POSITION SUMMARY:

The Soccer Director, under the direction of the Senior Sports Director or Branch Director, will manage all soccer programs and the administrative operations related to those programs for the YMCA of Springfield. This position develops, plans, and administers all new/existing programs, applies procedures and methods to achieve our strategic goals and membership/participant engagement. Ensures these programs are aligned with the Y’s cause and meet the needs of our members and the community. This position will also assist in managing other sports related programs as assigned.

DEPARTMENT PROFILE:

The position outlined below directs a year-round soccer program with its 2 outdoor seasons, 2 indoor seasons, camps, and clinics for nearly 2000 players. This position assists with basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and summer camps. The department works with parents and community volunteers and partners.

DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT:

Provide the opportunity for all children to play sports in a safe, enjoyable environment, where they can gain Christian principles, life skills, and build lifelong friendships.

OUR CULTURE:
Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. In the Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. We are welcoming: we are open to all. We are a place where you can belong and become. We are genuine: we value you and embrace your individuality. We are hopeful: we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world. We are nurturing, we support you in your journey to develop your full potential. We are determined: above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger beginning with you.

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPECTATIONS:

• Display a friendly, helpful, and positive disposition.
• Provide customer service that is thorough, timely, organized, and accurate.
• Help ensure the Y is meeting member and participant needs by utilizing good listening skills, attentiveness, objectivity, and patience in all situations.
• Place members and participants as the first and highest priority showing kindness and compassion at all times.
• Demonstrates the Y core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility through all daily activities and responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Overarching Goal: Through their planning, actions and daily work creates and fosters a welcoming environment for all persons of all backgrounds and abilities and has a positive, nurturing relationships with staff and children, while building cooperative relationships with parents/caregivers and program partners. Promotes and supports the potential of all youth, adults, and families in programs and facilitates peer-to-peer connections as part of the overall YMCA experience.

• Directs and supervises program activities to meet YMCA objectives. Expands the soccer and sports department programs within the community in accordance with strategic and operating plans.
• Assists with maintaining budgeted department revenues and expenses.
• Secures and schedules athletic fields and facilities. Directs the coordination for all assigned soccer leagues, soccer academy’s, clinics, and camps; monitors and purchases necessary sporting equipment as budget permits.
• Ensures that the soccer fields are well maintained and is responsible for watering the fields as needed.
• Works with the landscaping contractor as needed to ensure fields are mowed, fertilized, and prepared for soccer each year.
• Responsible for lining and marking all soccer fields as needed for games, camps, clinics, and training academies.
• Responsible for maintaining all equipment used for the indoor and outdoor soccer programs.
• Works with the development and marketing department to ensure that all sponsorship signage is updated and replaced as needed.
• Creates teams from paid and financially assisted registrations. Organizes and conducts parent orientation meetings, and training and meetings for coaches.
• Oversees the team practice and game schedules; trains and schedules sports officials; develops and distributes sports rules, guidelines, and handbooks.
• Assists with purchases and distributes team uniforms and awards; coordinates and distributes team photographs.
• Organizes and conducts clinics and camps.
• Recruits, trains, and supervise staff, coaches, and referees. Successfully manages all volunteers.
• Assists in the marketing and distribution of youth sports program information may organize and schedule program registrations. May review and process program scholarship applications. Develops and maintains collaborative relationships with community organizations.
• Knowledge of sports rules and anticipates changes that will impact the department.
• Plays a key role in assisting the YMCA’s annual fund-raising activities and special events.
• Sets Sports Committee agendas and makes decisions during regularly scheduled meetings in coordination and approval of the Senior Director of Sports.
• Compiles program statistics. Monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of and participation in the program.
• Other duties as assigned

CAUSE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP DESIGNATION: TEAM LEADER

Description: Someone who leads a team, project, or process with or without supervisory responsibility.

Disciplines: a broad grouping of competencies focused on a critical area that defines a cause-driven leader’s ability to advance the work of the Y.

Competency: Clusters of observable skills and behaviors needed to be successful within an organization or role.

Key Leadership competencies a person should bring to this position:

• Engaging Community
• Building Relationships
• Functional expertise

Team Leader Discipline, Competencies and Behavioral Indicators

Discipline

Advancing Our Mission & Cause: Provide visionary leadership to the organization and to ensure that all resources are mobilized to adapt to new challenges and needs in the community.

Competencies

Change Leadership: Facilitates, co-creates, and implements equitable change for the good of the organization and/or community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Provides resources, removes barriers, and acts as an advocate for those initiating change.
• Actively supports and remains accessible to others during times of change or stress.
• Manages resistance to change by seeking input from stakeholders and communicating the change clearly.
• Hold others accountable for implementing the change.

Engaging Community: Builds bridges with others in the community to ensure the Y’s work is community-focused and welcoming of all, providing community benefit.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Ensures programs and services meet community needs.
• Ensures a level of service and engagement that fosters loyalty among those we serve.
• Intentionally fosters a cause-centered culture that is welcoming, genuine, hopeful, nurturing, and determined.

Philanthropy: Secures resources and support to advance the Y’s work.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Educates staff, volunteers, and members about the charitable nature of the Y.
• Leads key components of the Y’s fundraising efforts.

Volunteerism: Engages volunteers and promotes social responsibility at all levels of the organization.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Proactively positions volunteerism as a central context of being cause-driven and a way of being socially responsible.
• Recruits, onboards, and develops volunteers from diverse backgrounds.
• Works with volunteers to create meaningful and relevant roles that impact the community, fulfill their personal purpose, and build commitment to the cause.

Discipline

Building Relationships: Connect people to the Y’s cause by developing inclusive relationships, partnerships, and collaborations so that Ys can co-create solutions to pressing social needs.

Competencies

Collaboration: Creates sustainable relationships within the Y and with other organizations in service to the community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Identifies and builds relationships with internal and/or external partners or key stakeholders to support programs or projects.
• Builds effective teams and committees by fostering common vision and plans

Communication & Influence Listens and expresses self effectively and, in a way, that engages, inspires, and builds commitment to the Y’s cause.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Writes clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, vocabulary, and appropriate tone for the message or audience.
• Speaks in a clear, articulate manner.
• Maintains regular, clear, and concise communication within area of responsibility.
• Adopts a personal leadership style or approach to influence others.

Inclusion: Values all people for their unique talents and takes an active role in promoting practices that support diversity, inclusion, and global work, as well as cultural competence.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Addresses behaviors and practices that do not support inclusion in positive and equitable ways.
• Ensures staff model equity, inclusion, cultural competence, and global awareness in all areas of their work.

Discipline

Leading Operations: Ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the organization so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to the community.

Competencies

Critical Thinking & Decision Making: Makes informed decisions based on logic, data, and sound judgment.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Actively looks for and incorporates different points of view when making decisions.
• Gathers relevant, valid data to make appropriate decisions. • Interprets data, feedback, and information, differentiating among assumptions, anecdotal evidence, and facts.
• Anticipates risk, implications, and possible outcomes before acting.
• Weighs pros and cons of multiple options to make decisions about complex problems.

Fiscal Management: Manages the Y’s resources responsibly and sustains the Y’s nonprofit business model.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Prepares budgets and interprets balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and forecasts.
• Analyzes financial data in order to make comparisons, draw conclusions, and make decisions.
• Identifies and mitigates significant business, financial, and operating risks, and financial irregularities, and communicates information to management.

Functional Expertise: Executes superior technical skills for the role.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Has the functional and technical knowledge and skills to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
• Uses best practices, guidelines, and industry standards as a framework to improve performance.
• Demonstrates up-to-date knowledge and skills in the technology associated with the job.
• Serves with purpose and passion.

Innovation: Creates and implements new and relevant approaches and activities that improve and expand the Y’s work and impact in the community.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Seeks input from key stakeholders, including staff, members, and the community, to develop or improve a program or project.
• Researches and identifies new trends in the program or service area.
• Incorporates creative thinking and discussion techniques into meetings and discussions, including brainstorming, mind mapping, sticky notes, and whiteboard visuals.
• Tries new things and assesses their effectiveness.
• Values and encourages creative and innovative ideas

Program/Project Management: Ensures program or project goals are met and intended impact occurs.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Translates organizational goals into executable plans with accountable staff and volunteers by defining tasks, milestones, and priorities for programs or projects.
• Delegates responsibilities and monitors progress towards goals.
• Follows fidelity, quality, and evidence-based standards of programs, projects, or the organization.
• Challenges inefficient or ineffective work processes and offers constructive alternatives.
• Follows through on commitments with an appropriate sense of urgency.
• Demonstrates flexibility when plans or situations change unexpectedly, effectively adjusting plans to achieve intended outcomes

Discipline

Developing & Inspiring People: Support the holistic development of self and others so that everyone can embrace the Y’s cause, sustain the Y’s culture, and inspire others to take individual and collective action to further our impact.

Competencies

Developing Self & Others: Develops self and supports others (e.g., staff, volunteers, members, program participants), both formally and informally, to achieve their highest potential

Behavioral Indicators:

• Recruits and hires diverse staff and volunteer teams across multiple dimensions of diversity.
• Onboards and develops staff and volunteers for success.
• Provides staff and volunteers with the support, time, tools, and resources necessary to set, meet or exceed goals.
• Coaches others for continuous development, including analyzing performance gaps, building development plans, delivering appreciative and developmental feedback, and aligning passions and career goals.
• Addresses sensitive issues, inappropriate behavior, or performance concerns to help the other person grow.
• Shares and employs new learning to improve staff and personal performance.
• Strives to understand and resolve conflicting feedback or ideas from multiple sources.

Emotional Maturity: Demonstrates ability to understand and manage emotions effectively in all situations.

Behavioral Indicators:

• Regulates behavior based on assessment of situation, personal feelings, strengths, and limitations.
• Demonstrates a settling presence, even during times of crisis and challenge.

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

Child Abuse Policies & Prevention

The YMCA enforces its policies and practices to prevent child abuse.

Allegations or suspicions of child abuse are taken very seriously at the YMCA and will be reported to the proper authorities for investigation. We have abuse reporting procedures, there are unscheduled visits from supervisors, we have an open door for parents, and we have a code of conduct for staff. We minimize opportunities for abuse to occur and we talk with children about personal safety and touching limits. We screen carefully to prevent abusers from being hired. We provide child abuse prevention training to staff including how to conduct yourself for safe practices and termination of employment for employees who fail to report suspicion or failure to follow policies.

Employees who failure to support, actively engage in prevention and be forthcoming about concerns or violations of this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including immediate termination of employment.

Background Check: A background check, criminal, work, and reference checks, will be required of any employee at hire and may be repeated during their employment. A barred report, negative report or discovery of false information will result in immediate termination.

Alert & Focused: Use of illegal drugs, alcohol, prescribed or over the counter medications and lack of sleep can impact a person’s ability to be alert and focused while on duty. Used illegally or inappropriately while off duty may affect employment status. Responsibility, respect, caring, and honesty are core values of the YMCA. Employees involved in any injury found to be work related may be required to submit for a screening for drug and alcohol use. Suspicious behaviors observed while working or in the YMCA or at a YMCA program where the employee would be perceived by others as an employee may also be subject to alcohol and drug screening. Positive results of a drug or alcohol screening will result in termination of employment. Behaviors which are perceived to be unbecoming a YMCA employee may be subject to discipline up to and including immediate termination of employment.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Bachelor's degree in related field preferred or equivalent combination of education and experience.

2. Previous sports participation, coaching, or refereeing preferred.

3. Advanced knowledge and experience with development and implementation of soccer programs, including leagues, clinics, camps, small group, and individual instruction. Well-rounded knowledge in a variety of sports including areas such as badminton, baseball, basketball, fencing, flag football, gymnastics, martial arts, pickleball, and volleyball.

4. Prior Y experience preferred.

5. Excellent personal computer skills and experience with standard business software.

6. Ability to relate effectively to diverse groups of people from all social and economic segments of the community.

7. Ability to learn quickly.

8. Ability to work with integrity, discretion, and a professional approach.

9. Prefer knowledge of, and previous experience with, diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).

10.Ability to complete all required training within 60 days of employment, including but not limited to CPR, first aid, Living Our Cause, DCFS Mandated Report, IL Gateway Registry Modules, and to maintain these certifications as current as outlined by regulations or requirements.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & 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.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, jog, or run, use hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and talk and hear.
• The employee must regularly lift and/ or move up to 25 pounds and frequently lift and/ or move up to 75 pounds.
• The position also requires driving a vehicle, usually a 12-15 passenger/ cargo van and loading and unloading equipment and supplies.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time, includes long periods of sitting, keyboard entry, use of office equipment, use of computer monitor.
• Ability to speak concisely and effectively communicate. Be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
• The employee frequently is required to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment.
• Visual and auditory ability to respond to critical situations ability to act swiftly in an emergency. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust.

• May require physical effort and cardiac endurance while reaching with hands and arms, stooping, kneeling, crouching, standing, walking, balancing, bending, leaning, kneeling, walking, and climbing.

• Specifically,
  • Travel between multiple work sites within one workday.
  • Walk extensively both within the YMCA facility and the sports sites supervised. It would not be unusual to walk 10,000 steps during a workday.
  • Walking up and down stairs multiple times a day.
  • Carrying supplies to and from work locations, normally lifting 25lbs with times up to 75 lbs.
  • Playing or demonstrating sports skills

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.
• This position routinely works more than 40 hours per week based in sports calendar and often has responsibilities on weeknights and both weekend days.