Performance Coach
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SWEAT DC
Washington, DC, US
Summary
The Performance Coach manages the first-time member experience through consultations and sales to convert visitors into long-term members. They also provide on-floor coaching support, ensuring proper form and energy during strength training classes.
Job Description
Performance Coach
Why We Exist
SWEAT DC was built on the belief that fitness should be about more than just workouts.
We believe strength training can change lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. We believe people deserve spaces where they feel seen, supported, challenged, and like they truly belong.
Founder Gerard Burley grew up poor in West Baltimore often feeling like he didn’t fully fit in anywhere as a Black gay kid searching for confidence, community, and belonging. After losing his mother suddenly to congestive heart failure at 18 years old, fitness became more than exercise. It became therapy, confidence, community, and a way to rebuild mentally and physically.
After studying Sports Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a master’s degree in Health and Exercise Promotion, and playing professional basketball overseas in Italy, Gerard returned home and founded SWEAT DC in 2015.
Today, SWEAT DC has grown into one of Washington, D.C.’s leading strength training communities with one mission:
Help people become confident in their skin.
About the Role
SWEAT DC is seeking high-energy, relationship-driven Performance Coaches to help lead the member experience inside our studios.
This is not a traditional front desk position and it is not solely a coaching role.
Performance Coaches are responsible for delivering an exceptional first-time experience, building strong relationships with members, supporting clients on the training floor, and converting first-time visitors into long-term members through authentic connection, consultation, accountability, and sales leadership.
This role sits at the intersection of:
• sales
• hospitality
• fitness
• retention
• coaching support
• community leadership
The Performance Coach is one of the most important positions inside SWEAT DC because this role directly impacts member experience, studio growth, retention, and community culture.
The strongest candidates for this role genuinely love people, thrive in high-energy environments, communicate confidently, and are motivated by both personal growth and performance-based compensation.
This role is designed as a direct growth path into Head Coach and future leadership opportunities within SWEAT DC.
Core Responsibilities
First-Timer Experience & Consultations
• Welcome and engage all first-time clients and new members
• Conduct pre-class consultations focused on goals, experience, injuries, and motivation
• Build trust and rapport before class begins
• Create a welcoming and inclusive first impression of SWEAT DC
Sales & Member Conversion
• Confidently present membership recommendations and pricing options
• Convert first-time visitors into long-term members
• Handle objections professionally and authentically
• Follow up with leads, trial clients, and prospective members
• Help drive membership growth, retention, and client accountability
In-Class Floor Leadership
• Take primary ownership of all first-timers and first-week members during class
• Support clients with weight selection, form adjustments, spotting, and encouragement
• Help maintain class flow, transitions, and energy
• Assist Head Coaches with demos and floor management when needed
Studio Experience & Operations
• Help maintain a clean, organized, and high-energy studio environment
• Support class preparation, transitions, and post-class resets
• Represent the culture, professionalism, and values of SWEAT DC both inside and outside the studio
What Success Looks Like
• First-time clients feel welcomed, supported, and confident
• Strong client relationships and accountability are built consistently
• High first-timer conversion and retention rates
• Positive member feedback and team collaboration
• Consistent sales performance and follow-up execution
• Strong floor presence, professionalism, and leadership
Qualifications
• Passion for fitness, people, hospitality, and community
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• High energy, professionalism, and emotional intelligence
• Confidence speaking with people and recommending solutions
• Experience in fitness, coaching, hospitality, sales, or customer experience preferred
• Personal training certification required or willingness to obtain within the first 90 days
• Strong weight room experience and movement competency required
• Former athletes and experienced strength training enthusiasts strongly encouraged to apply
• Availability for mornings, evenings, weekends, and 20–25+ coaching hours per week preferred
Compensation & Growth
• Expected earnings: $35,000 to $75,000+ annually
(20–25 hours/week including hourly pay, commission, and bonuses)
• Base compensation starts at $30/hour
• Additional commission opportunities tied to memberships sold, consultations, and studio performance
• Bonus opportunities connected to conversion, retention, and overall impact
• Strong growth pathway into Head Coach, studio leadership, and future full-time opportunities within SWEAT DC
Top performers in this role have the opportunity to build a major presence within one of Washington D.C.’s fastest-growing strength training communities.
