Lifeguard

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Overview
This position lifeguards swimmers and supervises a fleet of rowboats and diverse paddlecraft for a private, 1,800-acre outdoor recreation center on a pristine, mile-long lake in East Lyme, Connecticut.


Required Skills and Abilities

• Lifeguard adults and children from a large, floating, H-shaped aluminum dock.
• Provide water safety supervision and instruction, including paddlecraft transportation. 
• Supervise rowboats, kayaks, standup paddleboards, and canoes from the beach and boat dock.
• Make paddlecraft rescues or assists with a rescue board, rescue kayak, and rescue motorboat. Strong swimming skills.
• Perform light waterfront and picnic-grove maintenance work, including trash & recycling runs.

• Monitor waterfront safety, crowd control, and customer behavior for swimming/boating.
• Provide exceptional customer service and safety on the waterfront.
• Follow and enforce all Outdoor Center and Yale University policies and behavioral standards.
• Holds (or can obtain) current Lifesaving certification with the additional Waterfront component.
• Current Red Cross First-Aid, CPR, & AED certification for adults and children
• Must be able to routinely lift and carry 50 pounds (paddlecraft, Poland Spring water jugs).

Preferred Skills and Abilities

• Basic boating/paddlecraft experience preferred.
• Connecticut Safe Boating Course certification (or can obtain).

Principal Responsibilities

1. Instructs patrons on proper usage of facilities and lane etiquette. Enforces facility  regulations. 2. Evaluates swimmers, using Yale’s posted guidelines, to assess suitability for using pool. 3. Teaches and demonstrates use of all associated exercise equipment and apparatus, such as  kickboards and weight belts. 4. Assists patrons with disabilities in using facility. 5. Maintains effective communications with patrons in a dynamic and noisy atmosphere. 6. Performs chemical tests on pool water to ensure pool cleanliness and safety. 7. Provides appropriate in-water rescues. 8. Provides CPR or first aid and uses automated external defibrillator (AED) as required. 9. May subdue a resisting individual in water. Required Education and Experience High School Diploma Experience in Water Safety or as Lifeguard in a Commercial or Collegiate setting. Required License(s) or Certification(s) WSI Certification or equivalent; Certification/Competency in CPR and first aid techniques; Lifeguard Training, First Aid & Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Certifications from American Red Cross or another agency of equivalent standing. Physical Requirements Must be physically able to actively move around a pool deck, including walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time. Must be physically able to perform lifesaving movements, including kneeling, crouching and climbing pool ladders and handholds. Have physical ability to swim and provide appropriate in-water rescue techniques. Must be able to swim and pull significant weight through water. Must have passed physical examination within the past 3 years.

Job Posting Date

07/08/2026

Job Category

Administrative Support

Bargaining Unit

NON

Compensation Grade

Labor Grade A

Compensation Grade Profile

Hourly Range

$22.58

Time Type

Part time

Duration Type

Temporary / Casual (Fixed Term)

Work Model

On-site

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

The hiring rate of a role is determined in accordance with the provisions outlined in the respective collective bargaining agreement.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.