Lake Compounce - Full-time Aquatics Manager

Palace Entertainment is a leading leisure park operator in the United States and Australia overseeing more than 25 entertainment venues, hotels and educational venues across 11 different states.

Palace Entertainment owns and operates some of the country’s largest and most prestigious venues including: National Historic Landmark, Kennywood Park, America’s Oldest Amusement Park, Lake Compounce, the world’s first ever Cartoon Network Hotel, Best Family Theme Park Dutch Wonderland and a variety of other family-friendly parks and campgrounds throughout the United States.

Palace Entertainment is a subsidiary of Parques Reunidos, one of the leading global operators, with more than 60 different assets (theme parks, zoos and marine parks, water parks and other attractions), spread out over various countries across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia.

The Aquatics Manager oversees all aspects of the Aquatics department at Lake Compounce, leading by example and upholding company values. They are responsible for team development, financial management, strategic planning, and ensuring guest and employee safety. This includes managing department budgets, adhering to safety regulations, conducting employee training, and addressing guest concerns. The Manager also maintains a clean and safe environment, responds effectively to emergencies, and assists with park operations, including pre-season prep and post-season teardown.

We Are Currently Looking For A:

Lake Compounce - Full-time Aquatics Manager

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Aquatics Manager oversees all aspects of the Aquatics department at Lake Compounce, leading by example and upholding company values. They are responsible for team development, financial management, strategic planning, and ensuring guest and employee safety. This includes managing department budgets, adhering to safety regulations, conducting employee training, and addressing guest concerns. The Manager also maintains a clean and safe environment, responds effectively to emergencies, and assists with park operations, including pre-season prep and post-season teardown.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Supervisory Duties:

• Manage all aspects of the Aquatics team and any other assigned departments
• Lead by example, attitude, and as a representation of Lake Compounce’s core values
• Act as an approachable mentor and coach to all assigned team members
• Manage and control all financial aspects of assigned departments while maximizing revenue and cost savings opportunities; maintain constant vigilance over departmental spending and budgets
• Act as a strategic visionary to implement measures that will favorably impact process, people, and/or profit
• Ensure compliance with company and industry best practices, policies, and procedures to create a safe and productive environment for colleagues and guests.
• Become knowledgeable of performing the essential duties of all aquatics and lifeguarding positions and backfill these positions when needed
• Participate in all aspects of supervision of assigned employees, including hiring, orientation, training, performance coaching, and discipline.
• Ensure that all required meal and other breaks are being given in accordance with Connecticut law
• Assist with team scheduling and timekeeping activities
  
  

Departmental Duties:

• Delight all guests by quickly and expertly providing courteous assistance to address their questions or concerns.
• Perform thorough departmental audits to ensure that the Aquatics operation is exceeding expectations and maintaining constant compliance with all Ellis & Associates standards.
• Ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), state regulations, and industry standards.
• Provide intense focus on quality, sanitation and safety, while always maintaining areas at inspection-readiness.
• Maintain constant vigilance and proactively identify potential hazards; inform Park leadership and/or maintenance team of any such situations in a timely manner
• Provide bathroom breaks for all team members, as needed
• Render first-aid (within scope of knowledge) to injured guests or team members
• Handle operation-related guest concerns and assist with lost children
• Escalate major guest concerns to management or maintenance team in a timely manner
• Ensure that all Park areas are clean and free of hazards, prior to daily opening
• React in a calm and professional manner during emergency situations
• Assist with crowd control in emergency situations
• Ensure all necessary checklists are filled out accordingly by leadership staff
• Update and ensure proper Zone Coverage and Zone Validations are done for each spot in the park
• Oversee pre-season park prep and post season park teardown
• All other duties assigned by leadership
  
  

Education And Experience:

• High School diploma, GED, or equivalent
• College degree in Business Management, Hospitality, or related discipline desired; Equivalent work experience will also be considered.
• 3-5 years of operations-based experience, preferably in an Aquatics-based setting of an amusement park, theme park, or waterpark industry.
• 2 years in a supervisory capacity
• Must hold or be willing to quickly obtain any Certified Pool Operator (CPO) credentials and/or any other required certifications, training or licenses that are mandated by federal, state or local laws.
• Must possess a valid EMT certification for the state of Connecticut or be willing to acquire it within two years.
• Must hold or be willing to quickly obtain lifeguard instructor certification from Ellis & Associates
• Must successfully complete the Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Training Program before becoming a lifeguard at Lake Compounce. All Lifeguard candidates will be required to obtain the Ellis Lifeguard Certification instructional handbook and pass all certification requirements. (Swim 200 yards doing front crawl or breaststroke; Retrieve 10-lb brick from 11 ft of water; and tread water without hands for 2 minutes)
  
  

Language: Ability to read, write, and speak fluent English; Spanish or other bilingual language skills are a plus.

Requirements:

• Must be at least 18 years of age to comply with Connecticut Child Labor Laws
• Ability to work flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Ability to frequently work hours that extend beyond 9 AM to 5 PM during the operating season
• Demonstrated ability to successfully perform all swim tests, water rescues, assists
• Ability to comply with all uniform policies
• Must possess safety-oriented mindset and understand the importance of complying with all Federal, State, and local regulations regarding aquatics safety standards
• Ability to take control of emergency and intense situations while remaining calm
• Ability to manage crowd control during emergency situations
• Must be guest-focused and address their issues and questions in a friendly, professional manner
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to swim 200 yards using front crawl/freestyle or breaststroke
• Ability to retrieve a 10-pound brick from at least 11 feet of water
• Ability to tread water for 2 minutes without the use of hands
• Ability to remain sedentary for extended periods of time, while using a computer
• Ability to stand or walk for extended periods of time
• Ability to swim, wade, and stand (sometimes in moderate currents)
• Ability to frequently kneel, stoop, bend, squat, twist or reach above shoulder-level
• Ability to use hands to grasp, finger, handle, or feel
• Ability to carry, push, pull, lift, and hold objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to aid and physically move guests of varying heights and weights
  
  

Vision Requirements:

• Must possess 20/25 correct vision (corrective lens, if required, must be worn while on duty)
• Specific vision abilities are required for this job, including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Ability to see differences between colors and brightness
• Ability to see details of objects that are more than a few feet away
  
  

Working Conditions:

• This role will be based in both an office setting as well as outdoor Park environment
• Subject to frequent interruptions and requests that may require reprioritization of activities
• Frequent exposure to variable outside temperatures, including high heat, direct sun, cold, humidity, dust, rain, and other weather conditions
• Regularly subjected to water and pool chemicals
  
  

Team Member Benefits:

Why Palace Entertainment?

We truly believe that where you work matters and, as a theme park company, we like to think we know a thing or two about what makes people happy.

Palace Perks And Benefits:

• Competitive compensation
• Management Incentive Plan
• Comprehensive health and wellness package
• 401k Savings and Investment plan
• Free admission to Palace Parks in the continental US
• Generous vacation and sick time
  
  

When you join Palace Entertainment, you do more than simply advance your career. You become part of the Palace family, a group of talented people who drive innovation, embrace change, and deliver results.

If you’re ready to join our amazing team, please visit our website at www.palaceentertainment.com -- “Work With Us” tab -- to explore all of our open positions and exciting opportunities.

Do not miss the chance to spark your career now!