Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation NEW

Vienna, Virginia
Town of Vienna
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 . click apply for full job details