Therapeutic Recreation Leader

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter square miles in the city have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Therapeutic Recreation Leader position.
 
 What we do and how we do it is driven by our 4 Guiding Principles:

• Aligning the work we do with our strategic plan
• Executing against our strategy and ensuring accountability for our results
• Promoting and encouraging a culture of leadership and ownership at all levels of the organization
• Promoting a culture of service excellence, creativity and entrepreneurship

Overview
The Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Department (RPCA) supports the well-being of Alexandria’s residents by ensuring access to a variety of quality recreation, park, and cultural experiences. In pursuit of service excellence, this Therapeutic Recreation Leader position supports. Therapeutic Recreation programming for youth and adults at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center and facilitate full inclusion in general recreational programs across the City of Alexandria.
 
Under the supervision of a Therapeutic Recreation Manager – the Therapeutic Recreation Leader will actively engage in developing, implementing, promoting, fun, safe, interactive programming in a team-focused environment. Primary responsibilities entail directly working with participants to strengthen skills, manage challenging behaviors, foster independent participation and will work with staff to create a positive, inclusive environment. The incumbent will provide professional administrative support and programmatic duties. The Therapeutic Recreation Leader is responsible for assisting supervisors with management of facility and leading specialized program areas, including adaptive activities, full inclusion and one-on-one support. The Therapeutic Recreation Leader has latitude in implementing programs within their assigned area of responsibility. 
 
This position is full time, with hours generally Monday – Friday available between 9
 a.m. – 6 p.m., flexible schedule with evenings and weekend program hours for special events. The successful candidate will be passionate about working in the community, bringing enthusiasm, flexibility, excellent communication skills and phenomenal customer service are all necessary to be successful in this position.

 The Therapeutic Recreation Leader’s key work projects FY25-FY26:

• Fully engage with program leadership and assist with further development and implementation of Therapeutic Recreation services with a focus on decreasing unmet needs and providing adaptive programming throughout the City of Alexandria.
• Plans, develop and implement quarterly strategic Program Plans for the Therapeutic Recreation Program operation that are conducted in a structured environment, include measures to evaluate success, and foster positive engagement through inclusive, non-competitive activities.
• Contribute to creating welcoming, inclusive, safe, and positive work experience with team members, actively participate in staff meetings, in-service trainings, and workshops.
• Establish and maintain exceptional working relationships with the public, other agencies, and coworkers.
• Safeguard program participants and ensure safety procedures and guidelines are followed.
• Performs related work as required, including but not limited to general support of facility operations and special events at the recreation center. Participate in department meetings and training as required. Perform and complete other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Key Work Aspects of RPCA and the City of Alexandria:
RPCA Strategic Plan – RPCA employees are expected to implement the mission, vision, values, and the strategic focus areas as determined through business plans and the budget process. It is expected that all decisions will be made considering the values and focus areas.

Statement of Workplace Excellence – Every RPCA staff member has the right to a safe, healthy, efficient, and pleasant working environment where all organization members adhere to the highest standards of behavior, personal integrity, and truthfulness. Each staff member demonstrates full support and acts on deploying workplace excellence.

Shared Leadership Approach - We continually strive to gain the maximum amount of discretionary effort on the part of our staff members. All staff members are collectively responsible for our organizational community and have leadership roles. Everyone is a decision-maker within his or her job. We invite participation in solving organizational issues and constantly improving our operations. We share a leader-to-leader model.

Customer Service Guarantee– We are committed to delivering a consistently superior customer experience to all who participate in our programs or visit our parks and facilities. Service will be:

• Responsive – respond in a timely manner to all residents and customers both external and internal. We accept the request we receive and do not shift responsibility.
• Professional – represent the department in appropriate appearance, decorum, and communication.
• Courteous – Treat everyone with respect. Treat everyone fairly. Treat everyone with dignity.
• Accountable – Demonstrate a bias toward action. Ensure follow-up and follow-through with appropriate results.

Our most valued assets are engaged, staff members and customers.
 
What You Should Bring
 Each member of our team is accountable for exceptional delivery of services to the
 community. You will work to meet the recreational needs of our community. You will ensure that all activities are fun, safe and orderly. To best serve the community in this position, you should have good knowledge of the social and recreational sciences, including the theory, principles, and practices of therapeutic recreation. You must also demonstrate an ability to plan and implement activities and work effectively in a group setting. You should be able to execute programming that meets the highest standards of excellence.
 
The Opportunity

• Plans, develops and implements quarterly strategic Program Plans for the Therapeutic Recreation Program operation;
• Plans and develops structured enrichment and group activities;
• Develops measures for each program/activity to evaluate success and adjusts as necessary;
• Lead activities that are inclusive, non-competitive and foster positive engagement;
• Be Responsive, Professional, Courteous and Accountable in all interactions;
• Safeguard program participants at all times;
• Ensures all safety precautions and guidelines are followed;
• Participates in staff meetings, in-service trainings and workshops;
• Good knowledge of RecTrac, Munis, Kronos, and Microsoft Office;
• Performs related work as required.

 About the Department
The mission of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is to create meaningful experiences through public space, cultural activities and programming. The City of Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities received national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). National accreditation requires park and recreation agencies to meet 155 standards representing elements of effective and efficient park and recreation operations.