Aquatics and CYF Programs Director

 

Salary Rate: $70,000 – Check out the YMCA’s total compensation package!

Location: Markham Health & Fitness YMCA Centre

Work Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Employment Type: Regular Full Time Salaried (Existing Vacancy)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Anticipated Start Date: September 13, 2026

Deadline to Apply: August 28, 2026 at 5:00 pm

Be the Spark! Join our passionate team and help us to achieve great things in our community!

The Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family (CYF) Programs Director leads the development, planning, and delivery of comprehensive Aquatics and CYF programs, ensuring quality, safety, and age-appropriate experiences across all facilities. The Director is responsible for ensuring safe and compliant daily operations in accordance with YMCA and public health standards. The role also oversees departmental operations, including budgeting, staffing, and volunteer engagement. Responsible for fostering professional growth, ongoing training, and certification for Supervisors, program staff and volunteers, while providing direct program support when required. The position ensures effective workforce management and promotes positive participant experiences through leadership and relationship building.

In this role, you will:

• Provide leadership in developing, promoting, planning, and implementing all Aquatics programs offered by the Health Fitness facility, including lessons, aquafit, leadership courses, and lifeguarding.
• Provide leadership in developing, promoting, planning, and implementing Child, Youth, and Family programming using YMCA standards, including but not limited to soccer, basketball, karate, dance, and leagues, ensuring quality, safety, and age-appropriate program offerings.
• Provide leadership and support to seasonal programs by assisting the Child, Youth and Family Programs Supervisor with March Break and Winter Camps and the Aquatics Supervisor with summer camp aquatic programming.
• Develop and monitor departmental budgets, ensuring accountability and control for fiscal goals; purchase equipment (safety, aquafit), uniforms, first aid supplies, and programming materials.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family Programs staff; provide coaching, recognition, and performance management as required.
• Recruit, train, and retain volunteers, providing guidance, support, and recognition to ensure meaningful engagement in programs.
• Oversee scheduling and workforce management for Aquatics and Child, Youth and Family Programs staff, including approving timecards, managing vacation and time-off requests, and ensuring payroll accuracy within budget.
• Conduct internal audits and regular safety checks of the pool and program areas to ensure compliance with Federal, Provincial, and YMCA standards; implement corrective actions and follow-up as needed.
• Provide ongoing training, communication, and professional development for staff and volunteers, ensuring completion of all mandatory onboarding, quarterly, and annual training—both in-person and virtual—while creating clear pathways for certification and growth.
• Ensure the department has qualified and trained staff to meet fiscal goals by ensuring Instructors, Examiners, and Coaches are certified, trained, and available.
• Provide direct program support where needed, including teaching swim lessons, lifeguarding, leading aquafit classes, and coaching or instructing Child, Youth and Family programs.
• Act as the Designated Pool Operator as outlined in the Ontario Health Regulations 565.
• Support the staff team in the role of Service Leader, promoting positive member experiences using the Y Way framework and fostering relationships with participants and families, responding to feedback.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

You bring:

• Post secondary education in Recreation Leadership, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years' progressive experience in lifeguarding, swim instruction, teaching aquafit classes, and staff supervision.
• NL, Standard First Aid with CPR-C, NL Instructor/Examiner, LSS Standard First Aid Instructor/Examiner, LSS Instructor, YMCA Swim Instructor, Aquatic Manager, and Aquafit Instructor certification preferred.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, with attention to detail, and proficiency in computer applications and a willingness to learn new computer programs.
• Demonstrates strong leadership skills to motivate, coach, and develop staff and volunteers, and acknowledge and appreciate contributions; fostering a positive and accountable team culture.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to establish rapport with members, staff, and volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Flexibility regarding assigned working hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to speak multiple languages an asset.
• Excellent understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity, including the ability to identify and address barriers for seniors, work effectively with diverse stakeholders, and integrate equity into program design.

What you need to succeed:

• Commitment to the YMCA’s Mission, Vision and Values
• Focus on the health, safety and wellbeing of all children, youth, and vulnerable people in YMCA programs including understanding legal and moral obligations related to reporting suspected child abuse to Child Protection Services
• YMCA Competencies: Accountable, Relationship-Builder, Improvement-Orientated, Team Player & Leader, Equity and Wellbeing Promoter

Why work for the YMCA?

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is a charity that ignites the potential in people, helping them grow, lead, and give back to their communities. We are committed to helping our employees reach their full potential and are recognized as a great place to work. We offer meaningful jobs and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals and the health of our communities. See what you can expect from the YMCA here.

Joining the Y means contributing to over 170 years of providing opportunities for people to shine through programs and services, such as health and fitness, licensed child care, camps, employment and immigrant services, education and training, and services for youth, families, and seniors. Learn more in our 2025–2030 strategic plan, Greater Together, which outlines how we are focused on building communities where people feel healthier and more connected to their neighbours.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. We strive to remove barriers to employment and recognize that diverse staff who reflect the communities we work in enrich the experiences of our participants and our team. As an equal opportunity employer, we invite applications from all qualified candidates including racialized people/people of colour, Indigenous Peoples, disabled people/people with disabilities and members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

If we can make the recruitment process more accessible for you, please let us know when we reach out about a job opportunity so we can work with you to accommodate your needs.

In keeping with our commitment to safety and child protection, job offers are contingent on the successful completion of a Police Records Check. Within the first four months and every three years thereafter, a Vulnerable Police Records Check is required. Learn more about these checks here. 

The YMCA only considers applicants who are legally entitled to work in Canada. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, due to the volume of applications we receive, we can only contact candidates who are selected for an interview.

Check out the next steps in our recruitment process and see what others are saying about working at the YMCA.