Head Coach

Breidablik Swim Club in Iceland is looking for a highly motivated Head Swim Coach to oversee training design, technique and performance excellence that align with the mission and values of our competitive swim club. This is a full-time salaried position

Responsibilities:

•  Serve as the Head Swim Coach for the team’s competitive swim program: 
  • Supervise and maintain practice and meet environment,
  • fostering a positive, safe, inclusive, challenging and supportive team environment that promotes sportsmanship, teamwork and the personal growth and development of both athletes and assistant coaches. 
• Develop and implement comprehensive training programs across all team/group levels tailored to the needs and abilities of each practice group, focusing on skill development, stroke progression, tactical knowledge, and physical fitness. 
• Assessand assign swimmers to training groups and appropriate goal setting.
• Propose the competition calendar for the short course, long course, and championship seasons.
• Ensure all swim meets have adequate coaching coverage for all participating swimmers.
• Collaborate with team administrator on team practice schedules and meet schedules, including team and coach travel, meet entry assignments, and other meet-related administrative duties. 
• Uphold and enforce team rules, regulations, and board policies.

In addition to coaching experience, the Head Coach position is responsible for the day-to-day operations, hands-on guidance, and involvement in all aspects of the swim program, including but not limited to:

• Maintain regular and efficient communication with swimmers and parents
• Management, training, mentoring, scheduling and professional development of the assistant coach staff.
• Work collaboratively with coaching staff to include position descriptions, search processes, acquisition, orientation and hiring/firing practices.
• Work collaboratively with resources to secure pool time and set practice times for groups in the allotted time available, resolving pool limitations creatively to accommodate training.
• Work collaboratively with the parent volunteers providing monthly progress reports regarding athlete performance, financial, communication, and staffing statuses.
• Finance responsibilities including:
  • Assist in the preparation of an annual operating budget with the Board Treasurer.
• Plan, participate, promote and engage in team community events, awards, team building and team social events and meetings. 
• Provide personalised coaching and feedback to individual athletes to them achieve their maximum potential.
• Lead swimmer recruitment and retention efforts to maintain Club membership.  

Required Qualifications:

• Swim England Assistant Swimming Coach or Swimming Coach Certificate (ASA Level 1 or Level 2 Coaching Award) or equivalent
• Water Safety: RLSS National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ)
• Five or more years of coaching experience demonstrating a record of successful leadership with both developmental and elite swimmers in technique, race strategy, stroke mechanics, age-appropriate dryland training techniques and training methodologies.
• Strong understanding of the overall balance of training for distance and sprint, and taper techniques. 
• Strong organisational ability to manage multiple tasks and events simultaneously.
• Proficient in the use of coaching software (e.g. XPS), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint – or equivalent) and email.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written) to effectively interact with athletes, parents and staff.
• Reliability, availability, and ethical behaviour including punctuality, confidentiality, professionalism, and positive and constructive feedback.
• Ability to set priorities, meet deadlines, attention to detail, accuracy and follow through.

Desirable qualifications:

• Five or more years experience as Head Coach at the club or collegiate level
• Experience as a competitive swimmer, preferably at a collegiate level
• Proficient in the use of Meet Manager and Timing System platforms
• Experience with swim meet management and execution.
• Proven coaching experience of five or more years and track of proven success with both developmental and elite swimmers in technique, race strategy, training methodologies, and results.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with athletes, parents, staff, and the broader community.
• Strong organisational abilities to manage multiple tasks and events simultaneously.

Work Hours: Head Coach is a full-time exempt position with irregular hours including evenings and weekends. The position will also require working weekend meets with participation in meets. 

Breidablik Swim Club:
The Breidablik Swim Club has guided, trained and motivated swimmers at all levels of recreational training and competitive swimming since 1968. The Breidablik swim
club is a member of The Icelandic Swimming Association (SSÍ) that operates within The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland (ÍSÍ).

The facilities include both 25m and 50m pools at two locations in the town of Kopavogur (in the Capital Region). The swimming pools are part of the infrastructure of geothermal pools that have evolved within the unique swim-loving culture in Iceland. While we have a highly successful competitive swim team, we also foster the ideology that every person has the potential to pursue a swimming lifestyle.

The Breidablik swim team has had the fortune to celebrate increased success at a competitive level in recent years. For instance, the team won its first National
Trophy (bikarkeppni) in 2019. Since 2016 the team members have set 11 individual and 5 relay Junior National Icelandic records. During the current long course
(50m) season the Breidablik team has won 6 Icelandic Champions (4 individual and 2 relay). Further, during the Icelandic Championship, we set Icelandic Junior Records
in all (3 out of 3) of our Women relay events (4x100m Freestyle, 4x200m Freestyle and 4x100m Medley).

The team has had several participants who have won places at the national team level and its future youth programs. During the current long course season Breidablik team
members will be representing Iceland at the following international events:

• 3 Swimmers going to the Adam Peaty Race in London in May
• 4 Swimmers going to Taastrup in Denmark in May
• 3 Swimmers going to the Nordic Age Group Championships in June
• 1 Swimmer going to the European Junior Championships in July

The good achievements in recent years have put the Breidablik team as one of the top swimming teams in Iceland and the excellent performances of young team members within the current season give high hopes for even more accomplishments at national and international levels in the near future.

We welcome the new Head Swim Coach to our family-supportive environment in one of the highest-ranked countries in the world in terms of safety, quality of life, happiness, pristine nature, and its valuable resources. 

We encourage any enthusiastic candidate of any gender or ethnic identity to apply.

How to apply

Contact phone

003547876722