Youth Development Specialist, Sports Academy - $60,000/year USD

This position centers on coaching student-athletes who require guidance and accountability — not traditional instruction. There are no lesson plans to write, no grades to assign, and no content to deliver. What matters here is building trust, establishing accountability, and helping individuals surpass their own expectations.

Texas Sports Academy operates a virtual program in which student-athletes progress through self-directed academic applications while simultaneously developing life skills and athletic capabilities. Your cohort will participate in virtual one-on-one and small-group sessions with you weekly. You will help them set priorities, maintain accountability, and identify disengagement early. The effectiveness of your sessions depends entirely on your presence and ability to build trust — not on the material displayed on screen.

The work consists of three core components: coaching sessions that maintain student momentum, proactive intervention when progress data reveals a gap, and structured virtual workshops focused on mindset and life skills. This is a fully remote position based in Texas, requiring quarterly in-person attendance at events in Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio.

If you have experience coaching or mentoring students or athletes and found the most rewarding moments came from watching someone break through a self-imposed barrier, submit your application now.

What You Will Be Doing

• Facilitating virtual one-on-one and small-group coaching sessions to help student-athletes clarify priorities, maintain accountability, and sustain high engagement
• Reviewing progress data from learning platforms to detect disengagement or performance gaps before they escalate
• Taking direct action when a student begins to fall behind — modifying your approach, restoring momentum, and facilitating recovery
• Facilitating structured virtual workshops focused on mindset, life skills, and personal development, with active student participation as the key success metric
• Establishing trust with each student-athlete so that accountability conversations are received as supportive rather than punitive
  
  

What You Won’t Be Doing

• Teaching curriculum or providing academic instruction — students advance through self-directed apps; your role is to drive engagement and ensure follow-through
• Assigning grades, creating lesson plans, or managing course structures
• Waiting for students to self-report issues — you will monitor data and intervene proactively
• Conducting passive sessions where students attend but do not actively participate
  
  

Youth Development Specialist Key Responsibilities

Maintain engagement, academic progress, and life skills development among virtual student-athletes, preparing them for success beyond the classroom.

Basic Requirements

• You have experience coaching or mentoring students or athletes — either paid or volunteer
• You have facilitated group sessions for students or athletes for a minimum of 6 months
• You have worked in a role requiring goal-setting and outcome tracking — and can provide measurable results (completion rates, performance improvements, or equivalent metrics)
• You are proficient in running virtual sessions via Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams, and have experience using a spreadsheet, LMS, or comparable tool to monitor participant progress
• You have used an AI tool — Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, or similar — at least once and can describe the context
• You are located in Texas and able to attend one in-person event per quarter in Austin, Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio
• You are authorized to work in the US without requiring visa sponsorship
  
  

Nice-to-have Requirements

• Familiarity with learning management systems (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, or similar) or tools for tracking academic progress
• Ability to adjust your coaching style based on different motivation profiles — recognizing when to apply pressure, when to ease off, and when to simply listen
  
  

About Sports Academy

Texas Sports Academy is Where Future Champions Excel in Academics and Athletics

Traditional schools force student-athletes to choose between excelling in academics or committing to their sport. Texas Sports Academy eliminates that tradeoff.

Their innovative K-8 model, based in Austin, TX, uses AI-driven learning to accelerate academics, allowing students to master core subjects in just two hours a day.

The rest of their day is dedicated to athletic training, skill-building, and personal development - so students excel in both their studies and their sport.

By integrating advanced educational technology with structured sports training, they provide a unique learning experience that builds discipline, leadership, and resilience.

It's academics and athletics in perfect sync.

There is so much to cover for this exciting role, and space here is limited. Hit the Apply button if you found this interesting and want to learn more. We look forward to meeting you!

Working with us

This is a full-time (40 hours per week), long-term position. The position is immediately available and requires entering into an independent contractor agreement with Crossover as a Contractor of Record. The compensation level for this role is $30 USD/hour, which equates to $60,000 USD/year assuming 40 hours per week and 50 weeks per year. The payment period is weekly. Consult www.crossover.com/help-and-faqs for more details on this topic.

Crossover Job Code: LJ-5776-US-Plano-YouthDevelopme