About Seattle Parks and Recreation:
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) is a national leader and innovator in the services and programs we provide to our residents who enjoy our public spaces such as parks, community centers, specialty gardens and swimming pools. Our mission is to equip employees and the public for well-being as we support healthy people, a thriving environment and vibrant community. We provide safe and accessible spaces for residents and visitors to work, recreate, rejuvenate and enhance quality of life and wellness for children, teenagers, adults and seniors.
Traditionally, we have provided recreation opportunities through our network of community centers, pools, and other facilities. We are building our capacity to bring recreation programs to the people—not just in our facilities, but also in parks, in streets, and through partners, with goals of reducing racial health disparities and empowering historically underserved communities.
SPR commits to City of Seattle Workplace Values and Expectations, and Racial Equity and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We support and hold ourselves accountable by striving to eliminate barriers to access and provide employees with equitable opportunities for professional growth and advancement.
About the Recreation Division:
The Recreation Division inspires all people to reach their full potential through recreation programs and activities. We operate over 50 recreation facilities (community centers, teen centers, pools, school-based learning centers, environmental learning centers, and boating and sailing centers) and provide opportunities for people to play, learn, and lead healthy, active lives. Our programs and events include fitness and athletics, licensed childcare and preschool, swimming and boating, youth development and job preparation, academic enrichment, and more -- including programs designed for older adults and people with disabilities, as well as grant and partnership programs designed and implemented with immigrant and refugee communities. With nearly 300 regular employees and a budget of nearly $40 million annually, Recreation is a major operation with significant impact on the communities we serve. In addition to our current operations, we also strive to constantly improve the ways we serve Seattle’s residents, specifically through implementation of the SPR Strategic Plan, innovation in our facility staffing and programming approaches, and learning from national best practices and quality standards.
The Leader We Are Seeking will:
Manage Change: The Recreation Division is transforming its approach to government work to a business mindset. Our city’s population and demographics are rapidly changing, and we need a leader who will empower the team to modernize facility utilization, recreational programs, and the workforce. This leader will need to have a deep understanding of change management, personnel accountability, and process improvement.
Lead with Equity and Anti-Racism: This leader will be an effective and unapologetic champion of racial equity, with a demonstrated history of strategically applying anti-racism principles to organizational development, resource allocation, operations, and team leadership.
Deliver Results and Build and Maintain Relationships: We take our work seriously because we know that our programs have the power to change people’s lives. This leader will facilitate the division work plan and ensure accountability for the agreed-upon results identified by the team in partnership with the community. This leader will have a proven track record in work planning, strategic planning, results-based facilitation, and operational management. We also understand that strong relationships matter – whether between our programs and their customers, our frontline staff and our Leadership Team, or the division and our external partners. We seek a leader who can drive results while building and maintaining collaborative relationships.
Servant Leadership and Team Building: This leader will have experience in leading and encouraging diversity of thought on the team and creating a culture of trust. This leader will have an unselfish mindset and foster leadership in others. This approach would include engagement with the division’s large numbers of temporary City staff and contracted partners. This leader will have demonstrated success in developing relationships at all levels of an organization, maintaining accountability, operationalizing vision, and strategic direction through on-the-ground change that balances differing priorities toward the collective vision, and building the capacity of individuals and teams to achieve shared goals.
• Work with the Superintendent to set the overall vision for recreation services, facility utilization, and program delivery.
• Establish a clear vision of the framework managers and employees operate within in making program development and operational decisions in a d
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: Aug. 21, 2024, 10:48 p.m.
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