Head Varsity Cheerleading Coach

REPORTS TO: Senior Athletic Director or designee
HOURS: Dependent upon practice, competition, and event schedule as designed by Athletic Director
ASSIGNMENT: SY 26-27
STIPEND: $4,500
EXEMPT STATUS: Non Exempt
CAMPUS: High School

Summary

The Head Varsity Cheerleading Coach leads a safe, organized, inclusive program that strengthens school spirit, game-day performance, scholar-athlete development, and the grade 6-12 cheerleading pathway. The coach teaches progressive cheer skills, prepares athletes for approved school events, and develops the program toward competition readiness within two program years. Success is measured by safety, skill growth, participation, culture, communication, compliance, event readiness, and completion of the two-year competition-readiness pathway - not trophies or competitive placement alone.

Requirements

In order to be considered for the Head Varsity Cheerleading Coach position at Foundation Academies, candidates must:

• Embrace Foundation Academies' college- and career-readiness mission and core values.
• Lead with patience, energy, inclusion, accountability, sportsmanship, body-positive coaching, and a safety-first developmental mindset.
• Teach cheerleading through approved progressions, qualified spotting, purposeful repetition, clear feedback, and age-appropriate expectations.
• Communicate professionally, protect confidentiality, maintain appropriate adult-student boundaries, and work effectively with scholar-athletes, staff, families, event personnel, and the community.

Certification

• Appointment and approval by the local educational agency and a valid New Jersey teaching certificate or instructional substitute credential; the substitute credential currently requires at least 30 semester-hour college credits.
• Current adult CPR/AED and Basic First Aid certification through an approved provider, including an in-person skills component when required.
• NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching completed before first employment as a coach, unless an applicable NJSIAA exemption applies.
• Annual NFHS Concussion in Sports and Heat Illness Prevention training.
• One-time NFHS Implicit Bias and NJSIAA BeNice training, plus all school-required safety, medication-response, mandated-reporting, and emergency training.
• Completion of criminal-history and employment-authorization requirements and the ability to maintain credentials throughout the assignment.
• Complete school-approved cheer-specific safety and risk-management training, including performer readiness and proper tumbling, stunt, and pyramid progressions, before independently supervising those skills.

Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Pipeline Building

• Establish the varsity program philosophy, annual plan, team standards, skill progression, performance calendar, and development pathway in alignment with athletics leadership.
• Coordinate with the Head Middle School Cheerleading Coach on shared terminology, safety standards, fundamental skills, athlete transitions, and appropriate grade 6-12 program alignment.
• Supervise assistants and volunteers, assign duties clearly, and ensure every staff member satisfies Foundation Academies and applicable New Jersey requirements before working with athletes.
• Promote equitable participation, multisport involvement, leadership opportunities, school pride, and transparent program information through approved school channels.

Practice Design, Skills & Performance

• Plan progressive practices that develop motions, jumps, voice, dance, conditioning, flexibility, tumbling foundations, stunts, pyramids, transitions, synchronization, crowd leadership, and performance confidence.
• Teach only skills appropriate to athlete readiness, staff qualifications, available spotters, approved surfaces and mats, and current governing safety rules.
• Use written progressions, skill stations, video, performance evidence, and athlete feedback to adjust instruction and build complete routines safely.
• Prepare organized, school-appropriate material for assigned games, pep rallies, showcases, ceremonies, community events, and other approved appearances.

Team Selection & Athlete Development

• Conduct safe, equitable tryouts using transparent criteria that consider readiness, coachability, effort, growth potential, commitment, teamwork, and performance needs.
• Make roster and performance-role decisions using documented evidence, safety, skill readiness, attendance, and team needs; selection and featured roles are not guaranteed.
• Set one clear development focus for each scholar-athlete, provide simple midseason feedback, and document a practical next step at season closeout.
• Develop captains and emerging leaders to model preparation, inclusion, sportsmanship, communication, and care for teammates.

Academic, Behavioral & Family Expectations

• Reinforce eligibility, attendance, punctuality, preparation, respectful behavior, appropriate social-media conduct, and healthy team habits.
• Review school-issued eligibility information at scheduled intervals and complete any assigned athlete check-in or support referral within three school days; no independent tutoring or team GPA target is required.
• Hold a preseason scholar-athlete and family meeting covering expectations, schedule, safety, eligibility, tryouts, performance roles, transportation, uniforms, costs covered by the program, and conflict resolution.
• Use approved communication channels, communicate urgent changes promptly, and address concerns consistently with school and athletics leadership.

Compliance, Safety & Skill Progression

• Ensure no scholar-athlete participates until the Athletics Department confirms registration, eligibility, medical clearance, and all required documentation.
• Review the emergency action plan, AED access, emergency communication process, venue layout, and evacuation procedures before practices, games, and off-site events.
• Inspect floors, mats, sidelines, spacing, footwear, uniforms, props, music equipment, and practice areas before use; remove unsafe equipment and report concerns immediately.
• Require approved progressions, trained spotters, appropriate matting and surfaces, and documented readiness before tumbling, stunts, pyramids, baskets, or other elevated skills.
• Follow concussion, sudden cardiac arrest, heat illness, injury-response, transportation, and return-to-play procedures; medical decisions remain with qualified medical personnel.
• Immediately notify athletics leadership of serious injuries, threats, misconduct, hazing, discrimination, boundary violations, and other reportable incidents.

Game Day, Events & Competition Development

• Coordinate approved game assignments, call times, warmups, sideline locations, music, scripts, breaks, halftime material, travel, supervision, and safe dismissal procedures.
• Collaborate with athletics and school leadership so performances support event flow, sportsmanship, crowd engagement, school identity, and family-friendly standards.
• Maintain a two-year competition-readiness plan covering safety credentials, roster depth, skill progression, routine construction, rules, staffing, facilities, mats, uniforms, music, transportation, budget, and approval milestones.
• Enter exhibitions, evaluations, or competitions only with prior Athletics Department approval and verified compliance with the event organizer's rules and safety requirements.

Equipment, Uniforms & Records Management

• Maintain accurate attendance, roster, emergency-contact, skill-progression, evaluation, award, uniform, equipment, music, and season-closeout records by deadline.
• Manage uniforms, warmups, shoes, bows, pom-poms, signs, mats, speakers, props, keys, and technology; report loss or damage promptly and target at least 95% return of issued items.
• Maintain current music and routine documentation, use properly licensed or school-approved content, and submit required event or competition materials by deadline.

Qualifications

• Previous cheerleading coaching, competitive cheer, sideline cheer, dance, gymnastics, teaching, or advanced youth-development experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current cheer safety rules, skill progressions, spotting, tumbling and stunt readiness, choreography, conditioning, and risk management.
• Ability to lead an inclusive school-spirit program while building toward appropriate scholastic competition readiness without compromising safety or athlete development.
• Strong organization, communication, music and routine planning, digital-platform, record-keeping, and relationship-building skills in diverse school communities.

Goals & Performance Metrics

Evaluation uses coach-controlled evidence and reasonable program context. Safety, development, event readiness, culture, and progress toward the approved two-year competition pathway carry greater weight than trophies, rankings, or the record of supported teams.

Development & Competition-Readiness Measures

• Safety and supervision: Complete the emergency action plan and AED review before the first practice, maintain documented skill progressions, inspect practice and performance areas before every use, and report serious incidents immediately.
• Training quality: Maintain a written objective for every practice and use approved progressions, spotters, surfaces, conditioning, and recovery practices appropriate to the planned skills.
• Individual growth: Establish one development focus for every athlete by the end of week three, provide one midseason feedback touchpoint, and record one next step at closeout.
• Participation and readiness: Track every team activity, target at least 85% season completion excluding circumstances outside the coach's control, and provide meaningful developmental opportunities across the roster.
• Academic support: Review every issued eligibility report and complete each assigned flagged-athlete check-in or referral within three school days; no GPA or tutoring quota applies.
• Game-day experience: Deliver prepared, school-appropriate material for assigned events and complete one documented event-experience review each season with athletics leadership.
• Year-one competition foundation: By the end of SY 2026-27, complete a written readiness assessment and approved action plan covering safety, staffing, roster depth, skills, routine needs, facilities, mats, uniforms, music, transportation, budget, and rules.
• Two-year competition readiness: By the end of SY 2027-28, demonstrate a safe full-routine progression, complete at least one approved exhibition or mock adjudication, and submit an evidence-based recommendation showing readiness to enter an appropriate scholastic competition, subject to Athletics Department approval.
• Operations and records: Submit attendance, skill, uniform, equipment, performance, evaluation, and closeout records by deadline and correct confirmed discrepancies within one business day.

Evaluation & Renewal

Performance will be reviewed by the Senior Athletic Director or designee using direct observation, program records, stakeholder feedback, compliance evidence, skill development, event performance, and progress toward the two-year competition-readiness pathway. Stipend renewal is based on program need, performance, conduct, safety, compliance, and continued approval.

Work Environment & Physical Expectations

The assignment requires indoor and outdoor athletic-event work, extended standing and supervision, cheer demonstrations, travel, loud environments, changing temperatures, and reasonable handling of mats, uniforms, props, and sound equipment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

Perform Other Responsibilities

Perform other related duties assigned by athletics leadership or school leadership. This description identifies the role's principal functions and is not exhaustive; duties may be adjusted for program needs, current law, school policy, and governing-body or event requirements.