Company Description
Rocket Youth owns and operates a growing portfolio of youth sports, enrichment, and after-school businesses across the United States. Our platform is intentionally multi-brand and multi-location, with each business maintaining its unique identity and local market focus.
We are highly acquisitive, completing approximately 10–15 acquisitions per year. Most of our companies are founder-led, with experienced local operators managing day-to-day operations.
Rocket Youth provides operational leadership and support services to improve performance and scale. These services span marketing, CRM, analytics, M&A/de-novo expansion, accounting, finance, HR, capital, and more.
Role Description
This role is for an operator who has run multi-unit service businesses and knows how to grow and manage such businesses on the ground.
As Director, Business Operations, you will own the performance of a portfolio of recreational businesses, initially focused on gymnastics and swim schools, with the opportunity to expand into other divisions based on your performance.
You will not manage daily operations at the individual locations. You will set direction, diagnose issues, drive execution through local leaders, and be accountable for results.
You will have authority to make changes, but that authority should be used with judgment, because many of our local operators are founders and partners in their respective businesses – a core tenant of our partnership model.
Position Responsibilities
Own Business Performance
- Full P&L responsibility across your portfolio
- Set priorities, roadmap with local leaders and portfolio-wide, and ensure execution
- Identify underperformance early and address it directly
- Identify business risks and implement necessary actions to mitigate said risks
- Run monthly operating reviews with partners and executive team
Grow Enrollment and Volume
These are class-based, capacity-constrained businesses. Growth comes from increased enrollment and better utilization, not infinite inventory.
You will:
- Increase enrollment volume without compromising safety or experience
- Improve class fill and schedule efficiency
- Own pricing decisions and promotional strategy
- Introduce new programs, formats, and SKUs where appropriate
- Lead new location launches from planning through opening and post-opening performance
- Interact weekly with marketing department to ensure on-time and effective execution of marketing activities and broader roadmap
Improve Leads-to-Enrollment Conversion
You will focus on execution at the front of the funnel:
- Improve speed-to-lead and follow-up discipline
- Increase lead → trial → enrollment conversion
- Tighten local sales processes and accountability
- Ensure marketing demand turns into enrollments
Reduce Churn and Extend Customer Lifespan
- Identify why families leave and where experience breaks down
- Improve onboarding and early-engagement
- Implement practical retention and save plays
- Reactivate churned families
- Cross-sell into additional programs
Labor and Organization
Labor is both the cost base and the product.
You will:
- Redesign org structures where needed
- Clarify roles across coaches, admin, and leadership
- Align staffing to schedules and enrollment patterns
- Improve productivity without eroding culture, employee-experience or safety
- Hire, replace, or upgrade local leadership when required
Lead Turnarounds
When a business underperforms, you own the outcome.
You will:
- Diagnose root causes (leadership, labor, pricing, funnel, schedule, etc.)
- Build a clear turnaround plan
- Drive execution through local leaders
- Step in firmly when needed, without taking over daily operations
Integration, Safety, and Corporate Interface
- Support initial M&A integration of newly acquired companies you will manage as the point of contact with Rocket Youth’s corporate team
- Take full ownership post-integration, including implementation and usage of HQ systems and processes across portfolio (e.g. UKG, Ramp, GHL, etc.)
- Enforce safety standards and compliance for your businesses
- Act as the primary link between operators and HQ teams
- Manage relationships with vendors and landlords
- Manage relationships with class-management-system (CMS) providers and continuously improve CMS usage and standardization for better operations at unit-level
The Reality
- Many partners are founders with strong opinions and influence over local culture, staff, and daily processes
- Systems are imperfect and not standardized
- Peak demand is after school, evenings, and weekends
- Safety and experience are non-negotiable
- Execution matters more than decks or recommendations
Who This Role Is For
You have:
- Led multi-unit, brick-and-mortar businesses
- Ideally operated gymnastics businesses (rare, but highly valued).
- Otherwise, preferred experience running service-based, family or youth-oriented retail, sports, education, or entertainment businesses. Experience with membership, subscription, or class-based businesses is a plus
- Personally driven growth through volume, not just pricing
- Comfort operating without pristine systems and with SMBs
- High EQ, strong judgment, and a bias for action
- You are not an advisor. You do not wait on other teams to do the work for you.
- You know how to get things done through people.
Measurements:
Primary:
- Enrollment growth
- Revenue growth
- EBITDA growth
Key drivers:
- Lead conversion
- Retention and churn
- Reactivation
- Class utilization and schedule efficiency
- Labor productivity
Why Join Rocket Youth
· Play a central role in a high-growth company transforming the youth sports and enrichment industry.
· Work directly with passionate operators and leaders shaping the next generation of athletes.
· Be part of a collaborative, entrepreneurial team where your ideas and leadership drive results.
· Receive hands-on mentorship from experienced business leaders with clear opportunities for advancement.
· Competitive compensation, benefits, and growth opportunities within a national platform.
RY is an equal opportunity employer, considering all applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state of federal law.
