Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation

TOWN OF VIENNA

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PARKS & RECREATION

About Parks & Recreation

The Town of Vienna's Parks & Recreation Department is a small team with a big impact. We are a group of dedicated professionals who care deeply about our community, take pride in our work, and genuinely enjoy working together. We work hard, support one another, celebrate successes, and believe that doing excellent work should not come at the expense of enjoying the people you work alongside.

Our work is guided by five values: Exceptional Service, Continuous Improvement, Sustainability, Inclusivity, and Health & Wellbeing. These values shape how we serve the community, how we work with one another, and how we make decisions about the future of our parks, programs, facilities, and services. We believe there is always an opportunity to make something better, while also recognizing and building upon the many things our team already does exceptionally well.

We are looking for a Deputy Director who will bring curiosity, thoughtful leadership, and a genuine appreciation for people to this work. This is an opportunity to join an accomplished team, build strong relationships, develop talented staff, and help shape what comes next for a department that takes its responsibility to the community seriously and has a lot of fun along the way.

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The Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation provides department-wide operational, professional, and administrative leadership in the planning, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of Parks & Recreation programs, services, facilities, parks, maintenance, and operations. The position provides leadership and oversight across four functional areas: Parks Maintenance, Horticulture, & Urban Forestry; Programs, Fields, & Teen Center; Events & Culture; and Operations & Historic Preservation, as well as administrative coordination with the Office Manager and Customer Service Support team.

The Deputy Director serves as a key member of the Department's leadership team, working closely with the Director and staff to advance the department's mission, vision, and strategic priorities while fostering a culture grounded in exceptional service, continuous improvement, sustainability, inclusivity, and health and wellbeing.

The Deputy Director supports department-wide operational and fiscal planning, capital improvement planning, program and service evaluation, personnel development, project management, and implementation of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan and other long-range initiatives.

Working under the administrative direction of the Director of Parks & Recreation, the Deputy Director exercises considerable independent judgment in developing and implementing programs, services, policies, procedures, and operational improvements. The position evaluates practices, resources, and service delivery; considers operational, financial, personnel, and community impacts; and develops recommendations that strengthen organizational capacity, improve efficiency, and respond to the evolving needs of the community.

The Deputy Director fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and accountable workplace by supporting staff development, encouraging employees to contribute their strengths and perspectives, and promoting teamwork, professional growth, and a positive work environment. The position builds effective relationships across the Department, Town, and community and represents the Department with Town management, elected officials, community organizations, boards and commissions, professional organizations, and other stakeholders.

The Deputy Director serves as Acting Director in the Director's absence and performs related work as necessary.

Work Schedule:
Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Night Meetings as Necessary

 

All new employees must satisfactorily complete a background check. A conditional offer of employment may then be made contingent upon the successful completion of a drug test. 

This is an Exempt Position.

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the class as necessary.

 

Essential Functions:

Department Leadership

• Provides leadership and oversight for the department's four functional areas: Parks Maintenance, Horticulture, & Urban Forestry; Programs, Fields, & Teen Center; Events & Culture; and Operations & Historic Preservation as well as administrative coordination with the Office Manager and Customer Service Support team.
• Assists the Director in establishing and implementing department goals, priorities, policies, and operational practices that advance the department's mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
• Evaluates departmental programs, services, facilities, procedures, staffing, and resource allocation to identify opportunities for continuous improvement; considers operational, financial, personnel, and community impacts; and develops recommendations to improve efficiency, service levels, and overall effectiveness.
• Supports implementation of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan and other long-range departmental initiatives.
  
  

Fiscal, Capital and Asset Management

• Assists with development, preparation, presentation, and administration of the annual operating budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP), including identifying and prioritizing departmental needs and resource requirements.
• Monitors revenues and expenditures and recommends adjustments to maintain compliance with adopted budgets, Town financial policies, and established service levels.
• Evaluates programs and services to identify opportunities to improve cost recovery and develops recommendations regarding fees, rates, and pricing.
• Assists with identifying, prioritizing, scoping, budgeting, and coordinating capital improvement projects and major facility, park, infrastructure, and asset needs.
  
  

Project Management & Continuous Improvement 

• Provides oversight for the effective operation, maintenance, programming, and use of department facilities, parks, fields, and other public assets.
• Ensures departmental operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, accessibility requirements, Town policies, and established standards and best practices.
• Coordinates with staff, Town departments, contractors, consultants, and other partners to address facility, park, infrastructure, program, and service needs.
• Evaluates program participation, events, facility and park utilization, service levels, staffing capacity, workload, and operational capacity to identify opportunities for improvement and ensure services align with community needs and available resources. community needs and available resources.
• Leads and manages department projects from planning through completion, establishing appropriate scopes, schedules, responsibilities, resources, and measures of success.
• Leads research, benchmarking, and data analysis to evaluate programs, services, and operational practices, and emerging opportunities, including practices used by other jurisdictions and the parks and recreation profession.
• Develops and implements procedures, systems, and performance measures that promote sustainability, accountability, operational efficiency, proactive planning, and continuous improvement.
• Ensures departmental operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, accessibility requirements, Town policies, and established standards and best practices.
  
  

Personnel Leadership and Development

• Supervises, coaches, mentors, and evaluates professional staff and subordinate supervisors.
• Establishes clear expectations and provides ongoing guidance and feedback.
• Identifies opportunities and encourages staff to participate in ongoing professional development to support staff growth. 
• Promotes a collaborative, inclusive, and respectful work environment that values diverse perspectives, teamwork, accountability, and employee wellbeing.
• Addresses employee performance and workplace concerns in accordance with Town policies and recommends personnel actions as appropriate.
  
  

Communication and Community Relations

• Communicates effectively with employees at all levels of the organization, Town management, elected officials, community members, boards and commissions, vendors, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• Prepares and presents clear, concise reports, budget materials, Council and board agenda materials, correspondence, policies, procedures, presentations, recommendations and other administrative documents.
• Represents the Department and provides professional expertise at meetings, public events, community meetings, boards and commissions, and professional organizations.
• Builds and maintains productive relationships with Town departments, community partners, professional organizations, and other stakeholders and facilitates collaboration to advance departmental and organizational priorities.
  
  

Administration and Department Support

• Provides administrative coordination with the Office Manager and Customer Service Support team to support consistent department-wide operations, information flow, and customer service.
• Maintains knowledge of and uses departmental or Town systems, including RecTrac and Munis, to support reporting, revenue accountability, program analysis, facility utilization, and operational decision-making.
• Assists with grants, awards, policies, special reports, special events, and other department initiatives as assigned.
• Attends meetings, conferences, training, and professional development activities necessary to maintain current knowledge of parks and recreation practices, regulations, and emerging industry trends.
• Serves as Acting Director in the Director's absence.
  
  

Additional Duties
Performs related work as necessary.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:

• Principles, industry best practices, professional standards, and current trends of parks and recreation administration, including parks, recreation programming, facilities, events, maintenance, horticulture, urban forestry, and community services.
• Principles and practices of municipal government administration, including public-sector budgeting, fiscal management, personnel administration, procurement and operations.
• Capital improvement planning, project management, facility and asset management, and long-range planning.
• Program evaluation, data analysis, cost recovery, fee development, and operational performance measurement.
• Applicable laws, regulations, accessibility requirements, Town policies, and professional standards affecting Parks & Recreation operations.

Skill in:

• Strategic and operational planning, project management, prioritization, problem-solving, and follow-through.
• Analyzing and interpreting data and information to evaluate programs, services, staffing, pricing, revenues, expenditures, utilization, and operational capacity.
• Developing practical recommendations, policies, procedures, systems, and performance measures that improve organizational effectiveness and service delivery. 
• Developing and improving policies, procedures, systems, and processes.
• Supervising, coaching, mentoring, developing, and supporting employees and subordinate supervisors through effective methods of feedback and evaluation.
• Building productive working relationships and facilitating collaboration among employees, Town departments, elected officials, community partners, vendors, professional organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Communicating complex information clearly and effectively through written, verbal, and presentation formats, including reports, recommendations, budget materials, policies, and Council and board materials. Using technology and departmental systems, including recreation management and registration software, to support operations, reporting, accountability, and decision-making.

Ability to:

• Lead and support organizational change while maintaining trust, engagement, accountability, and effective working relationships.
• Think strategically while maintaining attention to operational details, implementation, and follow-through.
• Assess the interrelationship among departmental functions and balance operational, financial, personnel, community, and organizational considerations when making decisions.
• Exercise sound judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and professionalism in complex, sensitive, and high-visibility situations.
• Establish clear expectations, provide constructive feedback, and foster employee growth, confidence and professional development.
• Recognize and leverage diverse strengths, experiences, and perspectives to develop effective solutions and support a collaborative work environment.
• Balance competing priorities, available resources, service expectations, organizational capacity, and community needs.
• Promote continuous improvement while recognizing and building upon existing organizational strengths.
• Work independently and collaboratively while maintaining alignment with the Director, Town management, adopted policies, and organizational priorities.
• Represent the Department professionally and effectively with employees, Town leadership, elected officials, community members, professional organizations, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities, Requirements and Impacts

Data Responsibility:

Data Responsibility refers to information, knowledge, and conceptions obtained by observation, investigation, interpretation, visualization, and mental creation.  Data are intangible and include numbers, words, symbols, ideas, concepts, and oral verbalizations.

 

Coordinates or determines time, place or sequence of operations or activities based on analysis of data or information and may implement and report on operations and activities.

People Responsibility:

People include co-workers, workers in other areas or agencies and the general public.

 

Supervises or leads others by determining work procedures, assigning duties, maintaining harmonious relations, and promoting efficiency.

Asset Responsibility:

Assets responsibility refers to the responsibility for achieving economies or preventing loss within the organization.

Requires responsibility for achieving major economies or preventing major losses through the management of a highly complex and/or technical department.

 

Mathematical Requirements:

Mathematics requires the use of symbols, numbers and formulas to solve mathematical problems.

 

Uses mathematics involving the practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions; or measurements, may use algebraic solutions of equations and inequalities, descriptive statistics, plane and solid and rectangular coordinates; mathematical and classifications or schemes.

Communications Requirements:

Communications involves the ability to read, write, and speak.

Reads professional literature and technical manuals; speaks to groups of employees, other public and private groups; writes manuals and complex reports.

Judgment Requirements:

Judgment requirements refer to the frequency and complexity of judgments and decisions given the stability of the work environments, the nature and type of guidance, and the breadth of impact of the judgments and decisions.

 

Decision-making is almost entire focus of the job, affecting most segments of the organization and the general public; works in a highly dynamic environment, and is responsible for establishing goals, objectives and policies.

Complexity of Work:

Complexity addresses the analysis, initiative, ingenuity, concentration and creativity, required by the job and the presence of any unusual pressures present in the job.

 

Performs coordinating work involving guidelines and rules, with constant problem solving; requires continuous, close attention for accurate results or frequent exposure to unusual pressures.

Impact of Errors:

Impact of errors refers to consequences such as damage to equipment and property, loss of data, exposure of the organization to legal liability, and injury or death for individuals.

 

The impact of errors is serious – affects most units in organization and may affect citizens.

Physical Demands:

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

 

Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

Equipment Usage:

Equipment usage involves responsibility for materials, machines, tools, equipment, work aids, and products.

 

Establishes policies for acquiring and handling of machines, tools, equipment or work aids involving extensive latitude for judgment regarding attainment of a standard or in selecting appropriate items.

Unavoidable Hazards:

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

 

Involves routine and frequent exposure to bright/dim light; dusts and pollen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Safety of Others:

Safety of others refers to the level of responsibility for the safety of others, either inherent in the job or to ensure the safety of the general public. 

 

Requires considerable responsibility for the mid-level management of the provision of continuous enforcement of the laws and standards of public health and safety.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in parks and recreation, business administration, public administration, health, physical education or closely related field.
• Six years of progressively responsible experience in public administration or recreation/facility management, including at a minimum of three years at the supervisory or managerial level 
  
  Preferred
• Master’s Degree in a related field.
• CPR/First Aid Certification
• Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) Certification or Certified Parks and Recreation Executive Certification
• Active membership and participation in the Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS) or National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).
• Certificate of Incident Command Systems (ICS) – 100, 200, 700, and 800

 

Special Certifications and Licenses:

Valid State Driver’s License 

 

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

 

The Town of Vienna is an Equal Opportunity Employer.   ADA requires the Town of Vienna to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management.