Middle School Cross Country Coach

Season: Fall

Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn is a tuition-free, independent public charter school serving grades 6-12. Our mission is to provide all students with exceptional preparation for college and their careers that empowers them to lead fulfilling lives.

Athletics are an important part of that preparation, providing opportunities to develop discipline, confidence, teamwork, resilience, leadership, and school pride. As Panthers, our student-athletes are expected to compete with purpose, support one another, and represent Unity with pride.

Unity's Middle School is located at 432 Monroe Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and our High School is located at 584 Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg.

Position Summary

Unity coaches are educators, mentors, and leaders who use athletics to help students grow on and off the course. The Middle School Cross Country Coach builds an inclusive, competitive, and high-character program in which students across experience and ability levels can discover running, develop as athletes, challenge themselves, experience belonging, and represent the Panthers with pride.

The coach is responsible for creating a program that attracts and engages students while developing the fitness, technique, confidence, habits, and competitive mindset necessary for athletes to improve throughout the season. Great runners and teams are built through consistently excellent practice, preparation, encouragement, and feedback.

Essential Responsibilities

Build an Excellent Cross Country Program

• Develop and lead a competitive, well-organized cross country program reflecting Unity's expectations for excellence, sportsmanship, safety, and student development.
• Plan and lead consistently high-quality practices that are purposeful, engaging, appropriately challenging, and maximize active participation and individual growth.
• Teach age-appropriate running fundamentals, including pacing, form, endurance, race strategy, warm-up and cool-down routines, strength and mobility, recovery, and injury prevention.
• Design training that appropriately differentiates for students across a range of experience, fitness, and ability levels while helping each athlete make measurable progress.
• Prepare student-athletes to compete confidently and effectively in meets and help them understand race strategy, course management, and goal setting.
• With the active support of the Athletic Director and other coaches, recruit, encourage, motivate, and engage students, building a program they are excited to join, work hard for, contribute to, and remain part of.
• Establish and consistently reinforce clear team expectations, routines, roles, and standards.

Develop Student-Athletes

• Build strong relationships with student-athletes and know them as individuals, students, and competitors.
• Teach discipline, perseverance, resilience, goal setting, teamwork, leadership, accountability, and sportsmanship while providing the support students need to meet high expectations.
• Help students develop confidence in themselves as athletes, including students who may be participating in organized athletics or distance running for the first time.
• Use individual goals, progress monitoring, feedback, and recognition to help athletes understand their growth and remain motivated throughout the season.
• Know the academic standing, attendance, and eligibility status of student-athletes and partner with students, families, teachers, and school leaders to support Unity's academic expectations.
• Reinforce the responsibilities of being a Unity student-athlete and help students respond productively to challenge, competition, feedback, success, and disappointment.
• Create opportunities for athletes to maximize their potential and excel, including encouraging students with interest and ability to continue cross country, track, or other athletics at Unity's High School and beyond.

Build Team & School Culture

• Create a team environment characterized by belonging, enthusiasm, hard work, encouragement, mutual respect, and a strong Panthers identity.
• Build a culture in which athletes celebrate both individual improvement and team success and understand that every runner contributes to the program.
• Ensure student-athletes represent Unity with pride and sportsmanship at practices, meets, school, and in the community.
• Model composure, integrity, respect, preparation, positivity, and accountability in interactions with students, families, officials, competitors, spectators, and colleagues.
• Contribute positively to Unity's broader school culture and celebrate student-athletes' growth and accomplishments.

Partner with Families & the School Community

• Build strong, respectful relationships with families through clear, timely, and proactive communication about schedules, expectations, student progress, meets, and concerns.
• Partner with the Athletic Director, school leaders, teachers, and other coaches to support the educational and athletic development of student-athletes.
• Help build continuity between Unity's middle and high school athletics programs by encouraging students to remain engaged in athletics as they advance through Unity.
• Address concerns professionally and participate in relevant athletics and school events.

Operate with Excellence

• Maintain a consistent practice and meet schedule, communicate changes promptly, and arrive prepared and on time for all team activities.
• Prioritize student safety during practices and meets, including appropriate attention to weather, hydration, training load, running routes, injuries, and student supervision.
• Follow all school, league, city, and state requirements governing interscholastic athletics and established health and safety procedures.
• Maintain required records and ensure proper care, inventory, and return of uniforms, equipment, and supplies.
• Work closely with the Athletic Director on scheduling, transportation, facilities, eligibility, equipment, meets, awards, and end-of-season responsibilities.

What Success Looks Like

A successful cross country season at Unity is about more than meet results. We expect our Panthers to challenge themselves and pursue excellence while ensuring student-athletes:

• Experience consistently well-planned, productive practices and demonstrate measurable growth in fitness, running ability, confidence, and race performance.
• Develop an understanding of the habits, preparation, and perseverance required to improve as runners and athletes.
• Meet high academic, attendance, behavioral, and eligibility expectations.
• Demonstrate discipline, teamwork, resilience, leadership, sportsmanship, and pride in representing Unity and the Panthers.
• Demonstrate strong participation, attendance, engagement, retention, and commitment to their teammates and program.
• Develop enthusiasm for athletics, with students encouraged to continue participating in cross country, track, or other sports at Unity's High School.
• Finish the season stronger-as athletes, students, teammates, and young people-than when they began.

What We Look For in a Unity Coach

• Student-Centered: You see coaching as an opportunity to teach, mentor, challenge, encourage, and develop young people.
• Developmental & Competitive: You value individual growth and broad participation while preparing students to challenge themselves and compete at a high level.
• High Expectations, High Support: You build trusting relationships, hold students accountable, and help them rise to ambitious expectations.
• Motivational: You know how to encourage young athletes through difficult practices, setbacks, and the physical and mental challenges of distance running.
• Prepared & Dependable: You plan ahead, communicate clearly, prioritize safety, and consistently follow through.
• A Culture Builder: You create belonging, teamwork, enthusiasm, and Panthers pride.
• Reflective & Coachable: You seek feedback, collaborate well, and continually improve your craft.

Qualifications

Required

• Strong understanding of distance running fundamentals, conditioning, training progression, race preparation, and athlete safety.
• Ability to teach and develop middle school athletes across a wide range of experience and ability levels.
• Strong organizational, communication, motivational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build positive relationships and communicate effectively with students, families, colleagues, officials, and other programs.
• Demonstrated reliability, professionalism, sound judgment, integrity, and accountability.
• Current CPR/AED certification, or willingness to obtain certification with support from Unity prior to the start of the season.
• Ability and willingness to meet all applicable certification, safety, league, and regulatory requirements.

Preferred

• Prior cross country, track and field, distance running, or endurance-sport coaching experience; middle school coaching experience strongly preferred.
• Experience working with middle school students in a school, youth development, club, or community-based setting.
• Experience building participation and positive team culture while developing athletes individually and collectively.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described are representative of those required to perform the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made. The role may require extended standing and walking; traveling over varied outdoor terrain; bending, stooping, climbing stairs, and reaching; physical ability to actively supervise and support practices and meets; and lifting up to 25 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height.