Manager of Recreation & Community Operations

The Corporation of the Municipality of Grey Highla; Markdale; On-site; CAD 102,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Benefits Package

Pension Plan

Paid Time Off

Professional Growth

Job summary

Grey Highlands is seeking a Manager of Recreation & Community Operations to oversee municipal recreation facilities, parks, and programs. You will lead the operations team, coordinate community services, and drive engagement with user groups, volunteers, and partners.

The role emphasizes safety, budgeting, service delivery, and collaboration with cross-department teams to achieve community priorities and continuous improvement. A strong leadership background is essential.

Qualifications

• Post secondary education in recreation or public administration.
• Minimum five years of progressive experience in recreation, municipal operations, or related fields.
• Experience with facility operations, staff supervision, budgeting, programming, community engagement, and customer service.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations of municipal recreation facilities, parks, sports fields, trails, community centres and related amenities.
• Coordinate operational planning and service delivery across recreation and community services.
• Provide leadership and support to staff ensuring safety, accountability and high-quality customer service.

Skills

Leadership

Planning

Organizational skills

Communication

Education

Post secondary diploma or degree in Recreation, Leisure, Public Administration, Facility Management, Communications

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Budgeting software

Job description

Manager of Recreation & Community Operations

Parks & Recreation Permanent Full Time Markdale, ON, CA

Salary Range: $102,394.50 To $119,769.00 Annually

Are you looking for a workplace where your contributions are truly valued and your professional growth is supported? At Grey Highlands, we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and supportive environment that appreciates the dedication and professionalism of our staff.

As a member of our team, you'll have the unique opportunity to work alongside inspirational community leaders and collaborate with passionate colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Together, we are shaping the future of Grey Highlands, making a meaningful impact on our community.

We offer an enriching and fast-paced role that will immerse you in the exciting development of Grey Highlands. If you're ready to take on new challenges and contribute to our ongoing success, we would love to hear from you

What We Offer

At Grey Highlands, we believe in taking care of our employees. Here are some of the benefits you can expect when you join our team:

• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Enjoy employer-paid extended health and dental care, life insurance, and access to our Employee Assistance Program for full-time staff.
• Pension Plan: All employees are eligible for our contributory pension plan (OMERS), ensuring your future is secure.
• Paid Time Off: Take advantage of paid vacation days and personal days to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Professional Growth: We offer numerous training and development opportunities to help you advance in your career and achieve your professional goals.

The Municipality of Grey Highlands is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace. We celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees.

Due to a vacancy, the Municipality of Grey Highlands is pleased to invite applications for the position of Manager of Recreation and Community Operations.

Purpose of Position

Reporting to the Director of Community Services, the Manager of Recreation & Community Operations is responsible for the overall coordination, administration, and operational leadership of municipal recreation services, community programming, facilities, parks operations, special events, and community engagement initiatives.

The Manager provides leadership and support to the Parks & Recreation Team Lead, Community Relations Coordinator, and departmental staff while ensuring efficient service delivery, strong customer service, financial accountability, operational effectiveness, and community engagement.

This position works collaboratively with internal departments including Economic Development, Building Services, Fire Services, and other municipal divisions to support municipal priorities, community initiatives, and organizational objectives.

Major Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Oversee the daily operations of municipal recreation facilities, parks, sports fields, trails, community centres, and related municipal amenities.
• Ensure facilities and amenities are safe, clean, accessible, and maintained to established standards.
• Coordinate operational planning and service delivery across recreation and community services.
• Monitor operational efficiencies and recommend improvements to programs, processes, and services.
• Respond to operational issues, public concerns, and service requests in a professional and timely manner.
• Supervise and support the Parks & Recreation Team Lead, Community Relations Coordinator, and departmental staff including full-time, part-time, seasonal, and casual employees.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, training, performance management, and staff development.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and safety-focused workplace culture.
• Ensure compliance with Occupational Health & Safety legislation, municipal policies, and workplace procedures.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and support to staff in daily operations and service delivery.

Recreation Programming & Community Services

• Oversee recreation programming, community initiatives, facility bookings, and special events.
• Support the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs and services that meet community needs.
• Work collaboratively with user groups, volunteers, community organizations, schools, service clubs, and community partners.
• Assist in the coordination and execution of tournaments, festivals, community events, and other programs.
• Support customer service operations and ensure a high standard of public service delivery.

Community Relations & Engagement

• Provide oversight and support to the Community Relations Coordinator in the delivery of community engagement initiatives and communications.
• Support the coordination of community partnerships, sponsorship opportunities, public information initiatives, and promotional activities.
• Assist in strengthening relationships between the municipality, community organizations, user groups, businesses, and residents.
• Support community outreach efforts and initiatives that promote participation, inclusion, and community connection.
• Assist in the preparation and administration of operating and capital budgets.
• Monitor departmental expenditures, revenues, and cost recovery initiatives.
• Support grant applications, sponsorship opportunities, and funding initiatives.
• Provide recommendations related to operational efficiencies, service levels, rates, and fees.
• Monitor purchasing and procurement activities in accordance with municipal policies.

Facilities & Asset Coordination

• Assist with facility lifecycle planning, maintenance coordination, and capital improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate maintenance priorities and operational needs with internal staff and contractors.
• Monitor facility usage trends and operational requirements.
• Ensure operational readiness of municipal facilities, parks, and recreation amenities.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Prepare reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, and recommendations for the Director of Community Services.
• Maintain accurate operational records, statistics, and documentation.
• Assist with departmental planning initiatives, operational reviews, and service evaluations.
• Ensure compliance with municipal policies, legislation, accessibility standards, and industry best practices.

Community & Corporate Collaboration

• Maintain positive working relationships with community stakeholders, residents, user groups, and contractors.
• Support interdepartmental collaboration and organizational initiatives.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with Council, staff and the public which includes:
• Assist the supervisor in resolving employee and human resource issues as they relate to employees, and in collaboration with the Director and Human Resource Manager when necessary.
• Actively participates in management lead teams and initiatives.
• Represent the department at meetings, events and community functions as assigned.
• Advise senior management team, citizen groups, residents, and contractors on priority issues and directives.
• Ensure the Team Lead holds regular staff instruction meetings.
• Supports interdepartmental collaboration and organizational initiatives.
• Ensures prompt handling of service requests and inquiries received from the public, Council, and other municipal departments.
• Ensures that expenditures stay within department budgets.
• Participates in emergency management and municipal response activities as required.
• Responsible, as a supervisor, for health & safety under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA). This includes, but is not limited to:
• Ensuring employees are properly trained in health & safety responsibilities, use of equipment, and are aware of potential dangers on the job and how to deal with them.
• Providing safe and proper equipment, standard operating procedures, supervision and communication.
• Cooperating with the JHSC to provide a safe and healthy work environment and take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances.
• Ensuring employees are working safely within the law and using safe work practices and procedures (wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring all guards are in place, understanding and following standards operating procedures), and evaluating performance.
• Developing and maintaining an understanding of the OHSA, health & safety policies, and identifying and reporting concerns to Department.
• Investigating and reporting accidents and injuries.

Knowledge and Skills

Education and Experience

• Post secondary diploma or degree in Recreation, Leisure, Public Administration, Facility Management, Communications or a related field.
• A minimum of five (5) years’ progressive experience in recreation, municipal operations, community services or related fields.
• Experience with facility operations, staff supervision, budgeting, programming, community engagement, and customer service.
• Working Knowledge of Municipal Legislation.
• Valid CPR and First Aid Certification or willingness to obtain.

Work Requires

• Excellent leadership, planning, organizational, problem-solving and time management skills.
• Demonstrated supervisory, leadership and team-building skills required.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills.
• Knowledge of computers and software applications relevant to the function, including Work, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, budgeting.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships in a team environment and provide excellent customer service.
• Ability to provide accurate detailed and consistent information for decision-making.
• Work with other Senior Municipal Staff and Council in a fast-paced team environment.

Working Conditions

• Able to work with interruptions and several requests during a work day. Some exposure to disagreeable situations and or people.
• A high degree of mental alertness is required to ensure the safety of self and others.
• Work involves a combination of office, facility and outdoor work environments.
• Expected to manage all aspects of function within corporate policies, procedures and budgets. Must also ensure that employees and contractors utilize health and safety practices at work sites.
• Must have a strong interpersonal relationship with the Director, CAO and Supervisor, department staff, and other Municipal department contacts, as well as members of the public.
• The regular work schedule is 37.5 hours per week, typically within core hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This position requires regular flexibility to work outside these hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and during emergencies or peak operational periods, to support programs, events, and service delivery.

Contacts

Communication with internal and external individuals is regular in this position. Internally, this includes employees, supervisor and Director. Externally, this includes: the general public, community groups, consultants and contractors.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all applicants. Only those to be interviewed will be contacted. For more information, please visit greyhighlands.ca