Recreation Center Branch Manager (Park Management Specialist II)

Fairfax County is a dynamic community with 1.1 million residents, an award-winning park system, a top-notch school system, safe neighborhoods, and a highly diverse population. At the heart of the community is the nationally recognized leader in park systems, the Fairfax County Park Authority. A large and complex park system encompassing over 24,000 acres of parkland, 427 parks and an estimated 18 million park users per year. The Park Authority is seeking an experienced manager who is innovative, a strong leader, collaborative, and a problem-solver. This position is responsible for the oversight of Rec Centers for multiple locations (Region 1), oversight of county-wide aquatics, and various specialty parks (e.g., Watermine, spray parks, etc.). The person in this position will work closely with the Region 2 Rec Center Manager that oversees other Rec Centers as well as County-wide fitness facility operations. This requires a person who will be able to work collaboratively with field and management staff to ensure facilities are properly operated and that customer service is at the forefront of site staff's responsibilities. The development and implementation of the branch's business and operational plans will be handled by this staff member in conjunction with the other Region 2 Rec Center Manager. Other major responsibilities include long-range planning, management of net revenue and budget goals, development of facility standards (e.g., custodial maintenance), safety, membership growth and sales, and tracking organizational effectiveness. This position will also work closely with the Park Operations and Planning and Development Positions on capital projects and overall facility maintenance.

The ideal candidate would have a strong working knowledge and experience with oversight of large recreational facilities in multiple locations. The candidate will also have significant experience driving revenue growth across recreation lines of business, a proven track record of developing and implementing business plans, as well as an understanding of strategies to improve the customer experience. It will be expected that this position will serve as a member of the Park Services Division Management team working closely with programming, rentals, and centralized customer services teams to deliver services. This position oversees a large workforce of both merit and seasonal staff. Therefore, an experienced leader who can oversee, train, and support a high functioning staff in all of the assigned areas will be essential for the position.

The Park Authority fosters a supportive and inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity in backgrounds and beliefs that strengthen innovative practices essential to achieving our vision of inspiring a passion for parks, healthy lifestyles, and stewardship by providing a sustainable, dynamic, and inclusive park system to support the thriving Fairfax County community.

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

• Plans and directs the operations and activities of a number of sites which offer a wide variety of activities and programs;
• Develops long-range goals and strategic plans;
• Prepares annual operating objectives and monitors progress toward these objectives;
• Analyzes prior years’ expenditures and revenues and compiles, reviews and submits the operating budget;
• Reviews and prioritizes capital improvement budgets and estimates the costs of new and/or renovated facilities;
• Serves as a member of the division senior management team which includes participating in the formulation of policy and advising on decision-making at the division level;
• Develops management indicators for budget development and evaluation of organizational performance;
• Analyzes programs’ use patterns and performance compared to goals, reports the results and recommends improvements;
• Identifies operational deficiencies and projects operational requirements for new and expanded facilities;
• Reviews and approves policies and procedures and implements or recommends changes as appropriate;
• Evaluates suggestions for new programs and for improvements to existing programs;
• Supervises and counsels subordinate personnel and provides for training and career
• development;
• Establishes performance standards and evaluates the performance of subordinate personnel.

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of park and recreation management;
• Knowledge of the principles and methods of organization and management;
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration;
• Ability to plan and coordinate the work of subordinate personnel;
• Ability to supervise, evaluate and counsel employees;
• Ability to analyze programs and evaluate their performance against established objectives;
• Ability to prepare clear, concise financial and administrative reports;
• Ability to evaluate, refine and consolidate budget requests;
• Ability to use a personal computer, applicable software and peripheral equipment;
• Ability to work effectively in a group of both peers and subordinates;
• Ability to keep abreast of developments in the field;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and the public.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for “Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to”)
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in recreation and park management or other closely related field;
Plus, five years of progressively responsible experience in park-related work, including responsible administrative/managerial experience, preferably in the applicable functional area.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with managing multiple, large recreational facilities
• Experience with developing business strategies to grow revenue and participation in recreation facilities.
• Experience managing large revenue budgets/facilities
• Experience with creating business and operating plans to include customer service, marketing, memberships, rentals, custodial maintenance, and operational standard review/development.

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, child protective services registry check and driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer. 

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED: 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

SELECTION PROCEDURE: 

Panel interview and may include exercise.   

The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity. 

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.  

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314.[email protected]EEO/AA/TTY.