Lifeguard

Organization Information:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands (BGCM), an affiliate with Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a comprehensive out-of-school provider designed to support the most vulnerable youth in the Midlands. Our vision is to provide a world-class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle. It is our mission to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, healthy and caring members of society. Safety, Accountability, Positivity, Integrity, Professionalism and Respectfulness are our core values that are embedded in our everyday culture.

Position Summary:
A lifeguard is responsible for the general supervision and safety of patrons of an aquatic facility by preventing and responding to emergencies. Lifeguards are superior swimmers who are able to give advice on water safety to patrons, conduct swift water rescues and control unruly behavior if necessary.

Essential Functions:

• Provide guidance to club members and camp participants in an aquatic environment
• Maintain the necessary skills for your Lifeguard, CPR, AED, and First Aid certification
• Be able to perform weekly in-service skills related to patron and pool safety
• Daily maintenance of the pool
• Clean pool side restrooms on a regular basis throughout the day and at the end of each day
• Check all lifesaving equipment as needed. This is including tube, whistle, first aid kit and pocket mask
• Ensure deep water tests are given and those passed are recorded accordingly
• Conduct an awareness of pool safety before each swim to staff and members/campers
• Be sure that rules are enforced with all pool patrons
• Position camp staff as needed to provide pool supervision

Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Must have current lifeguard certification
• Previous lifeguard/aquatic experience preferred
• Must understand lifeguard standard of protocol
• Must have awareness of what to do and readiness to act in case of an emergency
• Experience working with and demonstrating compassion and/or sensitivity toward vulnerable populations and individuals with diverse backgrounds present in the organization’s service population, both individually and in groups
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with Club staff, Board members, volunteers, community groups, and other related agencies
• Ability to earn and maintain mandatory CPR & First aid certification or obtain prior to working
• Maintain a valid driver’s license and meet eligibility requirements to drive a BGCM vehicle
• Must be able to pass a drug test, criminal and driving records investigation
• The ability to read and write is necessary to complete reports and properly document program and organizational data
• Must have reliable transportation to get to sites or meetings
• Must have regular and reliable attendance

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing client and customer services. This includes customer/client needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction
• English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar
• Psychology — Basic knowledge of human behavior and performance, learning and motivation; Demonstrates an understanding of individual differences in ability, personality, and interests
• Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective organizational security operations for the protection of people, data, property

Skills:

• Active Listening — giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times
• Collaboration – Works cooperatively with members and staff across the organization to achieve shared objectives, impact and outcomes
• Coordination — adjusting actions in relation to others' actions
• Critical Thinking — using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems
• Interpersonal Savvy – ability to build appropriate rapport, establish positive, professional, business communications, and maintain effective working relationships with the Board of Directors, top leadership, team members, volunteers, community groups, and other related agencies; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one; a commitment to data driven decision making
• Learning – A strong commitment to continuous growth and learning; Thorough knowledge of or ability to learn: the mission, objectives, policies, programs and procedures of BGCM
• Maintain Records – Keep accurate and up-to-date records, log, record, itemize, collate, tabulate data
• Management — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself to make improvements
• Patience – Ability to work calmly under pressure; Is tolerant with people and processes; listens and checks before acting; tries to understand the people and the data before making judgements and acting; waits for others to catch up before acting; sensitive to due process and proper pacing; follows established process
• Reading Comprehension — understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do
• Speaking — talking to others to convey information effectively
• Time Management — managing one's own time and the time of others; ability to meet deadlines and prioritize tasks

Abilities:

• Deductive Reasoning — the ability to apply general rules to problems to produce answers that make sense
• Inductive Reasoning — the ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)
• Integrity and Ethics – the ability to act with honesty, integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality
• Oral Expression and Comprehension — the ability to listen to, understand and communicate information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences
• Problem Sensitivity — the ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong; It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem
• Speech Recognition — the ability to identify and understand the speech of another person
• Written Comprehension — the ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing
• Written Expression — the ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand

Competencies:

• Communication skills – Possesses effective communication skills: oral, written, speaking and listening
• Conflict Management – Good listener, committed to finding solution to problems, works well with difficult people
• Decision Making – Able to reach decisions, takes thoughtful approach when considering options, seeks input from others, makes difficult decisions
• Initiative – Takes action, seeks new opportunities, strives to see projects to completion
• Interpersonal Skills – Builds strong relationships, is flexible/adaptable, works well with others, solicits feedback; able to effectively communicate with top leadership, volunteers, and team members in a positive and professional manner
• Planning & Organizing – Displays ability to effectively plan, organize, prioritize and implement applicable tasks or projects in relation to established goals and objectives. Displays precision and attention to detail
• Problem Solving – Strives to understands contributing factors, works to resolve complex situations

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here 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 functions (The phrases “occasionally”, “regularly”, and “frequently” correspond to the following definitions: “occasionally” means up to ? of working time, “regularly” means between ? and ? of working time, and “frequently” means ? and more of working time.).

• Must be able to effectively operate the telephone system and other office equipment
• Must be able to deal with normal levels of stress
• Must be able to regularly sit and stand, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls
• Must possess the mindset of “Up & Active” with youth
• Must be able to frequently talk or hear
• Must be able to occasionally stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, and stoop, squat, kneel, crouch, crawl, pull, push, twist trunk or neck, climb, and grasp or squeeze with right and left hand in completing required tasks or position
• Must be able to regularly lift and/or move 15-25 lbs. and should do so in a sound and safe manner
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
• Must be able to work at special events
• Must have reliable transportation to get to sites or meetings

Working Conditions:

• Workload may fluctuate throughout the year
• Typical club environment: The employee must be able to complete their work satisfactorily in an environment where there are significant distractions including staff, clients, parents, children, volunteers, and vendors walking through and conversing, telephones ringing, conversations carrying over, loud noises, and interruptions to answer questions from others
• Job Performance Expectations:
• Accountability—commitment to youth development and the stewardship of resources
• Integrity and Ethics—honesty, fairness, transparency, and consistency
• Job Knowledge—continuous learning to include all BGCA, Mandated State of Nebraska/Iowa certifications, Grant(s) certifications to remain compliant and progressive
• Quality—continued improvement
• Teamwork—demonstrated solidarity to meaningful and considerate relationships
• Trainings—BGCA, Mandated State of Nebraska/Iowa certifications, Grant(s) certifications

Job Performance Expectations:

• Accountability—commitment to youth development and the stewardship of resources
• Integrity and Ethics—honesty, fairness, transparency, and consistency
• Job Knowledge—continuous learning to include all BGCA, Mandated State of Nebraska/Iowa certifications, Grant(s) certifications to remain compliant and progressive
• Quality—continued improvement
• Teamwork—demonstrated solidarity to meaningful and considerate relationships

I have read, understand and voluntarily commit myself to the general guidelines contained in this document. I also understand that this is only a basic description of my job and that it does not, nor is it intended to, outline all of the specifics of the responsibilities which I will be expected to perform. I acknowledge that I am able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.