What does an aquatic director do?
An aquatic director is a person who manages swimming pools used in a facility such as a school or a university. It is the aquatics director's task to ensure safety in and around any pool, adhere to health protocols, and help promote and create pool-related activities. It is also the aquatic director's job to ensure that all safety protocols imposed by the school, university, or the state are followed and that all safety measures are observed. The aquatic director's added responsibility is to educate people on all safety policies, have an experienced lifesaver crew ready for emergencies and ensure the fun and experience of people using all aquatic facilities.
Aquatic director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real aquatic director resumes:
- Organize and run daily and evening group activities.
- Earn certification as national trainer in aquatics, wellness, CPR and first aid.
- Audit water instructors class curriculum (WSI, aerobics, physical therapy, AFYAP) and coach when necessary.
- Check pool chemicals and maintain water quality, oversee all swimming activities and perform first aid and CPR as needed.
- Maintain spreadsheets, payments, payroll, orientations, worker's compensation, terminations, hiring, & disciplinary forms.
- Monitor and correct bi-weekly payroll.
- Update lifeguard rotation schedule to increase efficiency and cleanliness of aquatics facilities.
- Maintain proper chemical balance and cleanliness of pool according to city regulations.
- Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
- Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Aquatic director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Aquatic Directors are proficient in CPR, Water Safety, and Emergency Situations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Physical strength, Problem-solving skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Aquatic Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPR, 24%
Provided certification training for lifeguards and swim instructors, including Professional Rescuers CPR.
- Water Safety, 8%
Develop a behavior management system that utilized positive reinforcement and taught young campers water safety skills.
- Emergency Situations, 8%
Developed and facilitated dynamic training programs to ensure each guard was well equipped to handle emergency situations.
- Adaptive, 6%
Developed youth and adult programs for water fitness, learn to swim, and adaptive aquatics.
- Safety Regulations, 5%
Monitor daily pool operations to adhere to all state, local, and health and safety regulations
- Kids, 5%
Chaired Chili Day Run committee and served on committee for Strong Kids Campaigns.
Common skills that an aquatic director uses to do their job include "cpr," "water safety," and "emergency situations." You can find details on the most important aquatic director responsibilities below.
Physical strength. The most essential soft skill for an aquatic director to carry out their responsibilities is physical strength. This skill is important for the role because "most recreation workers should be physically fit." Additionally, an aquatic director resume shows how their duties depend on physical strength: "assess programs, lifeguards and swim instructors, set up new registration system for an expanding and renovating physical education department. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling aquatic director duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." According to an aquatic director resume, here's how aquatic directors can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "handle customer complaints and find successful solutions to those complaints. "
Communication skills. aquatic directors are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to aquatic director responsibilities, because "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." An aquatic director resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "demonstrate extraordinary communication and leadership abilities possess an extreme quickness for responding to any emergency that occurred on site"
Leadership skills. For certain aquatic director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of an aquatic director rely on this skill, as "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what aquatic directors do: "provide leadership within the adventure guides and campaign for youth programs review and approve payroll reports. "
The three companies that hire the most aquatic directors are:
- The Boys' Club of New York5 aquatic directors jobs
- YMCA of Greater Boston4 aquatic directors jobs
- VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa3 aquatic directors jobs
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Compare different aquatic directors
Aquatic director vs. Pool manager
A pool manager is in charge of overseeing the daily operations at indoor and outdoor pools. Among their responsibilities include managing budgets and employee schedules, delegating tasks to staff, developing and implementing marketing strategies, and training new workforce members. There are also instances where they must produce progress reports, liaise with vendors or suppliers, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, a pool manager must monitor the progress of all operations, enforcing the company's safety policies and regulations to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between aquatic directors and pool manager. For instance, aquatic director responsibilities require skills such as "cpr," "adaptive," "kids," and "swim instructors." Whereas a pool manager is skilled in "customer service," "aquatic facility," "cleanliness," and "cpo." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Pool managers tend to reach similar levels of education than aquatic directors. In fact, pool managers are 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Aquatic director vs. Product management internship
Product management interns typically work with program managers and other management teams. They usually perform various tasks for an organization, which includes conducting research and analyzing data to develop workable business and product strategies, assisting account management teams in documenting user responses to products, and developing strategies to improve productivity and profitability. Product managers are expected to work alongside UX/UI professionals, marketing and sales teams, and developers. They are also expected to ensure the proper execution of quality assurance testing.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, aquatic director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cpr," "water safety," "emergency situations," and "adaptive." Meanwhile, a product management internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "product management," "excellent interpersonal," "product development," and "customer service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Product management interns earn similar levels of education than aquatic directors in general. They're 4.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Aquatic director vs. Program manager
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, aquatic directors are more likely to have skills like "cpr," "water safety," "emergency situations," and "adaptive." But a program manager is more likely to have skills like "project management," "program management," "oversight," and "customer service."
Most program managers achieve a higher degree level compared to aquatic directors. For example, they're 11.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Aquatic director vs. Management associate
A management associate is responsible for assisting the management operations, supporting administrative and clerical tasks, and coordinating with other departments for project support to meet the organization's objectives and profitability goals. Management associates often respond to clients' inquiries and concerns on behalf of the executives, documenting their needs, and immediately escalating high-level complaints to appropriate personnel. They also meet with suppliers and other third-party vendors, negotiating contracts for business needs. A management associate must have excellent communication, be organized, and have time-management skills to perform duties in a fast-paced environment.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between aquatic directors and management associates, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an aquatic director might have more use for skills like "cpr," "water safety," "emergency situations," and "adaptive." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of management associates require skills like "customer service," "portfolio," "patients," and "strong analytical. "
The average resume of management associates showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to aquatic directors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.1%.Types of aquatic director
Updated January 8, 2025
