DIRECTOR - YOUTH SAILING
Come join the Edgewood community, home to Edgewood Yacht Club, Edgewood Sailing School, Brown University Sailing, ad Moses Brown School Sailing!
The Edgewood Sailing School (ESS) is the section 501(c)(3) non-profit institution that has been providing sailing instruction to adults and children for eight decades from the facilities of the Edgewood Yacht Club (EYC) in Cranston, Rhode Island.
ESS is looking for a new Director of its Youth Sailing program for the 2025 season.
The ESS/EYC community is small and collaborative. More than any other qualification, ESS is looking for candidates whose personalities will fit within this environment – we value a candidate’s approach to the job more than we value specific skillsets that we believe may accumulate over the course of employment. While we are not seeking a multi-year commitment, we would most like to hire a candidate who intends to be at ESS for multiple years.
The Director - Youth Sailing would report directly to the ESS president and board of directors and would be responsible for all aspects of youth sailing instruction at ESS. The Director - Youth Sailing would coordinate with the Director - Adult Sailing and other adult program staff regarding the shared needs and resources of both programs at ESS (maintenance and use of boats, equipment, space). The Director - Youth Sailing would also liaise with EYC staff to coordinate the shared use of the EYC facilities.
The Director - Youth Sailing would inherit a strong youth sailing program with a participation base of around 100 children annually and with established program formats, but the ESS board of directors would welcome working with the Director - Youth Sailing to adjust the youth programs over time—we would like the Director - Youth Sailing to bring a “personal touch” to the development of our youth programs into the future.
The Director - Youth Sailing is primarily a summer-season position (and is a full-time position on weekdays and possibly some weekend days in the core weeks of the program from late June through early August), though it requires limited year-round attention in terms of off-season tasks including fleet and equipment launch, haul, and maintenance; hiring and training of instructors; scheduling and filling of classes; and coordination with other youth programs in the Narragansett Bay watershed (including through participation in Narragansett Bay Yachting Association youth sailing meetings). Compensation amount and structure is flexible depending on the experience and requirements of candidates but has historically been on an hourly basis with year-end bonus potential.
The qualifications and experience of Director - Youth Sailing candidates may be broad and varied. The following list is meant to be illustrative, and not all candidates may reflect all items on the list. ESS believes that the items on the list that are NOT specific to boating/marine activities are more important than the items specific to boats and the water – a candidate with strong off-water skills is more likely capable of learning on-water skills than the opposite.
- Excellent scheduling, organization, and management skills
- Familiarity with hiring of seasonal employees, including teenagers/young adults
- Familiarity with development and implementation of protocols for emergency response (e.g., concussions, lacerations, and other first-aid events; storm conditions)
- Familiarity with powerboat and/or sailboat rigging, operation, maintenance, and safety
- Familiarity with miscellaneous boat repair items (fiberglass, outboard engines, etc.)
- Experience with creating, managing, and reporting on institutional budgets
- Strong social skills in interacting with children, parents, and other adults
- Experience identifying and cultivating the talents of youth instructors
- Experience developing and deploying safety programs, including first-aid administration
- Experience with designing and implementing youth activity curricula
- Experience instructing / managing programming for children in the range of 8-18 years
- Experience with fundraising in the non-profit entity context
- Familiarity with the format of youth sailing programs generally, and with Optimist, C420, and Rhodes 19 sailboats specifically
- Familiarity with sailboat racing, especially dinghy racing and/or youth racing
- Familiarity with marina management including dockage construction and maintenance
All Director of Youth Sailing candidates would be expected to hold current Red Cross First Aid and CPR certifications. US Sailing certifications are desirable but not required. ESS will support and fund US Sailing certification efforts.
ESS does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in its employment decisions or in any other aspect of its operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of the ESS/EYC community.
Interested candidates should inquire with George Shuster at 4013910030 or gwsjr75@gmail.com.