Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture

Norfolk County; Central Ontario; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Norfolk County is seeking a strategic and inspirational Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture to lead a team of 100 staff and manage a $20M budget. The ideal candidate will have extensive management experience in municipal recreation, program development, and strong stakeholder relations. This unique opportunity offers a competitive salary, hybrid work environment, and various community-focused programs.

Benefits

Hybrid work environment

Employee Development training opportunities

Low cost of housing

Excellent healthcare facilities

Competitive salary and benefits package

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience in Parks, Recreation and/or Culture.
• Knowledge of municipal legislation, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Experience in a unionized environment with large staff management.

Responsibilities

• Lead a significant team and manage an operational budget over $20M.
• Develop and implement departmental strategies for community activities.
• Build partnerships and maintain strategic alliances with community groups.

Skills

Budget Management

People Leadership

Stakeholder Relations

Program Management

Education

Post secondary education in Parks Administration, Recreation Administration, Museum Studies or equivalent

Job description

The Corporation of Norfolk is a rapidly growing single-tier municipality of 70,000 located on the North Shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario. Norfolk offers abundant recreational and lifestyle opportunities within a uniquely rural and urban setting.

Rural by nature, prosperous by design, Norfolk is located one hour south-west of Toronto. It offers picturesque small-town rural living with some urban options, while being within easy reach of major urban centres including Hamilton, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Brantford. With wonderfully varied tourist attractions, a bountiful and proven agricultural tradition, and spectacular recreational activities, the exceptional quality of community and family life simply can’t be beaten!

With a combined operational and capital budget of approximately $300M, a capital forecast exceeding $1B in the next decade, and close to 1,000 staff, the County is committed to meeting the needs of its residents and business community by delivering efficient and effective services. As our Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture you will lead a significant team of close to 100 staff and manage an operational budget of over $20M.

Define the Future

As the ideal candidate and our new Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture, you are a strategic and inspirational hands-on leader who is highly skilled in planning, development, management and leadership of municipal recreational programming and operations.

You will provide departmental strategies, priorities and services in Aquatics, Senior/Child/Youth Recreational Services, Museums, Archives, Marinas, Parks and Sports Fields, Community Halls, Trails, Forestry, Cemeteries and Arena Operations.

The Director is a vital connection to community organizations. Innovative, collaborative and customer service focused, the Director will develop and implement corporate policies, procedures, agreements as well as initiate and maintain strong and effective strategic alliances and partnerships with community groups.

Ideal Qualifications:

The incumbent will possess the following qualifications:

• Management: Minimum five (5) years’ current related experience in Parks, Recreation and/or Culture including progressive leadership experience. Municipal or broader public sector experience preferred.
• Role-specific knowledge: Working knowledge of municipal legislation, regulations, policies and procedures that impact the department along with a solid understanding of indoor/outdoor pool operations, arenas/marinas/forestry/parks/cemetery operations and recreational/cultural facilities. An appreciation of historical preservation, conservation practices, and interpretation methods is an asset,
• Strategic and Tactical Acumen: Ability to translate strategic vision into practical action while fostering a positive and innovative workplace.
• People Leadership: Demonstrated experience and leadership in a unionized environment, managing a large staff team including performance and project management, budget control, conflict resolution in a fast-paced environment ensuring exceptional customer service.
• Program Management: Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects/initiatives, objectives, groups or activities.
• Financial Management: Ability to manage, track and maintain related operating and capital budgets, and financial requirements.
• Stakeholder Relations: Demonstrated experience in building partnerships, collaborative projects and business relationships with internal staff divisions and external partners. Ability to manage multiple competing interests and priorities
• Education: Post secondary education in Parks Administration, Recreation Administration, Museum and Curatorial Studies, Public Administration or equivalent. Parks and Recreation Management Certificate considered an asset. Additional certification through professional organizations such as Ontario Recreational Facilities Association, Ontario Parks Association, Ontario Municipal Recreation Association, Ontario Museums Association, Association of Municipalities Ontario an asset

Whether you enjoy a rural or urban lifestyle in a growing region, this is a unique opportunity to experience. Benefits of working with Norfolk County include:

• Location – our head office location in Simcoe, Ontario. Simcoe is conveniently and centrally located a short 30-minute drive from Brantford. We are also close to Hamilton and the Niagara region.
• Hybrid work environment – the initial one to three months will require an in-office presence. Once established you will have the opportunity to work virtually up to 50% of the time in our modern offices with no-fee parking.
• Employee Development - staff leadership training opportunities.
• Low cost of housing – Norfolk County provides opportunities for a robust lifestyle. The choices range from developed urban centres to rural properties with opportunities for waterfront living. Prices are at least 40% less than the Greater Toronto Area prices. At this price point, many can live mortgage free if moving from an urban area.
• Healthcare– Several excellent healthcare facilities and hospitals are in our region.
• Compensation and Benefits – a very competitive salary and benefit package including a defined benefits pension plan (www.omers.ca) and excellent ancillary incentives such as department and wellness events as well as top of the line Employee & Family Assistance Program.

How to Apply

To explore this opportunity please apply via email by July 18, 2025, or sooner to [e-mail] quoting project NC-DPRC.

Should you wish to speak to our Executive Recruiter or to receive a detailed position description please contact Tim Lukasewich at 416-214-9299 x8, [e-mail] or Jon Stungevicius at 416-214-9299 x1, [e-mail].

All applications will be held in strict confidence. We thank all applicants, however, only thoseselected for an interview will be contacted. Personal information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be used for employment assessment purposes only.