Salary : $140,543.06 – $190,927.16 Annually
Location : 3 Civic Center Drive San Marcos, CA
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 2023 – 65
Department: Parks and Recreation
Opening Date: 10/06/2023
Closing Date: 11/3/2023 4:30 PM Pacific
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
The City of San Marcos welcomes qualified candidates to apply for an exciting opportunity to join our leadership team as the Director of Parks and Recreation. This vacancy is being created with the upcoming retirement of the current Director of Parks and Recreation after a wonderful 11+ year career with the City of San Marcos. With 72 of miles of trails, 41 parks and 13 recreation facilities within the City of San Marcos, this opportunity will allow our incoming leader to continue a rich history of well-rounded, family friendly recreation programming and events that our community thoroughly enjoys and expects. We invite strong candidates with a proven track record of successfully balancing the competing demands of bringing the fun with running like an efficient business to apply.
The right person:
We are seeking a candidate who can actively foster a spirit of collaboration within the organization. It takes teamwork, collaboration and communication to provide the top tier recreation opportunities that the Parks and Recreation Department has established. This position demands a strong leader with proven personnel management skills who understands the importance of building consensus and making tough decisions. Strong candidates will embody the principles of exemplary leadership, serving as a role model within the organization while excelling as an internal and external service provider.
The Parks and Recreation Department delivers recreation opportunities through a core group of dedicated full-time staff members, a large network of committed year-around and seasonal part time staff and several enthusiastic volunteer groups. The Department is made up of several divisions, including Administration, Aquatics, Athletics, Contract Programs, Rangers, the Senior Activity Center and Youth Programs. Additional information regarding the City of San Marcos’ Parks and Recreation Department can be viewed here.
To join our team, you will need to:
- Be our parks and recreation expert and keep us on the path to prosperity
- Stay ahead of the curve so that our City meets and exceeds its goals, including future known challenges in controlling costs and balancing the budget
- Collaborate with all our departments – we don’t work in silos here
- Create ways to cut red tape, so we can all work smarter in a collaborative environment
- Pay it forward by mentoring and empowering your team
To review the Parks and Recreation Director job description, including technical aptitude and requirements, please visit the following link.
The City of San Marcos hires for potential with a strong emphasis on team members who hold the same core values as our organization:
- Be problem solvers
We consistently exceed customer expectations by going out of our way to help people solve their problems quickly and easily.
- Be good partners
We work together to co-create solutions that resect the needs of everyone involved.
- Operate like an efficient business
We get things done while always looking out for the bottom line, because a financially healthy city can do more for those it serves.
- Build to last
We hold ourselves to the highest standards, with an eye toward the lasting effects of our decisions.
The right place:
San Marcos has a rich history and a strong sense of community, serving as a cornerstone of stability and innovation in North San Diego County. With a diverse and vibrant population, our municipality boasts an exceptional quality of life, excellent infrastructure, and a strong local economy. As the Parks and Recreation Director, you will play a pivotal role in continuing to shape the recreational opportunities of our community, ensuring responsible management of resources, and contributing to the continued growth and success of our community.
Just minutes away the Pacific Ocean, San Marcos is emerging as one of San Diego County’s most desirable communities, with top-ranked schools and California’s newest state university. With multiple beaches and epic year-round weather, the local recreation opportunities are endless. Our economy continues to grow as people discover that San Marcos is a great place to live, work and play.
In San Marcos, you can:
- Explore our 41 beautiful parks, which add more than 300 acres of open space
- Trek 72 miles of trails through some of area’s most scenic vistas
- Learn at any one of the six educational institutions
- Celebrate the community spirit at more than 50 annual events
- Dine at more than 240 restaurants and breweries
The right perks:
- Earn a competitive annual salary ($140-190K)
- Gain generous health benefits (all medical premiums employer paid at 90%)
- Enjoy ample time off (15 paid holidays, 96 hours of sick leave, 80 hours of vacation leave, 80 hours of executive leave)
- Receive an auto and cell phone allowance
- Popular 9/80 work schedule with opportunity for remote work up to 2 days a week
- Participate in the CalPERS retirement system (Classic members 2% @ 55, PEPRA members 2% @ 62) and Social Security
Please view the Benefits tab to learn more about the benefits offered with this Executive level position.
Recruitment timeline:
- Applications will be received through 4:30pm, November 3, 2023.
- Qualified and selected applicants will be invited to an in-person first interview, held on November 15, 2023.
- Second interviews will be held on November 29th.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
Education/Training
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration, public administration, recreation administration, or a related field. A Master’s degree is highly desirable.
Experience
Ten years of increasingly responsible experience in community services program areas including three years of management and administrative responsibility.
Holidays – The City observes thirteen (13) paid holidays that include ten (10) specifically designated days and three (3) floating holidays.
Vacation Leave – A new employee will accrue eighty (80) hours of vacation per calendar year for the first five years of service (one hundred, twenty (120) hours for years five through ten, one hundred, sixty (160) hours for years eleven through fifteen and two hundred (200) hours after fifteen years). Vacation accrual begins immediately; however, a new employee is not eligible to take vacation leave until the completion of six (6) months of service with the City.
Executive Leave – Executive managers receive eighty (80) hours of executive leave per year.
Auto and cell phone allowance – Executive managers receive $396 per month for auto allowance and $75 per month for cell phone allowance.
Sick Leave – A new employee will earn ninety-six (96) hours of sick leave each year.
Bereavement Leave – Employees are eligible to use up to 40 hours of bereavement leave per fiscal year.
Group Health Insurance Program – A new employee will become a member of one of the City’s group health plans (Aetna HMO, Aetna PPO, or Kaiser HMO) effective the first day of the month following their date of hire. The City will pay 90% of the health care premium and employees will pick up 10% of the premiums of the plan they select.
Voluntary Dental/Vision Insurance Programs – The City offers two voluntary dental insurance programs, an HMO program and a PPO Program, as well as a voluntary vision insurance program.
Section 125 Flexible Spending Account – All employees are eligible to participate in the City’s Section 125 Flexible Spending Account plan administered by Benefit Coordinators Corporation (BCC). This is an IRS-approved plan which enables you to have withheld from your paycheck an amount to cover eligible dependent care, and certain eligible medical expenses without being subject to federal income or social security tax on the income used to pay for these benefits.
Retirement – The City participates in both the Social Security (FICA) and the California Public Employees’ Retirement Systems (CalPERS). The City currently contracts with CalPERS for the 2% at 55 benefit formula, Post-Retirement Survivor Allowance, and 3 year average final pay for CLASSIC members and 2% at 62, Post-Retirement Survivor Allowance, and 3 year average final pay for PEPRA (new) members. Employees will contribute 7% or 6.5% towards CalPERS, depending whether a classic or new member.
Retiree Health Savings (RHS) – All employees participate in a Retiree Health Savings plan through the ICMA Retirement Corporation.
Additional Benefits – The City offers additional benefits such as short and long-term disability, group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance.
01
The minimum education and training requirements for the Director of Parks and Recreation position include: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration, public administration, recreation administration, or a related field. A Master’s degree is highly desirable.
Please describe the highlights of your education and training that qualify you for this position.
02
Briefly describe the highlights of your programming experiences as they relate to Parks and Recreation operations.
03
Briefly describe the highlights of your personnel management experiences in a business setting.
04
Please describe a challenging Parks and Recreation issue – what made the issue challenging and what was the resolution?
05
Only picking one, which core value do think is critical for the Director of Parks and Recreation and please describe why.
Required Question