City of Kitchener Careers

Youth Drop-In/Program Team Leader (Summer Employment)

(Temporary Part Time for approximately 4 months)

Competition Number

2024-541

Job Code

9275

Posting Date

December 17, 2024

Closing Date

February 14, 2025 (at 6:00pm)

Job Status

Temporary Part-Time

The City of Kitchener is a vibrant and dynamic city of approximately 292,000, in the heart of southwestern Ontario. As the largest municipality in Waterloo Region, Kitchener continues to be poised for development and growth, enhancing its reputation as a leader in city-building and innovation, with nationally recognized strategies to build its neighbourhoods, its digital infrastructure and its diverse economy.

The City of Kitchener is WHERE you want to work! Learn more about the top reasons to join us:

Why work at the City of Kitchener

Position Overview:

We are looking for positive and energetic role models to lead our youth program staff teams this summer. As part of our City of Kitchener Youth Services team, you will be responsible for leading your team in organizing and implementing nightly activities to provide dynamic recreation, social and leadership opportunities for youth in a fun and relaxed environment. 

The Youth Team Leads at community centre-based youth programs will be responsible for leading their staff team in organizing nightly indoor recreational activities, including sports, arts, and games for youth ages 12-17. 

The Youth Team Lead for the Doon Skatium mobile skateboard park will be responsible for leading their staff team in delivering a variety of outdoor activities for children and youth ages 8-17 at different sites weekly across the city. 

What you’ll gain:  

• Real experience working with tweens and youth and a staff team 
• Leadership skills 
• Effective program planning abilities 
• Positive behaviour management approaches 
• Skills supporting a staff team 
• An amazing summer experience  

What we’re looking for: 

• An energetic leader, a motivator and a coach. 
• Experience leading a team with a collaborative approach.
• Positive role-model with strong verbal communication skills. 
• Understand the value of relationship-building in working with youth and have a caring, positive and patient approach. 
• Fair, flexible, and consistent leaders. 
• Understand conflict resolution processes and group dynamics. 
• Experience working with children and youth ages 8-17. 

Employment Dates: June 9 - August 25, 2025 (Skatium Team Leader end-date is August 29, 2025)

Hours a week: 21 hours/week  

Hours of work: 6:00pm-10:00pm, 6:00pm-11:00pm on Tuesdays

• The Doon Skatium program is an outdoor program. Hours of work for skatium staff will change in August due to diminishing daylight to 5:00pm-9:00pm. 

Required Training Dates: June 9 - 13. Please Note: ALL training in-person and online is required and mandatory to complete prior to start of program/camp. 

Additional Information:

• Must be available to support Leader training June 16-20 and June 23-25
• No work scheduled June 26, 27 and 30 and on statutory holidays (July 1 and August 4).

Selection is based on a combination of application and interview.  

Responsibilities:

Team Development and Support

• Assist the Youth Drop-in Coordinators to deliver staff training   
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with all team members and actively participate in creating a high-energy team including team building, feedback and addressing minor performance issues.
• Guide and coach the staff team at your site in all aspects of program administration and delivery including following safety procedures, problem-solving and conflict resolution, ensuring safety and cleanliness of program area and program equipment 
• Role-model positive behavior with staff team and participants (teamwork, responsibility, initiative, and sportsmanship).
• Monitor leader’s program delivery, role-model expectations, provide guidance and compile staff evaluations

Program planning and implementation

• Work with staff team to plan, lead and participate in programming and special activities for your program site or the mobile skateboard park.
• Actively engage youth participants in program planning, ensuring youth have a voice in the decision-making process
• Bring your energy and enthusiasm daily to lead and motivate your staff team to deliver safe, inclusive and creative youth programming activities
• Actively interact with participants and assist in implementing programming.
• Role-model character and positive behaviour for staff team and youth participants (including teamwork, listening, responsibility, initiative, problem-solving, positive youth development and sportsmanship).
• Provide support to volunteers in the Youth Crew program
• Open and close the program areas and ensure the safety and cleanliness of the centre/trailer and of the program area before, during and after use. Centre-based team leads may be required to open and close the facility. Skatium Team Lead will open and close the skatium trailer each night. 
• Assist with the set-up and take down of program equipment and supplies while ensuring safe use, condition, and storage of equipment. 
• Work with Youth Drop-in Coordinators to ensure necessary equipment and supplies are available for program activities. 
• Take action to ensure the safety and enjoyment of participants through communication, monitoring, and enforcement of program expectations and facility rules, and addressing unsafe and unacceptable behavior using positive behaviour management strategies.
• Perform tasks to support the program including budgeting, program planning, participant statistics and program evaluation. 

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Minimum level of education – Grade 12 diploma or equivalent
• Minimum 1 month of related experience in youth programming (for 12–17-year-olds) and leading a team
• Minimum age requirement – must be at least 18 years of age or older by the first day of employment, unless otherwise specified
• Valid CPR Level "C" and Standard First Aid Certificate 
• Provide a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Check at your own expense as a condition of employment valid after March 1, 2025.
• Access to reliable personal transportation to work is required for the full duration of employment
• Skatium Team Lead must be able to lift and carry up to 35lbs independently, skateboarding experience an asset.
• Skatium Team Lead must be able to travel to various work locations across the city 
• Reliable with a good attitude and employment record.

The City of Kitchener is committed to an equity-driven, inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free recruitment and selection process, and to ensuring our workforce reflects the full diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ persons, as well as other equity deserving groups.

We will accommodate the needs of applicants under the Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Please contact Human Resources at [email protected], or 519-783-8081 to make your needs known, so that we can support your full and equal participation throughout the hiring process.

We appreciate the interest of all applicants. Only candidates whose skills, experience and qualifications meet the requirements of the position will be contacted.

Please note that as per Human Resources Policy HUM-HIR-110, "Employment of Relatives of Staff Members and Elected Officials":

"The immediate relatives of staff of the Human Resources Division, all Directors, General Managers, or the Chief Administrative Officer and Elected Officials shall not be employed by the City in any capacity.

The immediate relatives of all other Management personnel shall not be employed where such employment would be:

1. within the same Department in the case of permanent full-time, temporary full-time and part-time classifications.

2. within the same Division in the case of students."

Department

Community Services

Division

Neighbourhood Programs and Services

Union Affiliation

Non-Union/Management

Number of Positions

15

Hours of Work

Up to 35 hours per week

Location

Initial Location

City Hall 

City

Kitchener

Compensation

Salary Range

$20.33 - $21.04/hour

Grade/Band

2