PE Educator and Coach

La Jolla Country Day School is seeking a collaborative, energetic, and student-centered Physical Education Educator and Coach to join our Athletics and Physical Education. This individual will teach physical education across divisions and serve as a coach for an interscholastic athletic program. The ideal candidate is passionate about developing the whole student through physical activity, teamwork, and competition and is committed to creating inclusive, positive experiences for students of all ages and abilities.

Why La Jolla Country Day School?

La Jolla Country Day School is an independent coeducational day school serving students from age 3 through Grade 12 in San Diego, California. With all grades on one campus, LJCDS offers a uniquely connected community where students are known, supported, and challenged to grow.

Physical education and athletics are integral to the LJCDS experience, helping students develop physical skills, confidence, leadership, resilience, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Our educators and coaches serve as mentors and role models, balancing a commitment to athletic excellence with the development and well-being of every student.

If you are an enthusiastic educator and coach who enjoys building relationships, collaborating with colleagues and families, and creating meaningful opportunities for students to grow through physical activity and athletics, we encourage you to apply.

What You’ll Do

• Physical Education & Student Development
  • Teach daily physical education classes across assigned grade levels, adapting instruction to students’ developmental levels, abilities, and learning needs
  • Plan and deliver engaging lessons that build fundamental movement, fitness, sport-specific, teamwork, and game skills
  • Establish a safe, inclusive, and appropriately challenging learning environment that promotes participation, sportsmanship, and confidence
  • Assess student growth, provide timely feedback, and maintain lesson plans, assessment records, and other required documentation
  • Teach and reinforce safe use of equipment, appropriate game play, cooperation, and respect for others
  • Supervise students during classes, activities, and other assigned responsibilities
• Coaching & Athletics
  • Serve as coach of an interscholastic athletic program and develop a program that promotes both competitive excellence and student development
  • Plan and lead practices, competitions, team meetings, conditioning, and other program activities
  • Teach sport-specific skills, strategies, and game concepts while developing teamwork, leadership, resilience, and sportsmanship
  • Build a positive team culture in which student-athletes are challenged, supported, and held accountable
  • Monitor student-athlete participation, progress, safety, and eligibility and communicate regularly with families and the Athletics Department
  • Collaborate with coaches and athletics staff on scheduling, facilities, equipment, and program development
  • Contribute to the broader athletics program and support a consistent, student-centered coaching culture
• Collaboration & Community Engagement
  • Partner with academic educators, learning specialists, counselors, administrators, and families to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical development
  • Participate in faculty, department, team, and professional development meetings and contribute to curriculum and program development
  • Support school events, student activities, and community-building initiatives
  • Engage in ongoing professional development and stay current with effective practices in physical education, athletics, and coaching
  • Model professionalism, integrity, inclusion, and respect in all interactions with students, colleagues, families, and community members

Who You Are

• Student-Centered Educator: You are passionate about working with children and adolescents and understand how physical activity, athletics, and movement support students’ physical, social, emotional, and personal growth.

• Engaging Coach & Culture Builder: You bring strong coaching expertise and create teams where students are challenged to grow, supported through setbacks, and encouraged to compete with confidence, resilience, and sportsmanship.

• Collaborative Communicator: You build strong relationships with students, families, and colleagues; listen with empathy; communicate clearly; and approach partnership with openness and respect.

• Inclusive & Community-Minded: You create welcoming environments where students of varied abilities, backgrounds, and experiences feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to participate and contribute.

• Reflective & Growth-Oriented: You demonstrate curiosity, adaptability, sound judgment, and a commitment to learning, professional growth, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred

• Demonstrated experience teaching physical education and/or coaching student-athletes; head coaching experience preferred

• Experience working with children and adolescents across multiple developmental stages

• Strong knowledge of age-appropriate physical education practices, athletic development, student safety, and effective coaching

• Ability to design engaging instruction and adapt activities to students with a range of abilities, skill levels, and learning needs

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships with students, families, and colleagues

• Collaborative, self-motivated, and emotionally intelligent, with sound judgment and the ability to navigate a dynamic school environment

• Demonstrates a growth mindset and approaches change with openness, adaptability, resilience, and a willingness to learn from others

• Commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive educational and coaching practices and to fostering a strong sense of belonging

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Must be physically able to play and demonstrate the sport they are coaching
• May work in outside weather conditions
• Both sitting and standing are required during a regular workday
• Normal vision and hearing abilities are required to interact with students, parents, faculty, and staff, and with school equipment
• Noise level may be moderately loud – specifically when attending sporting events
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 40 lbs
• Ability to turn, bend and reach
• Ability to move oneself around the campus
• Position requires adaptability, analyzing, assessing, calculating, decision making, dependability, good judgment, reading, memorizing, social skills, speaking, multitasking, and writing

Physical presence on campus is required to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of this role.

Salary Range

$65,000-$90,000 annualized. The salary offer to a successful candidate will depend on factors including experience, education, training, and relevant skills.

To be considered, please submit:

• A current resume
• A cover letter expressing your interest in joining the LJCDS community and relevant experience

We value authenticity in the application process and ask candidates to refrain from using AI tools to generate their application materials.