Varsity Field Hockey - Assistant Coach

Riverdale Country School, a Pre-K through Grade 12 independent all-gender school in New York City, is dedicated to inspiring students to live meaningful and purpose-driven lives. The school achieves this by fostering a culture of academic excellence, critical thinking, and curiosity, supported by a diverse and inclusive community. Riverdale emphasizes both high challenge and high support in its approach to education, encouraging students to engage deeply in interdisciplinary learning, research, and experiential education, both inside and outside the classroom and beyond our campuses. This holistic approach aims to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared to make a positive impact on the world.

At Riverdale, we strive to reflect the diversity of the New York metropolitan area in our students, faculty, and staff. We believe that a diverse and inclusive community enriches the educational experience and is integral to our mission. With a student body of approximately 1,300 students from 117 different zip codes, Riverdale is a vibrant community where 48% of our students identify as students of color. 

We seek to employ educators and leaders who bring a student-centered approach, passion for their work, a commitment to DEIB, and a desire to contribute to the growth and development of our entire school community.

Riverdale Athletics’ mission is to provide a meaningful athletic experience for each student-athlete, while maximizing student participation, promoting sportsmanship, representing the school with integrity, and understanding the importance of balancing the commitments of being a student-athlete. We aim to hire coaches who emulate the values of both Riverdale Athletics and Riverdale Country School.

Our group of coaches are dedicated to their given sport, student-athletes, and team. Coaches are public-facing representatives of the school and interscholastic athletic activities. Coaches should be viewed first as teachers who utilize effective teaching strategies, striving towards having expert knowledge in their discipline. Effective planning, instructional skills, and the ability to set expectations, motivate, and discipline student-athletes are essential components of being a successful coach.

- Plan and deliver daily practices that include sport-specific fundamental technique, strategies, rules, conditioning, and safety

- Organize and supervise drills while executing and teaching sport-specific techniques

- If head coach, collaborate and assign tasks to assistant coach(es)

- Stay current with rule changes and trends in your given sport

- Seek professional development and collaboration with fellow coaches

The season begins on August 18th and ends on Friday, October 25. Practices are from 3:45-5:45 p.m. Monday-Friday. Competitions take place after school during the week. Coaches must be available for the duration of the season.

• Plan and deliver daily practices that include sport-specific fundamental technique, strategies, rules, conditioning, and safety
• Organize and supervise drills while executing and teaching sport specific techniques
• Collaborate and assign tasks to assistant coach(es)
• Stay current with rule changes and trends in your sport
• Seek professional development and collaboration with fellow coaches

To apply for this position, please click on the red “Apply for this Job” button. Please submit a resume and cover letter.  If there are pronouns we should use in potential future communications, we invite you to share that information with us.  For information about this position and all open positions, please visit the Careers page of Riverdale’s website.

Benefits of Full Time Work at Riverdale Country School

Working at Riverdale Country School is a purposeful and meaningful career choice that comes with many benefits including:  

Transportation: Shuttle service is available to/from the 242nd St / Broadway subway station. Limited stops are also available near transit hubs in Manhattan including the Metro North Harlem Station and subway lines – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, A, B, C, and D. If there is need in the community, we can also run a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway / 246th St bus stop which connects to the #7, #10, and Express Buses to/from Manhattan.

Professional Development: A generous professional-development budget provides for conferences, skills training, and onsite training in areas such as mindfulness, coaching, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Grants and Stipends: All employees are eligible for Frankel Fellow grants, known as “passion grants,” which pay for enrichment activities. More than 120 grants have been made to faculty and staff since the program started in 2014. Stipends are available for coaching, affinity group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips (including global trips!).

Sabbatical:  Full time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.  

Health Benefits: Riverdale offers and subsidizes health, dental, and vision insurance.  In addition, the school offers a flexible spending account through which employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses.  

Retirement:  Employees are eligible to join our Defined Contribution retirement plan through TIAA.  The school contributes 7% of an employee's annual salary to their retirement account.  

Vacation:  Riverdale Country School has a generous time-off policy for staff in addition to vacations afforded by the school calendar.