assistant Manager - Arroyo Grande

Assistant Manager

5 Cities Swim School | Arroyo Grande, CA | Full-Time
Compensation: $54,080–$74,880 annually | Salaried, Exempt

Lead the Team. Own the Shift. Make an Impact.

Are you the person who naturally steps up when things get busy—bringing energy, keeping people positive, and helping the team perform at its best?

Do you enjoy leading people, solving problems in the moment, and keeping a team energized and moving forward?

5 Cities Swim School is looking for a confident, energetic Assistant Manager who wants more than a behind-the-scenes management role. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership position where you'll lead employees, interact with families, solve problems, make decisions, and help create an exceptional experience for every swimmer who walks through our doors.

You'll serve as the Manager on Duty, with the authority and responsibility to keep the facility, team, and customer experience moving in the right direction.

If you're energized by people, comfortable making decisions, and want an opportunity to grow into greater leadership responsibility, this could be a great fit.

What You'll Own

As Assistant Manager, you'll help turn the General Manager's direction into action every day.

You'll:

• Lead the facility during assigned shifts, taking ownership of staffing, safety, customer experience, and overall execution.

• Set the tone for the team, bringing positive energy, enthusiasm, and accountability to every shift while creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to perform.

• Build team morale and engagement by recognizing wins, encouraging employees, keeping people connected to the mission, and helping the team maintain a positive attitude even on demanding days.

• Run energetic pre-shift huddles so everyone knows the priorities, understands expectations, and is ready to execute.

• Make real-time decisions when staffing changes, customer concerns, scheduling issues, or unexpected situations arise.

• Keep lessons, transitions, staffing, and rotations moving efficiently.

• Coach employees in the moment, recognize strong performance, and address problems before they become bigger problems.

• Build relationships with parents and families and confidently resolve concerns.

• Help onboard and develop new team members so they become productive and engaged quickly.

• Identify opportunities to improve operations and recommend better ways of doing things.

• Work closely with the General Manager, Office Manager, and Aquatics Manager while taking ownership of your areas of responsibility.

• Maintain high standards for pool safety, facility operations, and required procedures.

• Teach at least two swim-instruction shifts each week, staying personally connected to our swimmers, instructors, and lesson experience.

Who Will Thrive Here

We're looking for someone who naturally takes initiative rather than waiting to be told what to do.

You'll likely thrive in this role if you are:

Confident and decisive. You're comfortable taking ownership, making decisions, and being accountable for the outcome.

Outgoing and influential. You genuinely enjoy people. You're comfortable meeting new families, coaching employees, having difficult conversations, and getting others excited about where the team is going.

Fast-moving and adaptable. A callout, upset parent, staffing change, or unexpected facility issue doesn't derail you. You quickly assess the situation, make a decision, and move forward.

Positive and motivating. You naturally bring energy to a team and understand that a leader sets the tone. You enjoy recognizing people, celebrating wins, building morale, and creating an upbeat environment where employees feel connected, appreciated, and motivated to do their best work.

Proactive. You don't just manage today's problems. You anticipate what could happen tomorrow and take action before it becomes an issue.

Results-oriented. You care about getting things accomplished and holding yourself and others accountable.

Comfortable delegating. You don't believe good leadership means doing everything yourself. You set expectations, give people responsibility, and follow up on results.

Organized enough to execute. You can maintain important safety and operating standards without needing every day to look exactly the same.

What We're Looking For

Required

• Demonstrated leadership potential and confidence working with people

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to make decisions and solve problems independently

• Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment

• Dependable, punctual, and accountable

• Genuine enthusiasm for working with children and families

• Ability to work 40 hours per week, five days per week

• Availability until 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and at least one weekend day per week

• Ability to obtain and maintain lifeguard certification

• Ability to meet additional company certification requirements

Preferred

• Previous leadership, supervisory, hospitality, recreation, aquatics, or customer-service experience

• Swim lesson or aquatics experience

• Experience coaching or developing employees

• Interest and ability to grow into a Manager or General Manager role

This Isn't a Desk Job

Leadership at 5 Cities Swim School happens where the action is.

You'll move between the pool deck, front office, team members, swimmers, and families throughout your day. You'll spend significant time standing, walking, coaching, communicating, and responding to changing situations.

You must be comfortable working in an indoor aquatic environment, around pool chemicals, lifting up to 50 pounds, and responding quickly when situations require leadership.

Your Opportunity to Grow

We're not simply looking for someone to cover shifts.

We're looking for someone who can lead people, build morale, improve operations, take ownership, and grow with the organization.

For the right person, the Assistant Manager position can be a developmental step toward broader management responsibility.

Benefits

Full-time employees are eligible for:

• Paid time off (PTO)

• Healthcare coverage

• Dental coverage

Our company is an at-will employer. This means that, regardless of any provision, either you or the company may terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or notice.

Our company is committed to equal employment opportunities. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis ["protected class"] including, but not limited to: race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability; citizenship status; uniform service member status; or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.