COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS PARKS & RECREATION SERVICE AREA POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Executive Director

Position Characteristics: Appointed, exempt, non-seasonal, full-time, exempt, full benefits. 

Weekdays, evenings, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays.

Department: Administration 

Reporting Relationships:

Position Reports To: Board of Trustees

Positions Directly Supervised: Assistant Director, Human Resource Director, Parks & Facilities Manager, Operations Manager, Aquatics Manager, Recreation & Fitness Manager.

Internal and External Contacts:

Internal: Board of Trustees, manages and directs all operating functional units and departments.

External: Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation Director, Cottonwood Heights City Manager, Cottonwood Heights Police Department, Salt Lake City Public Utilities, Canyons School District, University of Utah, Community Councils, Home Owners Associations, Sports Associations, and other related Professional Organizations.

Position Purpose:

The Executive Director is responsible to fulfill the vision and mission of the Service Area, as set forth by the Board of Trustees. Manages and directs the facilities, parks, operations, services, policies, and personnel of the Service Area. Create a positive work environment where personnel thrive and deliver programs and services that are in the best interest of the residents and taxpayers of the Service Area. Manages and coordinates the financial duty, integrity, and sustainability of the Service Area. Foresees and plans for future needs and opportunities to enhance the Service Area’s facilities, parks, and services. Promote effective relationships with the community and other local, state, national agencies. 

Dimensions:

Budget Controlled by the Position: $6,500,000

Taxes and Revenues Generated: $6,500,000

Number of Employees Indirectly Supervised: 400+

Essential Functions and Basic Duties:

Assume responsibility for the administration of Service Area’s operations, facilities, parks, and services.

1. Oversee, establish, and implement effective organization structures, policies, programs, and services.
2. Ensure optimal scheduling and analyze sustainability of all programs, facilities, parks, and services. 
3. Organize and attend Board meetings. 
4. Implement and carry forward Board approved requests and expectations including procurement, elections, taxation, legal matters, forecasting, capital planning, and construction projects. 
5. Meet with Trustees, individually, regularly, to review progress toward meeting the mission of the Service Area.
6. Keep the Board appraised of any material developments on a real-time basis.
7. Conduct periodic reviews, gather data of existing systems and procedures to ensure maximum operating efficiency and provide recommendations for improvements.
8. Identify, evaluate, and manage risk within the Service Area.
9. Ensure that Service Area facilities and parks are well-maintained, safe, and secure.
10. Ensure that all operating policies and procedures are legally compliant.  

Assume responsibility for the development and implementation of effective Service Area planning.

1. Direct and lead, with the assistants of the Board of Trustees, in all short and long term strategic planning. 
2. Ensure the development and implementation of effective and innovative programs, facilities, parks, programs, services, and policies. 

Assume responsibility for the management and coordination of the Service Area’s financial duty, integrity, and sustainability.

1. Prepare, implement, and monitor the annual budget.
2. Oversee and ensure compliance with all applicable statutory requirements for financial management and reporting of the Service Area.
3. Oversee, establish, implement, and evaluate the Service Area’s fees and program rates. 
4. Perform annual budget planning and implementation for capital improvements and maintenance obligations.
5. Oversee the annual, external audit of the Service Area. 
6. Seek, research, and apply for alternative funding sources.  

Assume responsibility for ensuring optimal performance of Service Area personnel.

1. Provide leadership to personnel by example and by setting effective objectives, values, and goals.  
2. Use effective delegation and communication strategies.
3. Hire, train, evaluate, promote, and discipline the department heads and management staff.
4. Provide direction to the department heads and management staff, which encourages individual strength and expertise, resulting in a high level of morale and performance. 
5. Conduct regular staff meetings.
6. Oversee and ensure that all employee policies and procedures are legally compliant.
7. Direct and train personnel regarding policies, procedures, standards, and safety requirements.

Assume responsibility for ensuring that professional business relationships are established and maintained with the community and other local, state and national agencies.

1. Coordinate activities with Canyon School District, Cottonwood Heights City, and Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation to avoid duplication of services, maximize resources, and promote harmonious and productive relations. 
2. Represent the District at public meetings and committees that impact policies, facilities, parks, programs, services, and operations of the Service Area. 
3. Provide positive public relations and resolution of conflicts concerning Service Area affairs.
4. Identify and serve the parks and recreational needs of the community. 
5. Respond frequently to public inquiries and concerns.
6. Ensure that community members are provided an appropriate opportunity to impact Service Area programs through the use of surveys, public meetings, and analysis of local parks and recreation trends.  

Assume responsibility for other duties as required or assigned.

1. Dual serve as the Executive Director, of the Service Area’s affiliated 501(C)(3) non-profit organization - Cottonwood Heights Parks & Recreation Foundation.
2. Stay informed of trends within the Parks & Recreation industry. 
3. Attend related seminars, conferences, and conventions.

Major Challenges:

1. Formulating (in conjunction with the Board of Trustees) appropriate and effective long and short term strategic plans.
2. Establishing and maintaining optimal Service Area organizational structure, policies, and procedures.
3. Ensuring optimal and efficient use of Service Area resources and tax dollars.
4. Ensuring that personnel are well-trained, effective, and optimally used. 

Performance Measurements:

1. Effective planning occurs which furthers the Service Area’s Mission, Core Values, and Vision.
2. Parks and recreational facilities, programs, and services represent the diverse needs of the community. 
3. Resources and facilities are optimally utilized. 
4. Financial assets are well-managed and annual budgets are met. 
5. Strong maintenance and capital improvement programs are maintained.
6. Positive business relations exist with patrons, community members, schools, government, and other professional organizations. 
7. Service Area personnel are well-trained, effective, efficient, and their activities well-coordinated.
8. The Board of Trustees are appropriately informed regarding Service Area activities and any significant problems. 

Minimum Qualifications:

Training/Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Parks & Recreation, Public Administration, or closely related field.
• Valid driver’s license and a copy of their Motor Vehicle Record prior to employment.
• Must be bondable and pass a criminal background check.

Required Knowledge:

• Extensive knowledge of recreational facilities’ maintenance and operation procedures, including parks, playgrounds, playing fields, ice arenas, aquatic facilities, etc.
• Extensive knowledge in preparing, developing, and appropriately implementing an annual budget.
• General knowledge in business, marketing, management, human resources, finance, taxation, bonding, accounting.
• General knowledge of all related legal requirements including FLSA, FMLA, OSHA and ADA regulations.
• General knowledge and background of parks, recreation, aquatics, and fitness programs.
• Understanding of Parks & Recreation and its role in the community and its relationship within local government organizations.

Experience Required:

• 6 years of experience as an administrator or supervisor of a comparable government or Parks & Recreation organization.

Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent public relations and communication skills.
• Analytical and creative thinking abilities.
• Strong leadership and supervisory abilities.
• Ability to coordinate and cooperate with other business and government entities. 

Desired Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Parks & Recreation Management, Public Administration, or closely related field.
• CPRP or CPRE certifications from the National Recreation & Parks Association. 

Physical Activities and Requirements of this Position:

Finger Dexterity: Pinching, typing, etc., primarily with fingers only. 

Talking: Especially when one must frequently convey detailed or important instructions or ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Hearing: Able to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information.

Seeing: Average, ordinary, vision acuity necessary to prepare or inspect documents or products, or operate machinery. 

Physical Strength: Sedentary work, sitting most of the time. Exerts up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally.

Working Conditions:

• Willing and available to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and be on-call in case of emergency.
• Frequent local travel and occasional long distance travel.
• Light physical activity including typing, intermittent sitting, standing, and walking.
• Exposure to stressful situations as a result of human behavior and stringent deadlines. 

Mental Activities and Requirements of this Position:

General Education-Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw conclusions. Able to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions and can deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

General Education-Mathematics Ability: Ability to compute discount, interest, profit, and loss; commission, markup and selling price; ratio and proportion and percentage. Able to perform very simple algebra.

General Education-Language Ability: Ability to read (by sight or Braille) periodicals, journals, manuals, dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias. Ability to prepare business letters, proposals, summaries, and reports; using prescribed format and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style; using all parts of speech. Ability to conduct training; communicate at panel discussions and to make presentations with poise and control.  

Intent and Function of Job Descriptions:

Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and terminations decisions. Well-constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system. 

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determines to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

Job descriptions are not intended to and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason no prohibited by law. 

Training/Education/Certification:

Bachelor’s degree in Parks & Recreation, Public Administration, or closely related field.

Valid driver’s license and a copy of their Motor Vehicle Record prior to employment.

Must be bondable and pass a criminal background check.

Required Knowledge:

Extensive knowledge of recreational facilities’ maintenance and operation procedures, including parks, playgrounds, playing fields, ice arenas, aquatic facilities, etc.

Extensive knowledge in preparing, developing, and appropriately implementing an annual budget.

General knowledge in business, marketing, management, human resources, finance, taxation, bonding, accounting.

General knowledge of all related legal requirements including FLSA, FMLA, OSHA and ADA regulations.

General knowledge and background of parks, recreation, aquatics, and fitness programs.

Understanding of Parks & Recreation and its role in the community and its relationship within local government organizations.

Experience Required:

6 years of experience as an administrator or supervisor of a comparable government or Parks & Recreation organization.