Parks Manager

City-of-Concord,-CA-; Concord (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Concord’s Public Works Department seeks an experienced Parks Manager to lead the Parks Maintenance Division, drive the Parks Master Plan, and modernize workflows. The role emphasizes staff development, budget oversight, and integration of maintenance management technology to improve service delivery and assets condition.

Successful candidates will bring proven leadership, strategic planning, and the ability to work with City Council and teams across divisions to achieve measurable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a park-related field is required.
• Five years of combined supervisory experience in parks planning and maintenance.
• California Driver's License required.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Parks Maintenance Division and develop Parks Master Plan.
• Lead budget preparation and monitoring for parks services.
• Coordinate with City departments and present to City Council.
• Develop staff through training and performance management.

Skills

Staff development

Budget management

Leadership

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in park administration, horticulture, engineering, public administration, business administration or related field

Job description

Parks Manager

The City of Concord's Public Works Department is seeking a municipal Parks professional with strong experience in staff development, maintenance operations and budget management to lead and advance long-range strategic goals and modernize division operations.

The Public Works Department strives to develop and provide a variety of customer-driven maintenance services and programs to protect the City’s investment of infrastructure, public facilities, and equipment; and ensure the health and safety of Concord’s community in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. The Department is comprised of 95 full-time staff across multiple divisions: Administration and Fleet, Facilities Maintenance, Infrastructure Maintenance, Parks Services, and Transportation.

The Parks Maintenance Division has a team of 27 full-time staff dedicated to providing safe, aesthetically pleasing parks designed and maintained to meet the diverse needs for active and passive recreation and leisure activities. The Division is also responsible to maintain streetscapes, including street trees and traffic medians, open space areas, and public right-of-ways, in an aesthetically pleasing condition, and to achieve mandated requirements for public safety in the most cost effective and efficient manner.

What you will be doing:

The Parks Manager manages the Parks Maintenance Division, which is responsible for services pertaining to parks, street trees, medians, open space, and the City's Landscape Maintenance Districts. The selected candidate will lead the effort to develop the City’s Parks Master Plan, translating Parks Master Plan objectives into measurable operational targets and overseeing its execution; this person will play a pivotal role in driving positive organizational change by modernizing workflows, integrating maintenance management technology, and championing professional growth across all crew levels.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has hands‑on experience in executing Parks Master Plans and establishing asset‑based Parks Maintenance Management Plans (PMMPs) to set clear Levels of Service across park assets.
• Is an adept change agent, with demonstrated experience leading through operational transitions and modernizations.
• Demonstrates strong staff development and performance management competencies, with the ability to build a high‑trust workplace environment and to align daily performance with departmental standards.
• Will build trust and morale, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Is a creative problem solver with the ability to use technology as a force multiplier in the context of maintenance operations.
• Has experience preparing reports and presenting to City Council or other governing bodies.
• Has extensive experience in budget preparation and management.
• Will be a confident manager who communicates effectively with his or her team, while simultaneously balancing these traits with diplomacy and a good sense of humor.
• Has experience in or the ability to seek funding opportunities, manage employee relations in a unionized environment, and create and implement systems and processes is highly desired but not required.
• Embraces, promotes and is guided by the City’s Mission, Vision and Values.

What we offer:

The City of Concord offers the opportunity to take part in a collaborative and exciting work experience, where you can grow in your career while working alongside the community to make Concord a city of the highest quality. The City is an employer that invests in its employees’ professional and personal development, values work‑life balance, is dedicated to employee wellness and provides numerous benefit and retirement options, to include the following:

• Participation in CalPERS pension, tiered based on date of hire
• A variety of health care plans or a cash‑in‑lieu benefit of $200 if waiving coverage
• City‑paid dental insurance; employee‑paid vision insurance
• Vacation accruals starting at 15 days per year, 12 days of sick leave per year, 11 paid holidays per year, plus 80 hours of administrative leave per year
• Generous tuition reimbursement program
• 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation plans, including an employer paid contribution of 3% plus $2000 annually
• Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for healthcare, dependent care and commuting costs
• Life insurance in the amount of twice the annual salary (up to $400,000 max) and disability insurance
• A wellness program that offers annual health expos, health and nutrition education, as well as a variety of mental health resources
• Salary is negotiable within the advertised range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found at www.cityofconcord.org.

The Community:

Nestled in the foothills of Mt. Diablo, Concord is a major East Bay community located 29 miles east of San Francisco and 58 miles north of San Jose. With a population of almost 130,000 residents occupying an area of 31 square miles, Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County. The City’s central location offers easy access to the entire Bay Area including Oakland, San Francisco, and the Silicon Valley. Concord has much to offer; its local lifestyle reflects a careful blending of the City’s early California heritage, along with modern planned development. It is a harmonious community of quiet neighborhoods, an excellent park system, convenient shopping centers, large preserves of open space, a state‑of‑the‑art hospital, and a wide variety of restaurants. Additionally, diverse public and private educational opportunities for students of all ages are available in Concord. Concord residents enjoy a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild winters. The ideal weather and natural beauty of Concord make the area ideal for visitors and locals seeking active outdoor activities. In Concord, where “Families Come First,” one is never far from a park or an open green space for active play or just relaxing. Todos Santos Plaza, the heart of downtown Concord, features a year‑round Farmer’s Market, several seasonal and community celebrations, as well as serving as a wonderful outdoor space for all to enjoy.

SELECTION PROCESS

1. Submit a completed City of Concord application and the required supplemental question responses online at www.cityofconcord.org. Only application materials submitted online during the filing period will be accepted.

2. All qualified applications and supplemental responses will be competitively evaluated, and those candidates demonstrating the strongest qualifications for the position will be invited to participate in a panel interview. If you are selected to participate in the panel interview and are unavailable, we regret that we will not be able to reschedule you.

Conviction History: If you receive a conditional job offer, you will be fingerprinted, and your fingerprints will be sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history (if any) will be used to determine whether the nature of your conviction conflicts with the specific duties and responsibilities of the job for which you have received a conditional job offer. If a conflict exists, you will be asked to present any evidence of rehabilitation that may mitigate the conflict, except when federal or state regulations bar employment in specific circumstances. Having a conviction history does not automatically preclude you from a job with the City of Concord.

1. Oversees and manages multiple programs related to the development and preservation of City owned parks, sports fields, playground equipment, landscaped medians, street trees, public open space, and landscape maintenance districts.
2. Plans, organizes, and provides direction to staff responsible for development and maintenance of parks, landscaped medians, street tree revisions, weed abatement, development projects, and assessment districts.
3. Assesses related community issues; meets with citizen groups to discuss programs, clarify procedures, and identify needs.
4. Develops programs, content and standards of quality for the division; ensures development and implementation of goals and objectives for the division.
5. Applies City and departmental policies, procedures, rules, and regulations pertaining to the division; prepares work appraisals and discusses performance evaluations; initiates official disciplinary actions as necessary; identifies and resolves subordinate complaints.
6. Prepares, administers, and monitors the Parks Services; Street Trees, Medians, and Open Space; and Landscape Maintenance DistrictsBudgets, including submitting budgetary recommendations and anticipating future budgetary needs., encompassing changes in personnel, financial, and material resources.
7. Coordinates Park Services' activities with otherCity departments, and City goals; serves as staff to Park and Recreation Commission; serves on a City Liaison Team.
8. Review development projects for consistency with park, open space and trails planning objectives and apply park development fees as required by City policies.
9. Conducts field inspections to inspect work‑in‑progress and completed projects.
10. Responds to questions, complaints, and emergency calls referred by subordinates from the general public and takes appropriate courses of action.
11. Ensures appropriate training for staff; keeps subordinates informed through safety and on‑the‑job training; ensures the maintenance of safe working conditions, good housekeeping practices, and the use of safe work practices by subordinates.
12. Writes and edits a variety of reports including staff reports. Gives presentations before staff, commissions, and/or City Council.
13. May research plant materials, diseases and pests; may assess growth habits and soil requirements.
14. Promotes the City's Mission to make Concord a city of the highest quality by providing responsive, cost‑effective, and innovative government services; understands and subscribes to the vision and values adopted by the City in its Mission Statement.

To view the full class specification for the position of Parks Manager, please visit: www.governmentjobs.com/careers/concord/classspecs.

Knowledge and Abilities

Working knowledge of the philosophy and objectives of municipal park activities; of related grounds, facilities, tools, and equipment; of management techniques pertinent to park services including planning, scheduling, training, identification of budget needs, and maintenance of budget controls.

Ability to design programs for park and street tree maintenance; to research plant materials, disease, and pests; to assess growth habits and soil requirements; to effectively supervise and coordinate the work of assigned areas of responsibility; to ensure the maintenance of material, cost, work, and time reports; to understand and apply the principles of outcome management, and to prepare written budget input and operate within budget allocations; to communicate skillfully orally and in writing; to understand, carry out, and issue clear oral and written instruction; and to establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education/Experience

Education: Completion of a Bachelor's Degree in park administration, horticulture, engineering, public administration, business administration, or other closely related field.

Experience: Five years of combined experience in supervising a parks planning and maintenance function, preferably for a municipality, which includes program development, community liaison, and budget preparation.

A California Driver's License and a satisfactory driving record are conditions of initial and continued employment.

EEO/ADA: The City of Concord is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants.

If you have a disability and require accommodations in the testing process, please contact Human Resources at 925‑671‑3308 or [e-mail] prior to the final filing date.