instill and encourage spiritual disciplines for all team members and help the team to grow and become better through high standards, discipleship, and modeling the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• Ensure that gym sports programs maintain sound fiscal management by ensuring compliance with organizational policies and procedures; and developing and maintaining sports related budgets for assigned area and ensure budget compliance with direct reports that have spending authority. Submit budget recommendations as required. Responsible for and working with identified team members to ensure assigned revenue is generated through sports programs; including tournaments, fees, and camps.
• Ensure team tracks and reports data as required, provide measurements as needed, and creates and analyzes reports to create improvement plans.
• Coordinate with communications team to confirm standardization branding between all sports is cohesive and compliant with organizational standards. Ensure team and uniform branding is prevalent, including FCA where applies. Consult communications team in identifying and developing recruitment materials for participants and coaches.
• Ensure execution of FCA programming is taking place as part of the gym sports ministry.
• Follow, implement, and ensure safety rules, regulations and procedures are followed; ensures gym sports staff, AmeriCorps, and volunteers are trained in safety procedures.
• Participate in area ministry network and organization events and internal and external sports league meetings, including working outside normal schedule as needed. Identify, support, and engage in network activities (i.e. camps, etc.) as needed.

• Maintain a current CDL and drive large vehicles/buses as needed.
• Deliver effective and timely communication and ensure staff does the same.
• Manage any relevant partnerships as assigned by Director of Sports Ministry.

• Manage additional projects and tasks as assigned, and participate with any assigned groups or committees.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Dedicated Christian with clear knowledge of the Gospel and a passion for the mission of Emerald Youth Foundation; connected to a church community; possesses a strong reputation for honesty, integrity, and high moral standards.
• Sports Management or related bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Experience as collegiate athlete preferred.
• 5-10 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Technical/Personal basketball and volleyball experience is a plus.
• Experience working in business or non-profit management strongly preferred.
• Experience managing people.
• Proficient in using technology as a management reporting tool and communication tool.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and business acumen.
• Ability to achieve results under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Good driving record. Ability and willingness to obtain CDL with P endorsement and drive large vehicles/buses.
• Willingness to work extended hours.
• Ability to work efficiently in a collaborative setting.

*Comprehensive engagement = target youth engaged in faith, learning, and health activities.

It is the policy of Emerald Youth Foundation (EYF) to provide employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, or national origin.

Section 702 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that the religious discrimination law will not apply to a religious corporation, association, educational institution or society with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work.