A swimming pool manager is in charge of the operations of the pool facilities, which can be private or public. Facilities such as city pools or hotels hire managers for the sole purpose of supervising all activities and operations connected to the pool. Swimming pool managers often supervise and train staff to perform a variety of duties related to maintaining the facilities, such as organizing aerobics classes and swimming lessons and ensuring the safety of swimmers. Most jobs only require that the candidate have a high school diploma or general equivalent diploma as well as CPR, lifeguard, and first aid certifications. The manager has to be able to handle some medical emergencies on the pool premises and have procedures in place to call others for help.
Managers have to be comfortable with the financial aspects of managing pool facilities as well as the health and technical aspects. Drafting and submitting budgets is a major part of a swimming pool manager's duties, and the manager is responsible for obtaining enough funds to pay staff, including life guards and swimming instructors. Many managers have to balance the cash and make daily deposits at the close of business, unless they delegate these responsibilities to an assistant swimming pool manager. The leadership team may delegate the responsibility for developing accounting procedures to account for the fees that are collected from patrons to the pool and class attendees to the manager. It’s often the manager’s sole responsibility to notify his or her supervisor or other designated person when inventory is low and more supplies are needed to continue to run the pool facility.
Training and supervising staff is often a daily task required for any swimming pool manager job. The manager has to act as a human resource representative, monitor the time worked by each employee, and ensure that employees are paid overtime pay if necessary. The swimming pool manager also has to take disciplinary actions against staff, including suspending or firing staff according to company policies. Training lifeguards and other staff to perform the duties that they have been hired to do is often an ongoing duty of the swimming pool manager. This may include group training sessions or individualized training, depending on the type of training and the number of staff members who have to be trained.
Maintaining a healthy and sanitary pool is important, and swimming pool managers have to oversee the process. The manager often has to collect water samples from the pool to submit to a laboratory for analysis. A swimming pool manager is also responsible for maintaining the premises and hiring help for repairs as necessary.