Recreation Supervisor

Sarasota County; Sarasota (FL); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan (FRS)

Job summary

Sarasota County is seeking a Supervisor to manage Laurel Park, Nokomis Community Park, and the Venice Train Depot. You will lead staff, coordinate programs and rentals, and ensure safe, welcoming facilities across countywide initiatives.

Responsibilities include budgeting, contract administration, and partnerships with community groups. A Bachelor’s in recreation or related field plus supervisory experience is required; CPR/AED or CPRP is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Leisure Services, Education, Public Administration, Business Administration, or closely related field.
• 2 years minimum supervisory experience.
• 2 years minimum experience coordinating community programs and large events.

Responsibilities

• Lead facility operations at Laurel Park, Nokomis Community Park, and Venice Train Depot with safe, customer-focused service.
• Coordinate staffing, rentals, programs, and special events across facilities.
• Oversee budgets, contracts, and partnerships ensuring compliance and quality standards.
• Develop staff training, coaching, and performance reviews; foster a positive organizational culture.
• Monitor facility usage trends and vendor relationships to improve services.

Skills

Staff supervision

Program coordination

Budget management

Customer service

Community partnerships

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Recreation / related field

CPRP certification (preferred)

Tools

RecTrac

Skynet

CampDoc

Smartsheet

Job description

Department: Parks Recreation and Natural Resources Start Here. Grow Here. Stay Here. Make an impact where people live, play, and connect! Join our team as the Supervisor of Laurel Park, Nokomis Community Park, and Venice Train Depot, where you’ll have the opportunity to shape exceptional park and recreation experiences for residents and visitors across the community.

This role provides dynamic leadership across multiple recreation facilities, programs, and services. The Supervisor leads talented teams, strengthens community partnerships, coordinates programs and special events, manages budgets and resources, and ensures safe, welcoming, and well‑maintained facilities. The position also supports countywide initiatives, strategic planning, and environmental stewardship while helping create innovative, high‑quality experiences that bring people together.

About the Position

• Facility Management and Program Delivery Plan, develop, implement, promote, and direct a broad range of recreation programs, activities, services, and special events offered at assigned facilities and countywide, utilizing existing policies, procedures, and CAPRA and ACA accreditation standards.
• Oversee daily facility operations at Laurel Park, Nokomis Community Park, and Venice Train Depot, ensuring consistent staffing coverage, safe operations, and a high level of customer service during all hours of operation.
• Ensure assigned facilities are clean, well‑maintained, safe, and accessible, and coordinate maintenance and operational concerns with Facilities Maintenance and Parks Maintenance staff.
• Maintain effective working relationships with community organizations, facility use partners, user groups, volunteers, and the general public to support service delivery.
• Serve as a liaison to the Recreation Division Manager and Manager II; provide well‑thought‑out recommendations related to services, staffing models, programming, and operational procedures.
• Address citizen inquiries and complaints, explain County ordinances, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain and monitor agreements, contracts, and partnerships with community organizations and service providers to ensure compliance with County policies, contractual requirements, and partnership agreements.
• Work directly with staff to coordinate facility reservations, rentals, and shared use to maximize access.
• Staffing and Leadership Plan, organize, assign, supervise, review, and evaluate work of assigned staff.
• Recommend hiring, provide training, coaching, mentorship, and hold staff and volunteers accountable as required.
• Ensure effective supervision and coordination of staff and volunteers supporting rentals, programs, camps, and community‑wide events.
• Promote a positive organizational culture through communication, accountability, and leadership.
• Operational Management Assist in development and direct the implementation of goals, objectives, policies, and work standards for assigned programs, facilities, or parks.
• Assist in preparation and administration of annual budgets specific to area of responsibility; oversee expenditures, revenues, and provide input on pricing.
• Ensure proper use of facility use guidelines and pricing plan.
• Prepare a variety of periodic and special reports related to recreation programs, events, facilities, revenue, expenditures, and recreation data collection.
• Develop and write procedures and manuals.
• Order materials, supplies, and equipment; prepare work orders and manage contracts as assigned.
• Monitor facility usage trends and recommend operational or program improvements based on data and community needs.
• Compliance, Audits and Accreditation Ensure compliance with County policies, procedures, and environmental stewardship standards.
• Work with staff to ensure accurate and effective use of systems, including RecTrac, Skynet, and CampDoc.
• Support and maintain compliance with CAPRA and ACA accreditation standards for the Department.
• Conduct proactive assessments related to fraud awareness, prevention, detection, and risk mitigation.
• Oversee financial, compliance, operational, and performance audits; review findings and ensure corrective actions are implemented as needed.

About the Schedule

Work Hours: Full‑Time, 40 hours per week. As a reminder, all county employees are considered essential and must be prepared to protect and support the community and its citizens. Each employee, without exception, will have a duty assignment and be required to work during a disaster or declared emergency.

About You

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, Leisure Services, Education, Public Administration, Business Administration, or closely related field.
• 2 years minimum supervisory experience.
• 2 years minimum experience with conducting or overseeing programming from facility programs to large special events for the community. Progressively responsible professional experience as described herein can substitute on a year-for-year basis for the required college education.
• CPR/AED or must attain within 6 months of hiring. (We can help with this!)

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP).
• Experience with Rectrac registration and Smartsheet software.
• Prior Summer Camp management experience.

Subject to Passing Substance Screening

This position is subject to passing a pre‑employment substance screening. An applicant who fails to pass a required drug screening test shall be disqualified from employment for a period of five years.

Fingerprint Screening Requirement

This position requires a fingerprint‑based background check, as required by law. The screening reviews criminal history and other legally permitted information. Applicants who do not meet the screening requirements will not be eligible for employment. Learn more: https://info.flclearinghouse.com

Starting Pay Range

Starting Pay Range: $60,028.80 - $63,000.00, based on experience.

Benefits

Enjoy great benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Short‑Term and Long‑Term Disability, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Florida Retirement System (FRS) and many, many more! Choose one of three great medical plans, including one with a $0 premium option, with completed preventative visits! For more information about employee benefits, please click this link or visit SCGov.net for additional information. Utilize our award‑winning wellness program including free gyms at multiple Sarasota County Government locations. Enjoy 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days and 16 paid vacation days in the first year of full‑time employment with increasing accrual rates with years of service. (That adds up to a possible 30 days off in your 1st year!) A different blend of voices prompt better conversations, choices and results for everyone. Sarasota County – Many Voices, One Team. We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different. Our vision is to attract, develop, retain and engage a talented workforce broadly representative of the citizens and communities we serve. To further value creativity, innovation, collaboration and great customer service – internally and externally.

Required First Day Documents

• I-9 Acceptable Documents to show your identity and authorization to work. Use this link to learn more and review the different document options: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents. If your position requires a Florida Driver’s License, this must be one of your documents. (Your Florida Driver’s License can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List B Documents.)
• U.S. Social Security Card (signed, physical card). This is a requirement of our Payroll Department and failure to provide this document could jeopardize timely compensation. (Your U.S. Social Security Card can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List C Documents.)

Equal Employment Opportunity / Accommodations

A job applicant with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to participate in the application/selection process is requested to make known the need for an accommodation to Human Resources or appropriate county staff members.

We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different.

Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at scgov.net (keywords: ADA Compliance).

Sarasota County Government is a Tobacco-Free/Drug-Free Workplace.

About Everything Else

Do you like leaving things better than you found them? We serve the greater good! Our team is here to make Sarasota the premier community to live, work and play! Sarasota has 37 miles of award‑winning beaches, over 80 parks and 100 golf courses, and is known as the cultural capital of Florida with museums of art, theaters, an aquarium, botanical gardens and the annual international film festival. Unsurpassed beauty, rich cultural offering, diverse educational opportunities, wide-ranging recreational possibilities make Sarasota a great place to live and work! We believe in work‑life balance with a generous leave plan. “US News & World Report: Sarasota is No. 1 in Florida and No. 18 in the country for best place to live.” We need YOU to help create wonderful experiences for residents and vacationing guests enjoying Sarasota!