Adaptive Recreation Manager

The Ability Center; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ability Center in Wisconsin is seeking an Adaptive Recreation Manager to lead the RampUp: Universal Recreation program across Milwaukee County. You will identify, build, and launch accessible recreation sites, applying recreational therapy principles to design safe, engaging programs for all abilities.

The role involves coordinating site builds, partnerships with parks and clinics, training staff, and promoting RampUp with hospitals and disability organizations.

Qualifications

• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) required, or actively pursuing certification.
• Bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of experience designing or delivering adaptive/inclusive recreation programming.
• Minimum 2 years of work or volunteer experience with a diverse population of adults and children in a nonprofit or clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate potential new RampUp sites (parks, beaches, rinks, and other community recreation spaces) for accessibility need and feasibility.
• Build relationships with municipalities, county parks departments, foundations, and site partners to secure new locations.
• Coordinates selection, sourcing, and installation of adaptive equipment at each site.
• Plan, lead, and execute annual RampUp events at each location or partner.
• Implements build in partnership, from concept through launch, on time and on budget.
• Apply recreational therapy expertise to design programming appropriate to the range of abilities and needs at each site, ensuring activities are safe, therapeutic, and genuinely inclusive.
• Train site staff and volunteers on proper equipment use, safety protocols, and adaptive techniques.
• Continuously evaluate and refine programming at existing sites based on user feedback and outcomes.
• Work with Marketing to promote RampUp sites to drive awareness and usage among people of all abilities.
• Build relationships with hospitals, rehab centers, therapy practices, schools, and disability organizations to create referral pipelines into RampUp sites.
• Represent TAC at community events, site launches, and partner functions.
• Serve as a key member of the Program Team, providing expertise and support to the full team across all TAC programs as needed.
• Manage volunteer databases including recruitment, outreach, volunteer training, and stewardship.
• Provide coverage and support for ASAP, Open Gym, and 3v3 Wheelchair Basketball as needed.

Skills

CTRS

Project management

Inclusive programming design

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Recreational Therapy

Job description

The Adaptive Recreation Manager is a key part of the TAC Program team, leading the RampUp: Universal Recreation program, identifying, building, and launching new accessible recreation sites across Milwaukee County, while also supporting and providing expertise to all TAC’s programs. This role is unique in requiring a recreational therapy background: we’re not just looking for someone who can build partnerships and install equipment, but someone who understands, clinically, how to design programming that’s safe, appropriate, and genuinely engaging across the full range of abilities.

Our Program: RampUp

Through community collaboration, RampUp designs, builds, and/or implements universally inclusive recreational opportunities across greater Milwaukee, placing adaptive equipment like hand cycles, beach wheelchairs, ice sleds, ramps, and Mobi-Mats at parks, beaches, and rinks so that everyBODY can play, regardless of ability. Since launching at Bradford Beach in 2015, RampUp has expanded to include sites such as Veteran’s Park, Red Arrow Park, Wilson Ice Arena, and the Pettit National Ice Center, with the goal of making Milwaukee the most universally accessible recreation destination in the world.

Essential Duties

Site Development & Build-Out

• Identify and evaluate potential new RampUp sites (parks, beaches, rinks, and other community recreation spaces) for accessibility need and feasibility.
• Build relationships with municipalities, county parks departments, foundations, and site partners to secure new locations.
• Coordinates selection, sourcing, and installation of adaptive equipment (hand cycles, beach wheelchairs, ice sleds, ramps, Mobi-Mats, and similar) at each site.
• Plan, lead, and execute annual RampUp events at each location or partner.
• Implements build in partnership, from concept through launch, on time and on budget.

Clinical Program Design

• Apply recreational therapy expertise to design programming appropriate to the range of abilities and needs at each site, ensuring activities are safe, therapeutic, and genuinely inclusive, not just accessible on paper.
• Train site staff and volunteers on proper equipment use, safety protocols, and adaptive techniques.
• Continuously evaluate and refine programming at existing sites based on user feedback and outcomes.

User Attraction & Community Engagement

• Work with the Marketing team to promote RampUp sites to drive awareness and usage among people of all abilities.
• Build relationships with hospitals, rehab centers, therapy practices, schools, and disability organizations to create referral pipelines into RampUp sites.
• Represent TAC at community events, site launches, and partner functions.

Program Support

• Serve as a key member of the Program Team, providing expertise and support to the full team across all TAC programs as needed.
• Manage volunteer databases including recruitment, outreach, volunteer training, and stewardship.
• Provide coverage and support for ASAP, Open Gym, and 3v3 Wheelchair Basketball as needed, stepping in to run events or assist with programming.

Equipment & Inventory Management

• Track adaptive equipment inventory, storage, and maintenance across all RampUp sites.
• Coordinate equipment maintenance, replacement, and seasonal setup/breakdown.
• Partner with the Development team to manage equipment investments, including timing of purchases and replacements, and support funding requests to sustain current RampUp sites and fuel future growth.

Professional Qualifications and Experience

• Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) required, or actively pursuing certification; bachelor’s degree in Recreational Therapy, Therapeutic Recreation, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 2 years of experience designing or delivering adaptive/inclusive recreation programming.
• Experience managing projects from concept to launch, ideally involving external partners and physical build-out.
• Minimum of 2 years of work or volunteer experience with a diverse population of adults and children in a nonprofit or clinical setting.
• Flexible schedule availability, including occasional evenings and weekends.

The type of person who will really succeed in this role will have:

• A builder’s mindset, someone who can look at a park, beach, or rink and see exactly what it could become, then make it happen.
• The clinical judgment of a recreational therapist paired with the hustle of a community organizer: as comfortable assessing a client’s needs as they are pitching a parks department on a new site.
• Passion, empathy, and openness to people with disabilities.
• Energy and presence to get a community excited about Ramp-Up and coming back to use it.
• Tremendous organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple sites and partners simultaneously.
• A commitment to TAC’s mission, an enthusiastic advocate for accessible recreation and people with disabilities everywhere.

Additional Information

• Travel required across Milwaukee County.
• Valid driver’s license required.
• Ability to lift in excess of 50 lbs required (equipment handling).