Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. Learn about the energetic, creative people working to ensure every kid has the chance to play—every day.

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ABOUT THE POSITION: As a Site Specialist, you will bring healthy play and physical activity to elementary school students to create a positive environment for learning and teaching. In this position, you receive two weeks of training before the school year starts. You will partner with up to two schools to run Playworks' physical activity programs focused on teaching and organizing safe and collaborative games during the school day. You will teach conflict resolution strategies, inspire all children to get off the sidelines and into the game, and work to generate more community and family involvement.

Here’s where you come in:

Specifically, you will have Program, Administrative, and School Partnership Duties for up to two schools as follows-

Program Duties:

• Plan and implement play-based and sports programming during recess, in school, and after school hours at a public elementary school.
• Recess - Create a safe, fun, and inviting playground by developing and modeling standard agreements for behavior and conflict resolution skills, teaching kids and recess support staff the rules and strategies of the games, and recruiting disengaged students to participate.
• Junior Coach Leadership Program - Implement a youth leadership program by facilitating student training and providing student leadership opportunities at recess. Junior Coaches are a mix of 4th through 6th grade students who participate in regular trainings that focus on teaching valuable skills like leadership, conflict resolution, and community action, successfully improving their self-esteem, self-advocacy, leadership ability, and desire to improve academically.
• Class Game Time - Lead instructional time with individual classes throughout the year. During this time, the coach teaches foundational skills and activities that will prepare students so they can confidently engage in and enjoy recess.
• Game/Sports Tournaments - Lead non-competitive teams designed to develop skills, provide a positive team experience, and teach good sporting behavior to students.
• Plan and implement the learning units and recess staff meetings for program components coordination.

Administrative Duties:

• Maintain communication between Playworks staff, school staff, teachers, families, and volunteers. 
• Collect and maintain paperwork, including organizing daily, weekly, and monthly schedules and timesheets.
• Support the collection of evaluation data administered by Playworks.

 School Partnership Duties:

• Consistently represent Playworks’ brand in a professional manner.
• Design program schedule with input and support from school administration.
• Communicate with school administration regarding program implementation logistics and support needs.
• Facilitate the school’s transition to other Playworks trainings, programs, and products in preparation for future school years.

Regional Support Duties: 

• Support delivering corporate engagements to adults, such as School Beautifications, Play Days, and Corporate Recesses.
• Support regional team and national program department with delivery of programmatic learning, pre-service training, and management resources and contribute to the development and continued quality improvement of Playworks curriculum.
• Participate in fundraising projects and events, e.g. End of the Year Appeal and annual events.

If you're a good fit for this position, you already know most of what this job entails. However, to be sure we're providing a complete picture, here are some details:

Success in this position will require you to be highly organized, independent, energetic, and great at multitasking. The strongest candidate will have proven experience in the following areas

• Energetic and Passionate: You bring enthusiasm to every interaction and are deeply committed to youth development.
• Active and Outdoors-Oriented: You enjoy being active, working outdoors, and bringing energy to physically engaging environments.
• Positive and Approachable: You bring friendly, welcoming energy to every interaction, with the ability to build strong relationships and foster trust among groups.
• Takes Initiative: You’re comfortable taking charge and guiding both kids and adults in dynamic settings.
• Skilled Communicator: You excel in facilitating games, meetings, training sessions, and interactions that engage and inspire your audience.

Adaptable and Resilient: You thrive in fast-paced environments and excel at finding creative solutions to challenges.

• Highly Organized and Goal-Oriented: You can balance multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and stay focused on achieving positive outcomes.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven organizational skills in meeting or exceeding expectations in the production of timely planning and deliverables such as program plans, reports, and observational notes. 
• Extensive knowledge of youth development principles and practices, especially relating to social and emotional learning, play, and inclusion.
• At least 2 years of experience working directly with small and large groups of children.
• Experience working collaboratively with adults and facilitating trainings for adults..
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills with the ability to facilitate small and large group presentations.
• Experience establishing and maintaining professional relationships with internal leadership and teams and external clients through excellent interpersonal skills and professionalism.
• Experience interacting with diverse communities and ability to integrate into school communities.
• Knowledge of computer and internet-based programs, especially Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), Google Drive, and virtual meeting platforms such as Google Meets and Zoom.
• Flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.
• This position will require travel to various regional locations. School sites may be widely dispersed in the city/region; therefore, daily access to reliable transportation is required.

Compensation & Benefits:

Playworks offers the full package - great benefits, a fun place to work, and an opportunity to grow professionally. We offer:

• Competitive hourly wage: $23.75 / hr. 
• This is a seasonal (10-month), full-time (40 hours per week), non-exempt position.
• Schedule: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Locations: South Bay (Carson, Lennox, Westchester); Los Angeles (South LA, Central LA, Montebello); Orange County (Costa Mesa)
• Paid time off for school breaks and paid sick leave
• A comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee-funded pre-tax health, and child care spending accounts.
• Opportunities for professional development

This is a hands-on, creative, playful, and fun-loving place to work, all while contributing to the success of our nation’s youth. So, if you're ready to immerse yourself in the education sector, working on a rewarding set of challenges, and if you've got the skills, experience, passion, and team spirit, apply!

• Candidates selected for an interview will be contacted on a rolling basis.

Other things you need to know:

• If a Playworks employee is required to drive a vehicle for work-related purposes (not commuting purposes), the employee must complete an authorization form and provide us with evidence of valid, current driver's license and proof of liability/collision/property damage insurance with minimum coverage of $50,000 each accident/ $100,000 each occurrence.

Typical physical and mental demands:

Playworks Site Specialists are required to frequently balance, bend, climb, grasp, kneel, reach, sit, squat, stand, stoop, twist, walk, and write on a daily basis. Site Specialist must also be able to occasionally lift and carry light to medium loads of 10 – 50 pounds, and be able to occasionally pull and push loads of 10 – 50 pounds. Requires a normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with children and adults. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environments.

ABOUT PLAYWORKS: At Playworks ,we believe in the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. We create a place for every kid on the playground to get active, build valuable skills, connect, and have fun. We partner with schools, districts, and after-school programs to provide a service or mix of services, including on-site coaches, professional training for school staff who support recess, and consultative partnerships. Playworks is changing the way children experience school every day by leveraging the power of safe and healthy play. We create a place for every kid on the playground to feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Our ambitions demand that we invest in recruiting, developing and managing a team that reflects the broad diversity of our communities. 

As an equal opportunity program, Playworks encourages applications from all individuals regardless of national origin, religion, gender, differing abilities (physical, mental, learning), sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, political affiliation, military experience, and any other legally protected basis. Playworks evaluates all candidates on a merit basis.

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