Harrisonburg City Public Schools 

TITLE: High School Head Coach 

REPORTS TO: Director of Student Activities and Principal 

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND/OR CERTIFICATION: 

• High school diploma or equivalent. 
• Valid Virginia Teaching Certificate (prefered) or a HCPS substitute. 
• Current district staff member (preferred). 
• Previous experience in sport as participant and/or coach (preferred). 
• Must meet the coaching requirements of the State High School League and/or the State Department of Education. (VHSL Coaches Education, CPR, First Aid, Child Abuse Recognition) 
• Maintain certification in CPR and First Aid. 
• Other qualifications as required by HCPS, HHS, or VHSL. 
• Experience coaching in an Education Based athletic program (preferred). 
• Any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the position. 

TRAITS OF AN EFFECTIVE COACH: 

• Demonstrates a high degree of empathy, positivity, trust, responsibility, discipline & flexibility. Is a developer, teacher, achiever and problem solver. 
• Emotionally mature, objective, and sensitive to people and their concerns. Able to handle work independently and maintain collaborative working relationships with students, families, administration, co-workers and community agencies. 

JOB GOALS: To assist in the development of the program and work with the students/athletes in the sport assigned and to provide life lessons that will positively impact the physical, social and emotional well being of all who are involved. 

JOB SUMMARY: To carry out the philosophy of the athletic department. The head coach is responsible for planning, directing, and leading an education based athletic program that seeks to develop athletes of empathy and integrity. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Learns and adheres to the coaching philosophy and program of the head coach. 
• Accept and implement the co-curricular philosophy of High School. 
• Follows the rules and regulations of the school, the conference and the State High School League. 
• Attend the rules interpretation meeting held by the State High School League. 
• Assist to develop continuity between the community and school programs. 
• Provide leadership in his or her program for all levels (9th, 10th, JV and Varsity) of the sport. 
• Only allows athletes certified by the Activities Office to participate. 
• Maintains appropriate supervision of his/her program at all times (locker rooms, practices, events, bus 

rides, etc.). Supervises any and all space used by athletes while they are present. 

• Assures that the squad at all times will reflect proper attitude and conduct at home or away. 
• Encourages young men and women to participate in sports and other co-curricular activities other than his/her own but does not attempt to influence the specific sport or activity. 
• Represent the school in a professional manner in demeanor, language, and conduct (based on standards established by the DSA). 
• Teaches and emphasizes safe procedures to athletes. 
• Conduct out-of-season training as needed. 
• Attend athletic awards programs. 
• All other duties as assigned by the DSA. 

EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES: 

• Regularly inspect equipment and facilities to insure the safety of each student athlete. 
• Assists in the responsibility for care of equipment and facilities being used. 
• Assists in the issuance, return, and maintenance of equipment. 
• Assists in ensuring that all equipment is cleaned, repaired, and stored properly at the end of the season. 
• Makes recommendations to the DSA regarding needed equipment or repairs to the facility. 

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES: 

• Assist the DSA and principal in the hiring and retention of assistant coaches. 
• Assist students in communication with prospective college coaches and provide letters of recommendation as requested. 
• Direct, supervise, and evaluate regularly the performance of all assistant coaches of the respective sport. 
• Enforces all building and district regulations and policies. 
• Has knowledge and keeps current on rules and regulations regarding your sport and in accordance with VHSL, HCPS, and HHS. 
• Keeps abreast of new knowledge and innovative ideas and techniques by attending clinics, workshops, or other methods. 
• Registering and maintaining records on all athletes. 
• Assures possession of a copy of each student’s current physical before allowing the student to participate. 
• Assures that a copy of the student’s commitment form is on file in the athletic office before allowing the student to compete. 
• Provides information on game times, bus schedules, and practice times to parents and athletes. 
• Conducts self as a personal example of positive demeanor for the athletes and represents the school in a favorable manner. 
• Responsible for reporting scores and disseminating team information publicly. 
• Delegate responsibilities to the assistant coaches as appropriate. 
• Organize and participate in an end of the season information and evaluation sessions with all assistant coaches. 
• Works cooperatively with the DSA and principal on all endeavors related to assigned sport. 
• Participate in pre and post season meetings with the DSA. The post-season meeting will serve as an evaluation conference. 

REASONING ABILITY: 

• Ability to interpret a variety of information furnished in written, oral,diagram, and schedule form. 
• Ability to identify and define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. 

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Maintains appropriate confidentiality. 
• Promotes a harassment-free environment. 
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships; demonstrates a commitment to teamwork. 
• Ability to learn and utilize office equipment, computers, and software. 
• Ability to learn and upgrade job skills in order to meet changing demands of the position. 
• Must be able to navigate the VHSL website for clinic dates, schedules, and official ratings. 
• Ability to react well under pressure, handle and balance multiple demands at one time, work with frequent interruptions, and perform duties and tasks at expected levels of professionalism. 
• Ability to work independently with minimum supervision. 
• Ability to use independent judgment and demonstrates initiative to act without being asked. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

Duties performed typically in settings related to athletics and include, but not limited to: gymnasiums, sport fields, locker rooms, activity buses, weight rooms, and other home and away recreational areas. Frequent walking, stooping, standing, lifting, up to approximately 50 pounds, and occasional lifting of equipment/objects weighing in excess of 75 pounds. Other physical activities are required. Travel with students, coaches, trainers, and teams on athletic related trips is required. Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; visual acuity is required for determining injuries/illnesses; the worker is subject to inside and outside environmental conditions, noise and hazards. Occasional movement of students by wheelchairs and other mechanical devices may be required. Contact with athletic coaches, athletic trainers, administration, staff, and parents is required. Contact with medical professionals may be required. Frequent contact with parents by phone and in person is necessary. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the 

essential functions and meet the physical demands. 

Terms of Employment: Athletic Season 

FLSA Status: Exempt 

SALARY SCALE: Stipend Scale 

EVALUATION: The Principal in conjunction with the DSA will evaluate performance on the ability and effectiveness in carrying out the above responsibilities. 

The above is intended to describe the essential functions of and requirements for the performance of this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities and requirements of this position. 

The Harrisonburg City School Board is an equal opportunity employer, committed to nondiscrimination in recruitment, selection, hiring, pay, promotion, retention or other personnel action affecting employees or candidates for employment. 

Therefore, discrimination in employment against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation, gender, age, disability or marital status is prohibited. Personnel decisions shall be based on merit and the ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. 

To be considered for the vacancy, please complete ALL sections of the application. A resume will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application. 

Please be sure to upload the following: 

• Three (3) current professional references (Name, phone number, email address). At least one reference should be a current supervisor or most recent supervisor. 
• Cover Letter and Resume 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

I have received a copy of this job description. It has been discussed with me and I have freely chosen to comply with the performance and behavior/conduct expectations contained herein. 

__________________________ _________ __________________________ _______ 

Employee’s Signature Date Supervisor’s Signature Date