Parks and Recreation Jobs

Parks and Recreation Director

一个城市的parks and recreation directorreports to thecity manageror anassistant city managerand manages all activities of the parks and recreation department. All of the staff in the department reports to the director.

Parks and recreation directors routinely interact with other department heads such as the finance department to determine the department’s annual budget. They deal with thecity attorneyto ensure that legal liability is mitigated, and they work with thepublic information officerto create marketing campaigns promoting department services.

Parks and recreation directors make frequent presentations to thecity counciland an advisory board (usually called the parks and recreation board or parks and recreation commission).

导演w形成强烈的个人关系ith parks and recreation board members and collegial relationships with city council members. The director relies on the city manager for advice on presenting to the city council.

Parks Manager

Parks managersare responsible for the maintenance and operations of city parks. They develop maintenance schedules and hold their staff accountable for carrying out the tasks necessary to keep parks clean and safe. Parks managers help the director create and update the city’s parks plan that projects when construction of new parks and renovations to existing parks will take place.

Parks Maintenance Supervisor

Parks maintenance supervisorsoversee the daily work of parks maintenance crews. Sometimes they pitch in to help with manual labor, but their primary role is to ensure the job is done safely and efficiently. New supervisors are often promoted from within and usually enlisted to supervise their former crew.

Parks Maintenance Worker

Parks maintenance workerstake care of the landscapes, hardscapes, structures, and equipment within parks. Their mowing, edging, pruning, trimming, and countless other tasks keep the parks pristine. The job requires attention to safety to avoid injuring themselves or others.

Recreation Manager

Recreation managers oversee the recreation activities the city administers for its citizens. Recreation coordinators report to the recreation manager.

Recreation managers help parks and recreation directors create recreation plans and budgets. Whereas plans can cover one or multiple years, budgets typically include one year, but they are made with both long-range and short-range plans in mind.

Recreation managers keep up with maintenance schedules for recreation facilities and equipment. Faulty or unsafe equipment can leave the city legally liable if accidents happen.

Recreation Coordinator

Recreation coordinatorsdeliver recreation services directly to citizens. They report to recreation managers and may supervise part-time staff or volunteers. They most often work with youth and senior adults, as these two groups tend to consume recreation services more than others. Recreation coordinators ensure a safe environment for their customers by modeling safe behavior and enforcing rules. They often work evening and weekend hours.

Aquatics Manager

水上运动管理监督的业务aquatics centers. Head lifeguards and lifeguards are under theirline of supervision. There may be a few other staff members at the aquatics center, but lifeguarding staff comprises the vast majority of employees.

A big challenge for aquatics managers is the age of their staff. Most city lifeguards are teenagers who do not have more than a few years of paid work experience.

As a result, aquatics managers often have to teach their staff how to be an employee. They help them learn good habits, like coming in on time, staying on task, and treating customers with respect.

With this young staff comes a high turnover rate, which means aquatics managers are continually hiring and training new staff.

Head Lifeguard

Head lifeguardsplay a precarious role in that they don't usually have managerial authority over their fellow lifeguards, but they direct their work under broad guidance from the aquatics manager. Head lifeguards are lifeguards who have proven technical proficiency and have shown leadership potential. They not only model safe behavior for swimmers but their fellow lifeguards as well.

Lifeguard

Lifeguards protect swimmers by enforcing rules and attending to swimmers in distress. While most are very young, they must present themselves as authority figures and command respect.

Since lifeguards are at the bottom of the organizational structure of the aquatics center, they often have to do the tasks that no one else wants to do. If the bathroom needs cleaning, for instance, and the janitorial staff is not scheduled to show up for another hour, you can guess who grabs the mop.

Open Water Lifeguard

Open water lifeguards patrol beaches and other shorelines to keep swimmers safe. They put themselves in more dangerous situations than other lifeguards and have more extensive training. They also often have EMT certifications.