Recreation Specialist- Senior Adult Programming

Mecklenburg County Government; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 53,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Mecklenburg County Government seeks a Recreation Specialist to plan, develop, and run programs for Senior Adults at the Tyvola Senior Center. This role includes marketing, scheduling, and collaborating with senior communities and external partners to expand offerings.

The position requires diverse recreation programming experience, strong customer service, and the ability to work a flexible schedule including mornings, evenings, and weekends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Park and Recreation Administration, Health and Physical Education, or a related field, or equivalent combo.
• Equivalent combo may include diverse education and experience.
• Bachelor’s with 6 months’ experience as a temp/part-time with MCPRD.

Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, and evaluate programs and activities for Senior Adults in a recreation center or park facility.
• Provide customer service and handle funds for information, registrations, rentals.
• Ensure safety and administer first aid when necessary; enforce rules.

Skills

Instruction

Recreational programming

Public recreation

Safety procedures

Time management

Independent work

Demonstrations

Adaptability

Communication

Customer focus

Initiative

Safety awareness

Education

Bachelors in Park & Rec Admin

Health & Physical Education

Related field or equivalent

Bachelors with 6 months Mecklenburg County exp

Associates or Bachelors with 2 years exp

4 years of related experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Follow Your Calling, Find Your Career

Please Apply By: Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Pay starts at $25.53/hr

At Mecklenburg County, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are with support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. We’re counting on YOUR unique voice and perspective to help Mecklenburg County become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

Did you know that Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation proudly hosts many community events each year? Hummingbird Festival, The Senior Games and Festival in the Park are just a few that our employees and residents look forward to every year! Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department (MCPRD) strives to enrich the lives of our residents. We do this by providing exciting and safe recreational amenities and programs, change to improve our resident’s fitness levels and decrease health care costs. This contributes to a sense of community through events and spaces for the public to socialize, thereby increasing property values and providing tourism venues. We protect open space, natural areas, and our treasured tree canopy through stewardship. We play a critical role in ensuring Mecklenburg County achieves its vision that the county will be a community of pride and choice for people to LIVE, WORK and RECREATE. The department serves a population exceeding one million residents and serves the City of Charlotte, six towns, and the unincorporated areas of the county covering 523 square miles. In addition, the department manages over 21,000 acres and 230+ parks, nature preserves, greenways and facilities.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are excited to add an innovative and dynamic Recreation Specialist to the team at Tyvola Senior Center! This position will focus on planning, developing and executing recreation services and leisure activities for our Senior Adult population, which could include health and wellness, fitness, technology, arts and crafts and other social events and activities. This will also include marketing our programs and maintaining a monthly events calendar. In addition, the selected candidate will participate in all facility operations and provide support where needed. The incumbent will be a key member of our staff in building and maintaining partnerships with our senior community as well as other external partners, and will continually research trends and evaluate the community’s needs for the development of new programs and activities. The successful candidate will have strong experience in activity programming for Senior Adults and have experience in a wide variety of program areas. This full‑time position will work a flexible schedule to include mornings/daytime, evenings, and weekends on a rotating basis based on business and facility needs.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with providing health, wellness, and fitness programs to senior adults
• Experience with organizing social events targeted towards the senior adult population
• Therapeutic Recreation background is a plus

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develop, lead, and evaluate programs and activities in a recreation center or park facility for Senior Adults
• Provide customer service and handling of funds in a recreation center or park facility through telephone, emails, web site, social media and walk in patrons and customers for information, program registration, center daily use and rentals
• Ensure safety of participants/spectators and administer first aid when necessary
• Enforce rules and regulations
• Collect fees and take registrations for recreational programs and facility rentals
• Assist in light maintenance of facilities and recreational areas
• May provide services as timekeeper, scorekeeper or line-person at games
• May supervise participants in other program areas as needed
• Handle inquiries and complaints from public
• Some programs may require driving a County vehicle to transport participants or commute to a different location
• Assist with department events and field trips
• Will serve as the manager on duty if the Facility Manager is not available

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: No experience required.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Park and Recreation Administration, Health and Physical Education, or a related field, or
• An equivalent combination of education and experience, including one of the following:
• Bachelor's degree with 6 months of prior work experience as a temporary or part-time employee with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department
• Associates, or Bachelor's degree with two (2) years of related experience
• Four (4) years of similar related experience

Computer Skills

Proficient in various computer applications including Microsoft Office Suite

Licenses and Certifications

Requires valid North Carolina or South Carolina Driver's License and County Driving Privileges; Requires the ability to obtain (within one year of hire) and maintain CPR/First Aid

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge

• Instruction in area of specialist
• Recreational programming and instruction
• Principles, practices, and techniques of public recreation for Senior Adults

Skills

• Applying recreation knowledge through hands‑on activities while meeting the needs of diverse populations
• Developing and enforcing general rules and safety procedure
• Managing multiple tasks concurrently
• Ability to work independently
• Organizing and presenting demonstrations in a recreation setting

Abilities

• Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusting effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures
• Applied Learning: Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely manner
• Building Trust: Interacting with others in a way that instills confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization
• Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the information provided
• Customer Focus: Ensuring that the customer perspective is a driving forces behind business decisions and activities; crafting and implementing service practices that meet customers’ and own organization’s needs
• Initiating Action: Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive
• Safety Awareness: Identifying and correcting conditions that affect employee safety; upholding safety standards

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

In addition to a competitive salary, Mecklenburg County offers a generous benefits package which greatly increases your total compensation. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life, short term disability, long term disability, accident, cancer, critical illness, medical bridge and pet insurance; dependent care, healthcare and commuter flexible spending accounts; health savings account; paid holiday, vacation and sick days; near site clinics for preventive care and illnesses; an employee discount program which provides discounts for retail, dining, shopping, travel, tickets and more; an employee assistance program including financial and legal counseling; access to Mecklenburg County fitness and aquatic facilities; paid family leave; tuition reimbursement; a 5% employer match on retirement savings plan contributions and a defined benefit plan for retirement.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Moderate noise is typical for the work environment for this job.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT

To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

DISCLAIMER STATEMENT

This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, requirements or working conditions. Other duties may be assigned based on business need and the supervisor’s request. Mecklenburg County reserves the right to revise the job description at any time. Designated positions may be required to assist in emergency and/or disaster situations.