Youth Services Section Manager (park Management Specialist I)

Job Announcement

Fairfax County is a dynamic community with 1.1 million residents, an award-winning park system, a top-notch school system, safe neighborhoods, and a highly diverse population. At the heart of the community is the nationally recognized leader in park systems, the Fairfax County Park Authority. A large and complex park system encompassing over 24,000 acres of parkland, 427 parks and an estimated 18 million park users per year. The Park Authority is seeking an experienced manager who is innovative, organized, has strong planning skills, is collaborative, is a decisive problem-solver and a solid leader. This position plans, conducts and evaluates a comprehensive county-wide program of leisure activities for children of all ages including specialized programming for tots (birth to 5 years), youth (6 to 12 years) and teens (13 to 17 years) year-round. The person in this position is responsible for overseeing in-house and contracted camp programs that serve over 25,000 children each season and is a multi-million-dollar operation. A major responsibility of this person’s responsibilities includes reviewing, evaluating, and managing contracts for vendors who provide programs and reconciling invoices.

This person is also responsible for the overall management of the summer Rec Pac program, a six- week summer recreational program, that served over 3000 kids in 2021. This requires a person who will be able to work collaboratively with field and management staff to deliver county-wide programs and services. Working with several sites, this position assists licensed preschool programs with maintaining licensure and monitors exempt camp programs. Other major responsibilities include the development of operational procedures and manuals, overseeing recruitment and the hiring process in coordination with the sites and developing youth program plans with site program staff. The ideal candidate would have a strong working knowledge and experience with budgets and cost recovery programming as well as be able to analyze data to set/adjust fees, make programming decisions and improve customer satisfaction. The Park Authority fosters a supportive and inclusive work environment that celebrates diversity in backgrounds and beliefs that strengthen innovative practices essential to achieving our vision of inspiring a passion for parks, healthy lifestyles, and stewardship by providing a sustainable, dynamic, and inclusive park system to support the thriving Fairfax County community.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position description.)

• Develops long-range goals and strategic plans;
• Prepares annual operating objectives and monitors progress toward these objectives;
• Serves as a member of the division management team and interdivisional teams;
• Reviews program budget expenditures and budget requests;
• Prepares and submits a consolidated budget to the appropriate approving authority;
• Develops management indicators for budget development and evaluation of organizational performance to goals;
• Develops, implements and evaluates policies and procedures and implements or recommends changes;
• Ensures that all data necessary for the functioning and management of the organization is stored and retrievable;
• Supervises, evaluates and counsels subordinate personnel and provides for training and career development;
• Analyzes programs’ use patterns and performance to goals, reports the results thereof and recommends improvements and changes;
• Evaluates suggestions for new programs and improvements to existing programs;
• Prepares periodic reports concerning organizational activities and accomplishments.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list).

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of the assigned specialty area within parks and recreation;
• Knowledge of the principles and methods of organization and management;
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration;
• Ability to plan and coordinate the work of subordinate personnel;
• Ability to supervise, evaluate and counsel employees;
• Ability to analyze programs and evaluate their performance against established objectives;
• Ability to prepare clear, concise financial and administrative reports;
• Ability to evaluate, refine and consolidate budget requests;
• Ability to use a personal computer, applicable software and peripheral equipment;
• Ability to work effectively in a group of both peers and subordinates;
• Ability to keep abreast of new developments in the field;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and the public.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for “Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to”)
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in recreation and park management or other pertinent related field; Plus, four years of experience in work related to parks or recreation, including responsible administrative/managerial experience, preferably in the applicable functional area.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience with the oversight of large county-wide programs and/or services. Experience with development of and oversight of vendor contracts.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Driver's License (Required)

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
All newly hired employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks after the last required dose) as a condition of employment or obtain approval of a medical or religious exemption prior to their start date. Proof of an exemption or vaccination status will be required during the pre-employment onboarding process. New employees who obtain an exemption from the vaccine mandate for medical or sincerely held religious beliefs may be subject to a weekly testing requirement. Vaccinated employees and employees with a medical or religious exemption will complete the attestation online on their first day of employment or shortly thereafter.

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, child protective services registry check, and driver's license check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
This position is mainly sedentary but requires ability to use a computer. Ability to visit various Park Authority sites where Youth Camps are held. All duties may be performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview; may include exercise.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. EEO/AA/TTY.