Assistant General Manager - Aquatics & Team Leadership

Aqua-Tots Swim School - Hamburg / Lexington, KY

Full-Time | $42,000-$45,000/year | 75% Employer-Paid Health Insurance | PTO Paid Closures | Paid Training | Growth PathFamily-Owned Business | Real Flexibility | Paid Holiday Closures | Extended Winter Break | Career Growth

A Different Kind of Leadership Role

We are a family-owned small business, and we try to lead our team the way we would want someone to lead our own family members.

This is a full-time leadership role that comes with a level of flexibility that is hard to find in retail, hospitality, childcare, fitness, or many other service-based businesses.

We believe our leaders should be able to build a career without missing out on life. Doctor appointments, kids’ school events, family needs, and important personal commitments are part of life - and we do our best to work around them whenever possible.

You will work hard here, especially during our busy season, but you will also have meaningful time away from work to recharge and be present for the people and moments that matter.

About The Role

Aqua-Tots Swim School in Hamburg is hiring an Assistant General Manager - Aquatics & Team Leadership to help lead our school, develop our aquatic team, and create an excellent experience for families.

This role reports to the General Manager and serves as the primary leader for the aquatic team. All aquatic staff report to the AGM, and the AGM is often the Manager on Duty when the GM is not in the building.

At Aqua-Tots, we do more than teach swim lessons. We help save lives, build confidence in children, support families, and develop young leaders. Our school is both a swim school and a leadership development environment - for our students, families, and staff.

Who This Role Is Great For

You may be a great fit if you are organized, confident, outgoing, and energized by helping others grow.

This role could be ideal for someone with experience in swim schools, aquatics, coaching, childcare, youth programs, fitness, recreation, hospitality, retail management, or customer service leadership.

Aquatics experience is preferred, but we are open to the right leader. We can train a strong leader to become an Aqua-Tots expert, or help an experienced aquatics professional grow into a stronger manager.

If you are the person your team naturally turns to for help, clarity, encouragement, and accountability, we would love to meet you.

What You Will Do

Lead the Aquatic Team

• Lead, coach, train, and develop swim instructors and aquatic staff
• Evaluate lesson quality and help instructors improve
• Maintain high standards for safety, curriculum, consistency, and customer experience
• Help identify students who are stuck, at risk, or need additional support in their swim journey
• Lead aquatic staff meetings, trainings, and development conversations
• Plan and facilitate monthly in-service trainings to align the team on curriculum updates, service standards, safety expectations, and school priorities
  
  

Support School Leadership

• Serve as Manager on Duty when needed
• Help recruit, interview, onboard, and retain team members
• Support staff scheduling, shift coverage, communication, and accountability
• Partner with the General Manager and ownership team to keep the school running smoothly
• Help create a positive, energetic, team-first culture
  
  

Deliver a Great Family Experience

• Build relationships with families and students
• Help families understand their child’s progress and next steps
• Support customer retention through strong communication and problem-solving
• Support sales efforts and help the school achieve revenue goals by educating families, converting trial lessons, and promoting the right program options for each child
• Assist with service concerns in a professional, helpful way
  
  

Keep the Facility Running Well

• Help maintain a clean, safe, organized, and professional facility
• Support daily operations, safety checks, and Aqua-Tots brand standards
• Help ensure the pool, pump room, lobby, changing areas, and lesson environment are ready for families and staff
  
  

What the Job Looks Like

This is a hands-on leadership role. A typical breakdown of the role is approximately:

• 25% swim lesson teaching, training, and evaluation
• 50% leadership, administration, recruiting, onboarding, sales support, team training, supervision, and shift leadership
• 25% facility, operations, safety, and school support
  
  

The AGM teaches at least one swim lesson shift per week. This allows the aquatic leader to stay sharp, understand the lesson experience, support instructors, and maintain high lesson standards.

Schedule, Flexibility & Time Away From Work

This is a full-time leadership role with seasonal rhythm and real flexibility. We are a retail/service business, so evenings and weekends are part of the role, but we work hard to make the schedule predictable and family-friendly.

• Typically 40 hours per week; during our busiest season, April through August, hours may occasionally range from 40-50 hours per week
• Set seasonal schedules for fall, spring, and summer
• At least one weekend day and two closing shifts per week are required
• Weekend shifts are more family-friendly than many retail roles - our weekend days typically end by early afternoon
• Flexibility is needed to help cover shifts and make sure swim lessons run smoothly
• We do not require PTO for normal appointments, family needs, school events, or similar life moments when they can reasonably be worked around the schedule
  
  

Our goal is simple: we want our leaders to build a meaningful career here without feeling like they have to miss every important event in their life.

Flexibility, Time Off & Benefits

• $42,000-$45,000 salary range, depending on experience and fit
• Promotional sales contest bonus opportunities
• 75% of employee health insurance premium paid by employer
• Access to dental, vision, accident, and other voluntary benefits
• 10 days of PTO to start
• Paid major holidays
• Multiple paid school closure days throughout the year
• Extended paid winter closure around Christmas and New Year’s
• Multi-day closures around Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day
• Paid initial training at Aqua-Tots Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona
• Growth path into future General Manager and multi-school leadership opportunities
  
  

Training & Support

You will not be thrown into this role alone. Initial training and support include:

• Paid training at Aqua-Tots Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona for approximately 2-3 weeks
• Continued hands-on training at the Hamburg school
• Support from the owner, General Manager, other school leaders, and Aqua-Tots HQ
• Access to Aqua-Tots’ digital training library and ongoing professional development resources
  
  

Qualifications

Required

• Previous leadership, management, coaching, aquatics, childcare, fitness, hospitality, retail, or customer service experience
• Strong communication skills and comfort speaking in front of a group
• Comfort supporting sales goals, customer retention, and revenue-focused conversations with families
• Ability to lead, coach, and hold a team accountable
• Reliable transportation
• Eligible to work in the United States
• Ability to work one weekend day and two closing shifts per week
• Willingness to teach in the water and become fully trained in the Aqua-Tots curriculum
  
  

Preferred

• Swim school or aquatics experience
• Experience managing or training a team
• Experience working with children and families
• Sales, customer retention, or customer service leadership experience
  
  

A Note to Candidates

Research shows some candidates only apply when they feel they meet every qualification. If this role sounds exciting and you believe you could lead, learn, and grow with our team, we encourage you to apply. The right person will bring strong communication, confidence, organization, and a heart for developing people. We can train the Aqua-Tots systems and curriculum.

Aqua-Tots Swim School is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualified candidates of all backgrounds who are excited to serve families, lead a team, and help children become safer and more confident in the water.

Why Aqua-Tots?

This is not a typical management job. At Aqua-Tots, you will help lead a team that teaches children a life-saving skill. You will develop staff members, build relationships with families, improve lesson quality, and help create a school environment that is safe, fun, professional, and full of purpose.

If you want a leadership role where you can grow your career, lead a team, make a real difference, and still have an employer who wants you to be present for your life outside of work, this could be the right fit.

Apply today to join Aqua-Tots Swim School in Hamburg as our Assistant General Manager - Aquatics & Team Leadership

For questions and inquiries please contact our talent acquisition team at JoinThayersTots@aqua-tots.com

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