Head Lifeguard

All current City of Sarasota employees must apply to job postings on the internal career site. Come work at a place where employees of the City serve with Excellence and Pride! NOTE: The City of Sarasota is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Veteran, E-Verify and Drug Free Workplace employer. Click to view the City's Veterans Recruitment Plan. Click to view a the City's Educational Equivalency Statement Department: Parks and Recreation Employee Type: Regular Time Type: Full time Salary Range: $24.9837 - $30.9171 Hourly / $51,966.10 - $64,307.57 Annually Job Posting Period: February 26, 2026 - March 06, 2026 12:00 A.M. Job Description: Overview To provide a safe environment at the City's recreational pools, and serves in a safety as well as community oriented capacity. The position is responsible for enforcing all safety rules and regulations. Oversight of all Lifeguard II and Lifeguard I team members to include mandatory trainings and certificate upkeep. Leadership of daily operations and pool protocols and water quality testing. Essential Functions Observes and supervises the activities in the swimming areas. Orients and trains new lifeguards on job duties and responsibilities. Ensures that all lifeguards are current on their training and certifications and all are provided for their personnel file. Schedules, coordinates and conducts Inservice training. Ensures that lifeguards are fully competent in first aid, CPR, and all water rescue techniques. Provides all training records to Human Resources. Ensures that aquatic programs are occurring as desired and assists with the overall management of aquatic programs and events. Provides day-to-day supervision of assigned aquatic programs including scheduling of lifeguards and instructors to ensure coverage meets Association guidelines and standards. Assists with recruiting, hiring, training, and evaluating of staff. Manages statistics and record keeping as assigned. Maintains aquatic program areas and equipment with a high attention to cleanliness and safety. Maintains log of daily procedures; oversees maintenance of equipment and inventory of supplies for first aid Maintains order in the swimming areas. Cautions swimmers regarding unsafe practices and safety hazards. Enforces and adheres to pool rules and regulations. Follows emergency action plan and procedures established in the event of an emergency. Assists in aquatic programs such as learn to swim classes, water safety classes and special events. Inspects assigned areas to insure proper warning signs and safety devices are properly posted or in place. Completes incident reports and daily operational reports. Other duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications Associate's Degree, Eight (8) years experience as a lifeguard, Lifeguard Certified, Five (5) years experience in supervisory capacity, Ability to teach aquatic programming, First Aid Certified, Certified as Water Safety Instructor, CPR for Professional Rescuer, Ability to re-qualify for certification each year, Possession of and ability to maintain a valid State of Florida driver's license or obtain one within 6 months of hire. Job Based Competencies Working knowledge and understanding of pool chemistry and filtration systems. Knowledge of appropriate ways of dealing with individuals in emergency situations. Ability to be proactive and recognize emergencies or unsafe conditions and take effective actions prior to incidents occurring. Ability to respond to the public in a calm, effective manner including exercising tact, firmness and good judgment in enforcing rules and regulations. Ability to maintain courteous and effective relationships with co-workers and the public. Ability to perform rigorous physical activity and to work for long periods of time under adverse weather conditions. Skill in using rescue, first aid and lifesaving techniques and equipment. Skill in swimming and rescuing endangered persons. Ability to work independently and in a team environment. Ability to make accurate observations. Ability to community effectively verbally and in writing and to prepare concise written reports. Responsibility Under the direction of and responsible to the Department Head or designated representative. Some supervisory responsibilities. Physical Requirements This position requires the exertion of 100 pounds of force occasionally and up to 50 pounds of force frequently. This position works outdoors and may be subject to a variety of weather changes or atmospheric conditions. This is a high noise environment position. Public Contact Considerable public contact. Retirement Benefit The City of Sarasota made the transition to become a Florida Retirement System (FRS) employer effective December 1, 2021. To learn more about what this benefit may mean for you, please visit MyFrs.com. Please note that if you are hired to work for the City of Sarasota as an FRS employer, you will be asked to complete a form to certify your FRS status, as there may be an impact to any FRS benefit you are already receiving. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Jake Brown our ADA Coordinator. Jake can be reached via email at or via phone at 941-263-6299. For questions pertaining to general employment or job application status, please call 941-263-6476, or email

Created: 2026-03-04