Deputy Parks Director - Recreation & Engagement

Overview

The City of Redmond is a thriving, culturally diverse community, and home to over 80,000 residents. Redmond is the hub of an array of commerce and industry ranging from technology, aerospace, and gaming to biomedical and innovation start-ups. In this role, you will represent the city, and our values of service, integrity, accountability, belonging and stewardship.

The City maintains an excellent record for public safety and includes several award-winning schools, an extensive park and trail system, and a commitment to protecting the natural environment. These attributes combined offer a highly valued quality of life for the people who live and work in Redmond. That is why we have an exciting new opportunity for you to join us as our new Deputy Parks Director – Recreation & Engagement.

In this role, you will be joining a Parks and Recreation Department with a vision of protecting and enhancing the community’s quality of life by delivering exceptional services. With a biennial operating budget of $45 million and a department staff of 117 full-time and supplemental employees, Parks and Recreation embraces their mission to build community through people, parks, arts, recreation, and conservation.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains a working environment conducive to positive morale, individual style, quality, creativity, and teamwork.
• Provides direction to managers, supervisors, and senior staff members in areas such as policy, operations and planning.
• Coaches managers and supervisors to consistently use performance management techniques; ensures assigned staff correctly supervise, regularly evaluate, recognize, and discipline staff; and conducts consistent staff meetings and 1:1 check-in meetings with direct reports.
• Recruits, selects, trains, and manages staff, handles labor relations, discipline and performance related issues.
• Monitors and enhances customer service initiatives to respond to and support an ever-changing diverse and multi-cultural community.
• Responds to and resolves issues of concern regarding department operations, projects or programs, and citizen complaints.
• Establishes, implements, and monitors short and long-range business plans; manages and participates in the development and implementation of goals, policies, and priorities; and recommends, revises, and administers policies and procedures.
• Develops new approaches to service delivery, performance measurement, capital development, and financial development and controls.
• Directs the preparation of biennial preliminary budget recommendations for the department; analyzes and reviews budgetary and financial data; develops purchasing and budgetary policies and guidelines; and controls and authorizes expenditures in accordance with established limitations.
• Prepares reports and memoranda; reviews and approves contracts and budget-related documents, makes presentations to the Mayor, City Council and other elected officials.
• Serves as a liaison for the Parks and Recreation Department with other divisions, departments, and outside agencies; negotiates and resolves sensitive and controversial issues.
• Serves as a representative on a variety of boards, commissions, and committees; prepares and presents reports and other necessary correspondence.
• Attends and participates in professional group meetings; maintains awareness of new trends and developments in the field of landscape/facilities maintenance, park planning, development, recreation, events, cultural arts and customer service; incorporates new developments as appropriate.
• Serves as the acting Director in the director’s absence; makes decisions and provides information as necessary.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of parks and recreation, planning, programs, community recreation needs and resources.
• Knowledge of cultural arts and events programs.
• Knowledge of budget management and cost recovery methods.
• Knowledge of personal computers including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Knowledge of grant writing, sponsorship and collaborative fundraising.
• Skills in developing effective teams and coordinating efforts of multiple complex functions.
• Skills in customer service, marketing and public relations.
• Skills in identifying emerging issues, developing and implementing new approaches and/or refining the department's organization structure to generate desired results as efficiently as possible.

Abilities to

• Plan, organize, coordinate and implement a comprehensive community park and recreation program.
• Coordinate, analyze, and utilize a variety of reports and records.
• Evaluate complex technical, legal and community relations issues and develop effective solutions.
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, supervisors, other agencies, and the public.
• Supervise and motivate staff.
• Provide leadership, counsel, motivation and constructive performance reviews to staff, securing their respective commitments to the department's goals.
• Maintain or redefine the department's future direction and ways of doing business in response to changing City needs.
• Anticipate and resolve problems before a crisis ensues.
• Develop, implement and monitor appropriate plans, schedules and action steps.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with elected officials, community leaders, advisory boards, the news media, and the general public.
• Understand the City's political environment and sensitivities and function effectively within that environment.
• Work weekend, evenings, and holidays as required.

Education and Experience

• Seven years increasingly responsible experience in parks and recreation operations, planning, and programming.
• Three years progressive supervisory/managerial experience with advanced leadership experience.
• High school diploma or equivalent, Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in business administration, parks and recreation, park administration or a closely related field preferred.
• Experience with performance management, change management, High Performance Organization (HPO), Lean, or equivalent type of organizational development experience preferred.
• Experience working with a diverse community with multi-cultural backgrounds preferred.
• Budget management and enterprise cost recovery experience preferred.
• Grant writing experience preferred.
• Public sector experience preferred.
• Any equivalent combination of education, experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Licenses and Certificates

• Valid WA State Driver's license required.
• CPR and 1st Aid certification within 6 months of hire.

Other

This class description describes the general nature of the work performed, representative duties as well as the typical qualifications needed for acceptable performance. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the job.

Please review the Deputy Parks Director job description for more information about the knowledge, skills, abilities, working conditions, and physical requirements.

Benefits

• Our employees earn competitive wages and enjoy an exceptional benefits package that includes:
• Medical insurance with two plan options for employees and eligible dependents; premiums paid by the City of Redmond.
• Prescription drug insurance included with medical plans.
• Dental insurance for employees and eligible dependents.
• Vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents.
• Other insurance, including life, AD&D, short and long-term disability, and voluntary life insurance.
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care savings.
• Paid vacation and holidays (13 paid holidays per year).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Retirement plans with the Department of Retirement Systems and additional options.
• Annual cost-of-living adjustments and merit increases where applicable.

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