England Site Specialist

Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to bring out the best in every kid. Learn about the energetic, creative people working to ensure every kid has the chance to play—every day.

Playworks has an exciting opportunity for passionate, organized, relationship‑driven, and dynamic Site Specialists (also known as Playworks Coaches) to support local school communities. As a Site Specialist, you will bring the power of healthy play and physical activity to two elementary schools in Boston or Lawrence, helping create joyful environments where students and staff can thrive. In partnership with school communities, you will lead Playworks programming throughout the school day, using play to build skills, strengthen school culture, and support student success.

You will facilitate engaging recess and class game sessions, teach conflict resolution, and inspire all students to participate, feel connected, and collaborate with school staff and families to foster a stronger sense of community both inside and outside the classroom.

• Plan and implement sports and play‑based programming during recess, in school, and after school hours at two public elementary schools.
• Create a fun and safe recess environment for all students by organizing and leading a variety of games and activities. Coaches actively participate in games, model positive behavior, and ensure every child feels included, engaged, and successful during play.
• Lead structured classroom‑based play sessions under the Class Game Time (CGT) that teach students games and skills they can bring into recess and the classroom, promoting cooperation, confidence, conflict resolution, physical activity, and fair play.
• Facilitate a leadership development program for 4th‑ and 5th‑grade students, training and mentoring Junior Coaches to lead games, support younger peers, and strengthen their leadership, teamwork, communication, responsibility, and conflict resolution skills.
• Plan and implement the learning units and recess staff trainings for program components.

• Maintain communication between Playworks staff, school staff, teachers, families, and volunteers.
• Collect and maintain paperwork, including organizing daily, weekly, and monthly schedules and timesheets.
• Support the collection of evaluations administered by Playworks.

• Consistently represent Playworks’ brand in a professional manner.
• Design a program schedule with input and support from the school administration.
• Communicate with school administration regarding program implementation logistics and support needs.
• Facilitate the school’s transition to other Playworks trainings, programs, and products in preparation for future school years.

• Support in delivering corporate engagements to adults, such as School Beautifications, Play Days, and Corporate Recesses, in person or virtually.
• Support the regional team and the national program department with the delivery of programmatic learning, pre‑service training, and management resources, and contribute to the development and continued quality improvement of Playworks curriculum.
• Participate in fundraising projects and events, e.g., End of the Year Appeal and annual events.

If you’re a good fit for this position, you already know most of what the job entails. To provide a complete picture, the role requires:

• High organization and energy, strong multitasking abilities, acute attention to detail, and time‑management across multiple priorities.
• Proven experience in managing dynamic programming, staying up to date on administrative responsibilities, and being a motivated self‑starter who sets clear goals and follows through with flexible and creative problem‑solving.

• Proven organizational skills in producing timely planning and deliverables such as program plans, reports, and observational notes.
• Extensive knowledge of youth development principles and practices.
• At least two years of experience working directly with small and large groups of children.
• Experience working collaboratively with adults and…