Recreation & Aquatics Director — Lead Programs & Lifeguard Team

City of Palos Heights; Palos Heights (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dental & vision coverage

Disability coverage

IMRF retirement

Job summary

City of Palos Heights is seeking a Recreation and Aquatics Manager to oversee athletics, recreation programs, special events and pool operations. The role requires planning, staffing, budgeting and ensuring safe operations while delivering high-quality community programs.

The ideal candidate will be organized, creative and collaborative with strong leadership and communication skills, able to balance administrative duties with active program delivery and facility operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in recreation or closely related field.
• CPRP preferred or obtained within one year of hire.
• CPR/AED and First Aid certification within 90 days; LGI within six months.
• CPO or AFO certification within one year of hire.
• Illinois Food Manager certification within one year of hire.
• Valid Illinois driver’s license; proficiency with Microsoft Office and RecTrac.

Responsibilities

• Develop, promote, manage, and evaluate youth/adult athletics, recreation programs, special events and pool.
• Hire, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate lifeguards, pool staff, swim instructors, program staff, facility staff, and volunteers.
• Assist with annual recreation and aquatics budgets; monitor purchasing, payroll, and program resources.
• Prepare various reports and promotional content; support registration, customer service, and problem resolution.
• Promotes safe operations and complete required incident/accident reporting.
• Prepares press releases, brochure listings, flyers and ads for assigned programs and special events.
• Provide outstanding customer service, including responding to customer questions and complaints
• Lead the PowerPlay before and after-school program.
• Lead the Birthday Party Programming.
• Other duties may be required and assigned.

Skills

Organized

Creative

Collaborative

Service-oriented

Leadership

Communication

Judgment

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in recreation or closely related field

CPRP certification

CPR/AED and First Aid certification

Lifeguarding Instructor (LGI) certification

CPO or AFO certification

Illinois Food Manager certification

Valid Illinois driver’s license

Tools

Microsoft Office

RecTrac registration software

Job description

City of Palos Heights is seeking a Recreation and Aquatics Manager to oversee athletics, recreation programs, special events and pool operations. The role requires planning, staffing, budgeting and ensuring safe operations while delivering high-quality community programs.

The ideal candidate will be organized, creative and collaborative with strong leadership and communication skills, able to balance administrative duties with active program delivery and facility operations.