Swim instructor opening at NECC

WaterStrong friends, check out this new opportunity for a part-time swim instructor at Northeast Community Center.

About the Northeast Community Center

The NECC is an independent non-profit community center and treasured neighborhood anchor in NE Portland. Located in the former NE Family YMCA facility, the NECC is a thriving hub that offers recreation, aquatics, fitness, wellness, and enrichment programs and activities for all ages. Valued by staff and participants for its welcoming intergenerational environment, the NECC strives to strengthen the fabric of our community by providing opportunities to stay active, socially connected, and physical/mentally healthy.

At the NECC, we respect, value, and welcome diversity in our staff, participants, and in the community, we serve. We strive to hire staff that share these values and who are interested in learning how to best serve and support everyone in the community. We value the life experiences of BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and other persons identifying as a member of a community that has been marginalized.

Job Overview

Working year round in our warm-water indoor pool, NECC Aquatics Staff aim to provide a fun and safe environment to swim, learn and enjoy a variety of aquatics activities. Our instructors teach swimming skills and water safety to children in a non-competitive, recreational program using the Red Cross Learn to Swim curriculum. We aim to apply an equity lens to all parts of our organization, and ensure that we are providing inclusive programming for individuals who are from low-income families, who are BIPOC, who are gender diverse or expansive, and are neuro-diverse

The NECC considers staff wellbeing and safety to be a pivotal part of our work culture and organization mission. We are looking for someone with a passion for aquatics who is able to work cooperatively as part of a team, attentive and engaged with their students, and able to incorporate diverse and fun activities into effective lessons. This position is perfect for someone who enjoys working with people of all ages and wants to make a difference in their community.

Position Requirements

• Experience teaching youth

• A basic understanding of swim technique – be an Intermediate Swimmer and able to swim

  Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and have an understanding of how to swim Butterfly

• The person in this position must be at least 16 years old and able to acquire a Lifeguard certificate. If you aren’t certified but seem like a good fit for the role, the NECC will pay for your training.

• Able to effectively work with and give instruction to community members of all ages and backgrounds in a welcoming and attentive manner

• Have an understanding of or be ready to learn about racism and its impact on swimming

• Understanding of implicit bias and microaggressions

• Demonstrate awareness of others’ social identities (e.g., race, gender, disability status, religion,

  etc.) and understands their relevance in the workplace and NECC programs and activities

• Preferred but not required:

  • Current Lifeguard Certification

  • Water Safety Instructor (WSI) Certification

  • Bilingual

  • Life experience as a member of a community impacted by racism in swimming

Position Details

• Part time position – Afternoons, Evenings and Saturday mornings.

• Hours may vary according to the needs of the Swim School.

• 100% of staff at the Northeast Community Center have received the Covid-19 vaccine. The

  person applying for this position will be required to be vaccinated.

• If selected, candidates will need to submit to a background check. Prior involvement with the

  justice system will not immediately disqualify a candidate.

• The person in this position needs to be able to: move throughout the building, ascend/descend

  two flights of stairs, physically manage a group of children, observe participants up to 20 yards away, move around the pool and through narrow areas of the pool deck, position and remove a backboard from the pool, quickly enter and exit the pool to assist participants as needed, communicate with participants or parents in person, by phone or by email. Unfortunately, our building is not currently ADA accessible.

  To Apply

  Submit the following to jobs@necommunitycenter.org:

Your resume or a description of your qualifications as it relates to the position

Timeline: Applications are accepted and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to be considered for the role.