The Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation oversees and manages the three main areas of the Parks and Recreation Department, including Field Operations and Planning Services, Parks and Facilities and Venues and Recreation divisions. These areas include maintenance and/or operations of Peoria’s three community parks, 37 neighborhood parks, the Peoria Sports Complex’s Major League Baseball Stadium and grounds, the Recreation Center, and programs such as aquatics, youth and adult sports, outdoor recreation, enrichment, the citywide trail system, rights-of-way contracts, open space acquisition, planning and development.
The primary function of the Deputy Director position is to support the Parks and Recreation Department by working closely and collaboratively with internal City departments, executive staff, the department management team and other staff, community groups, outside agencies, not-for-profit agency boards and the City Leadership Team, Council, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Regular job responsibilities include budgeting, staff development, strategic planning, relationship building and fostering current key stakeholders.
The ideal candidate for this position will have strong communication and people skills, and a high acumen towards customer service skills. A successful leader of the Parks and Recreation Department and its teams will possess:
Management skills, problem-solving skills and time-management skills that are second to none
Extensive experience supporting and evolving a varied group of programs, staff, divisions, City and leadership initiatives
Proven success managing various divisional budgets and creating new ideas for revenue generation through new program and service offerings
Ability to work on diverse projects and policies while simultaneously working with internal staff and the general public as necessitated
The ability to understand the city’s financial needs and priorities and ensure that divisional budgets meet those needs through both financial knowledge and management success
Demonstrated ability for consistent tracking of department performance measurements and analyzing data for effective decision making and creating innovative concepts for staff and service delivery efficiencies
The desire to lead a successful team of varied professionals and front-line staff, helping staff to professionally develop while excelling at fulfilling the goals of the city and department
Experience with management of Capital Improvement Projects thereby creating long-term sustainable programs for funding and execution of department rehabilitation projects
The ability to create and foster a cohesive and effective team environment so that staff can work together to achieve and surpass common goals and get results
Experience effectively leading and managing a large front-facing public-serving department
Proven experience thinking strategically, identifying opportunities and threats, and developing and pursuing actionable ways to achieve City Council goals
Successful experience communicating the mission, vision and goals of the department and the City to a wide variety of audiences through various mediums, including public speaking
The ability to find and implement effective solutions to complex issues requiring creative innovative thinking
Bachelor's Degree in any field with major course work in management, recreation management, sports management, maintenance operations, or turf of agronomy management;
Seven (7) or more years of increasingly responsible professional experience in a related field, including at least three (3) years of supervisory responsibility;
Advanced knowledge in highly specialist systems and procedures;
The City of Peoria's history goes back to the 1880s. Some could challenge that our beginnings go back as far as the Native Americans who inhabited and traveled along the river now known as New River. As far back as humans have roamed this area, agriculture has been the reason for settlement.
Gradually our town was born as entrepreneurial businesses moved in to meet the needs of the
growing community. By 1970, the town still only had about 2,500 people; however, it did have all of the shops of a small, self-sufficient and warm-hearted community. Today, with a population of more than 170,000, Peoria continues to grow and prosper.
Peoria, Arizona is a city on the rise. Located in northwest metropolitan Phoenix, Peoria offers
stunning topography and a quality of life, which is ranked nationally as among the top 100 places to live in the country according to Money magazine. Peoria has a lot to offer, including diverse housing opportunities boasting affordability and master-planned communities, award-winning parks and recreation, and top K-12 public and charter schools.
Located in the Peoria 83 (P83) Entertainment District, Arizona Broadway Theatre is a
professional fine dining the...ater performing highly acclaimed Broadway shows. The Center for the Performing Arts is located in the City’s Old Town area and is the stage home of Theater Works, a nationally recognized community theater.
Peoria is ideally located for the sport and recreation enthusiast. The Peoria Sports Complex is
the spring training home to the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. If you are a fan of the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, NASCAR or major college sports, Peoria puts you minutes away from seeing your favorite team or driver.
If you like playing in a park, then Peoria is the place for you! Peoria offers two regionally recognized community parks and 33 neighborhood parks. In addition, Peoria has over 25 miles of trails to enjoy.
Peoria offers a unique desert and water experience. Lake Pleasant and Lake Pleasant Regional Park are located in north Peoria. With more than 10,000 acres of water and 13,600 acres of land, this popular attraction is the perfect place for water sports, desert camping, hiking and wildlife watching.