Youth Development Professional (High School) – Sports and Recreation Coach

Description

Title: Youth Development Professional – Sports and Recreation Coach
Organization: Boys and Girls Clubs of San Leandro
Location: Teen Clubhouse – San Leandro, CA
Department: Programming

Reports to:  Teen Sports and Recreation Coordinator

Direct Reports: None
Exempt Status: Non-Exempt

Position Type: Part-Time (20–25 hrs/week)

Compensation: $20-25/hour

Note: This role follows the school-year calendar and does not include hours during academic breaks. Summer Camp work may be available based on program needs and availability.

Position Overview:

The Youth Development Professional (YDP) – High School Sports and Recreation Coach works directly with high school students at the Teen Clubhouse, providing coaching and leadership during daily sports programs, recreational program support, and facilitation of sports leagues throughout the year. This role balances relationship-based youth development with structured program support to help teens stay active, build character, and develop their skill in that respective sport. This role is also responsible for assisting with the facilitation of sports leagues throughout the year and supporting leadership programming.? 

Our Values in Action:

Transformative Leadership: We aspire to transform possibilities into probabilities. By embodying emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and empathy, we foster positive change with humility, authenticity, and continuous self-improvement.

• What that looks like in this role: A transformative YDP is not simply someone students enjoy being around. They are a consistent, credible adult presence who builds meaningful relationships with young people beyond their athletic abilities. They understand who is thriving, who may be withdrawing, and who could benefit from additional support. Through intentional engagement, they create an environment where teens feel seen, respected, challenged, and psychologically safe. They use everyday moments, including practices, competitions, conflicts, victories, and setbacks, as opportunities for learning and growth, while holding students to high expectations and supporting them in reaching their full potential.

Resilience: We approach every situation with a growth mindset, demonstrating flexibility and courage, and reframing challenges as opportunities. We acknowledge our current state, embrace change, and adapt as needed, maintaining a solutions-oriented approach throughout our growth journey.

• What that looks like in this role: Resilience begins with a young person knowing they have a trusted adult who sees them, believes in them, and remains present when challenges arise. A resilient Youth Development Program (YDP) coach builds strong relationships by learning each teen's strengths, interests, and goals, while paying attention to signs that a young person may be struggling or disengaging. They create consistency and predictability, offering a stable and supportive presence that fosters trust and belonging. Rather than solving problems for teens, they provide encouragement and guidance that helps young people develop confidence in their own abilities. They also create space for teens to process difficult experiences, setbacks, and challenges, turning those moments into opportunities for reflection, growth, and resilience.

Youth Centered: Every organizational action or maneuver is designed to directly impact and benefit the youth we serve. We value and prioritize the youth perspective, making decisions with a focus on their needs and well-being, rather than adult convenience.

• What that looks like in this role: A youth-centered YDP starts by getting to know young people not just as athletes, but as individuals with unique strengths, interests, aspirations, and experiences. This means taking the time to understand what sports they enjoy, what sparks their curiosity, what motivates them, and what they hope to learn. It also involves recognizing what helps them feel included, what may cause them to feel excluded, what leadership opportunities interest them, and what barriers may prevent their full participation. By learning what youth value about the Clubhouse and listening to their perspectives, YDPs can create more meaningful and responsive experiences. Rather than beginning with a predetermined set of programs and asking youth to fit into them, a youth-centered coach adopts the mindset of first understanding who is present, what they need, and what they want, then designing opportunities that reflect and support those needs and interests.

Essential Functions:

Sports, Recreation & Healthy Lifestyles 

• Facilitate daily sports, fitness, and recreation activities for high school-aged youth, including structured and drop-in programming. 
• Teach and reinforce fundamental skills, rules, strategies, teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy competition across a variety of sports, with an emphasis on basketball. 
• Encourage teens of varying skill levels and athletic experience to participate in physical activity and develop confidence, teamwork, and healthy habits. 
• Support the development and implementation of organized sports leagues, tournaments, clinics, and special recreation events throughout the year.
• Maintain sports equipment and recreation spaces and communicate equipment, facility, or safety needs to the Sports & Recreation Coordinator. 

Teen Engagement, Supervision & Safety

• Build positive, trusting relationships with teens and create a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment that promotes positive engagement and participation. 
• Maintain appropriate supervision and a structured, respectful recreation environment aligned with organizational standards and Clubhouse rules. 
• Use positive behavior management and trauma-informed practices to address conflict, competition, sportsmanship, and peer interactions. 
• Model positive behavior and provide appropriate behavioral guidance before, during, and after sports and recreation activities. 

Program Development & Facilitation

• Independently plan, organize, promote, and implement sports and recreation programming Monday through Friday between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., serving as a lead facilitator for assigned activities and spaces. 
• Assist with planning and facilitating seasonal sports leagues, tournaments, clinics, field trips, and special events, including Saturday league games as scheduled. 
• Collaborate with the Sports & Recreation Coordinator and Teen Clubhouse team to develop engaging, teen-appropriate programming based on youth interests and needs. 
• Support program setup, transitions, breakdown, and the maintenance of clean, organized, and welcoming recreation spaces. 

Data, Documentation & Communication

• Track and document daily attendance and participation in sports, recreation programs, leagues, tournaments, and special activities. 
• Communicate with teens and families regarding league schedules, practices, games, tournaments, field trips, and other program-related information. 
• Document notable youth progress, participation concerns, behavioral incidents, injuries, and other relevant information according to organizational procedures. 
• Collaborate with the Sports & Recreation Coordinator and Teen Clubhouse team to identify participation trends, barriers to engagement, and opportunities to strengthen programming. 

Collaboration & Operational Support

• Collaborate and communicate effectively with Teen Center staff, Program Managers, Coordinators, tutors, mentors, partners, and other colleagues to achieve program goals, share best practices, and improve program effectiveness.
• Support program setup, transitions, special events, and the maintenance of clean and organized learning spaces.
• Travel to other sites as needed to meet ratio requirements and provide temporary program support.
• Assist with additional site needs and operational responsibilities necessary to support program success.
• Participate in required trainings and staff meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the evolving needs of the program and organization.

Requirements

Required:

• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience in youth development, including planning and supervising activities for teens.
• Minimum of 1-2 years of coaching experience in multiple sports, particularly basketball.
• Ability to drive a 10-passenger van for field trips 
• Consistent weekly availability Monday through Friday required, with Saturday availability for league games.? 
• AA degree or BA degree (minimum of 60 units). Preference in education or youth related fields.
• CPR/First Aid certification or willingness to attain one is required.
• Ability to work the entire school year, adhering to the scheduled hours.
• Genuine belief in the mission of BGCSL and the responsibility that comes with serving youth and the community.

Preferred:

• 1–2 years of experience with managing sports leagues? 
• Multi-conversational language skills a HUGE plus (Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog).
• Ability to handle stress, analyze problems, work with interruptions, concentrate for long periods, and perform routine math calculations.
• High emotional intelligence (EQ) can “read the room” and gain the trust and confidence of a diverse group of teens. Ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Extremely patient and able to work under pressure or emotionally volatile situations.

Work Environment:

This position will work primarily in a Clubhouse environment at the Boys & Girls Club of San Leandro. This role may require flexibility to accommodate organizational events or deadlines. Key aspects of the work environment include:

• Continually required to stand for long periods of time 
• Continually required to walk on grass or indoor court 
• Continually required to demonstrate drills for students 
• Routinely required to sit. 
• Continually required to utilize hand and finger dexterity. 
• Rarely required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl. 
• Continually required to talk or hear youth for active supervision.
• Exposure to outside weather conditions (visiting a site or league games) as needed. 
• Occasional exposure to bloodborne and airborne pathogens or infectious materials (Communicable diseases in an office environment including COVID-19, common cold, and flu viruses. Negative TB screen required). 
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually loud.  
• The employee must occasionally lift and /or move more than 20 pounds. 
• Ability to travel for field trips and league games.  

The Boys and Girls Clubs of San Leandro is committed to diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, disability, sex, age, ethnic or national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or presentation, pregnancy, genetics, veteran status or any other status protected by state or federal law. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.