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Parks, Recreation, and Culture Director | Job Details tab | Career Pages

Major Functions:

This is a senior leadership position responsible for the strategic direction and operational performance of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Division. The director plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates the work of a multi-disciplinary division that operates and maintains a portfolio of 17 boat ramps and docks; nine nature and environmental parks; six athletic parks; eight local parks; four historic sites; three dog parks; 92 miles of paved trails; 25 miles of natural trails; a shooting range; and, supporting capital infrastructure.

The director serves as the senior advisor to the executive leadership on all matters within the division’s span of control and represents the department before the County Council, advisory boards, partner agencies, and the public. The position requires sound judgment, professional discretion, and the ability to translate Council policy direction into operational results consistent with adopted budgets and service-level expectations.

Why Work For Us?

The likely hiring range for this role is $109,038–$150,563, with placement within the range determined by the candidate’s qualifications and experience

Illustrative Duties:

(NOTE: These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment of the position.)

Leadership and Internal Team Communication:

  • Maintains a regular communication cadence with staff, including weekly leadership meetings, monthly all-staff briefings, and one-on-one check-ins.
  • Translates council direction, departmental priorities, and budget decisions into clear staff expectations and measurable work objectives.
  • Communicates organizational changes, policy updates, and operational decisions promptly through appropriate channels.
  • Provides constructive feedback and structured opportunities for staff to raise concerns and suggestions.
  • Documents performance expectations, coaching conversations, and corrective action consistent with County personnel policy.
  • Coordinates communication across the division’s geographically dispersed work sites to ensure consistent service delivery and uniform application of policy.

Customer Service and Conflict Resolution

  • Sets division-wide customer service standards and trains supervisors to apply them at parks, recreation centers, athletic facilities, and cultural sites.
  • Investigates and resolves elevated complaints from residents, facility users, and council offices in a timely manner.
  • Maintains complaint intake, tracking, and reporting systems and reports trends and resolutions to the department director.
  • Organizes and represents the division at public meetings, neighborhood forums, and stakeholder or Council member briefings.

Capital Project Leadership

  • Develops the division’s annual and five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) recommendations and aligns grant and external funding opportunities to leverage County funds.
  • Oversees scoping, procurement, and contract administration for new construction, renovation, replacement, and major maintenance of facilities within the span of control.
  • Provides executive oversight of public-private partnership (P3) initiatives.
  • Reviews and approves design submittals, contract amendments, and pay applications within delegated budget authority and prepares Council agenda items for actions exceeding that authority.
  • Monitors project schedule, scope, and budget, and reports variances to the department director with recommended corrective actions.

Operational and Asset Management

  • Maintains operating standards, maintenance schedules, and inspection protocols consistent with National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) standards.
  • Monitors performance measures for facility availability, program participation, cost recovery, and customer satisfaction.
  • Coordinates with risk management on safety inspections, incident investigations, and corrective action plans.

Fiscal Management

  • Develops, presents, and administers the division’s annual operating budget and capital budget within parameters established by the County Council and the department director.
  • Develops and executes an annual grants plan, in coordination with the division’s grant writer, that pursues federal, state, regional, and private funding to leverage County resources, including identification of targets, match requirements, and reporting obligations.
  • Monitors revenue from fees, leases, concessions, and grants, and recommends fee schedules and cost-recovery targets for Council consideration.
  • Reviews and approves division expenditures within delegated authority.
  • Provides written fiscal narratives, variance explanations, and trend analyses in support of departmental and Council budget reviews.

Intergovernmental and Community Relations

  • Serves as the division’s principal liaison to municipal partners, school district officials, athletic associations, cultural organizations, advisory committees, and not-for-profit partners.
  • Negotiates and administers interlocal, joint-use, and lease agreements and concession contracts within delegated authority.
  • Prepares agenda summaries, written briefings, and oral presentations for the County Council, the county manager’s office, advisory boards, and the public.
  • Responds to public records requests, media inquiries, and constituent correspondence.

Supervisory Responsibilities

  • Supervises division managers and supervisors and, through them, professional, technical, and operational staff.
  • Conducts annual performance evaluations, recommends personnel actions, and administers progressive discipline consistent with County personnel rules.
  • Develops succession planning, professional development, and training programs for division staff.
  • Approves work schedules, leave requests, and timecards within delegated authority.

Emergency Response and Recovery

  • Coordinates the storm preparation, emergency response, and post-event recovery actions of the division.
  • Directs pre-storm documentation of assets, including photos, condition assessments, and inventory verification, to establish a defensible baseline.
  • Directs post-storm damage assessment and documentation for FEMA Public Assistance submittal, including Project Worksheets, labor and equipment records, and photos.
  • Coordinates with other departments and divisions on debris management, facility closure, and reopening.
  • Deploys division staff to assigned emergency duties.
  • Prepares post-event after-action reports with recommended improvements.

General Duties

  • Must be able to relocate to other county locations based on operational needs.
  • Must adhere to Federal, State, County and Local ordinances.
  • Responds or reports to during county declared emergency.
  • Attends work on a regular and consistent basis.
  • Responds to emergency situations.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Parks and Recreation Administration, Public Administration, Business Administration, Cultural Resources Management, Landscaping Architecture, or related field and seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in parks, recreation, or cultural facility administration.  At least four (4) years of the required experience must be in a senior supervisory   or management capacity overseeing professional staff or capital projects. 

Must possess a valid Florida driver’s license at time of hire and maintain thereafter.

Must pass the required criminal background check.

Must pass the required pre-employment drug screening, consistent with the Volusia County Drug-Free Workplace Policy.

A comparable amount of education, training, or experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • Working knowledge of public parks, recreation, and cultural facility administration.
  • Knowledge of capital project delivery.
  • Knowledge of Municipal budgeting and procurement.
  • Knowledge of Florida public records, ethics, and Sunshine Law
  • Knowledge of applicable safety and accessibility standards
  • Skilled in team leadership and conflict resolution.
  • Skilled in contract negotiation and administration.
  • Skilled in project and budget oversight. 
  • Skilled in executive-level briefing preparation. 
  • Skilled in data and performance reporting. 
  • Ability to maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, advisory committees, partner agencies, employees, and the public.
  • Ability to respond constructively to public criticism.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities. 
  • Ability to exercise sound judgment in policy and personnel matters.
  • Ability to maintain composure in contested public settings.
  • Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing to groups and individuals.
  • Ability to respond to emergency situations.
  • Ability to work under stressful conditions.
  • Ability to interact effectively with others.
  • Must be able to relocate to other county locations based upon operational needs.

ADA REQUIREMENTS

Physical Demands: Sedentary work. Ability to see, talk. Ability to traverse uneven, wet and/or undeveloped terrain.

Environmental Demands: Inside work. Limited exposure to inclement weather, dust and noise.

Mental Demands: Ability to read and comprehend professional manuals, legal documents, ordinances, statutes; instructions, reports, abstracts, financial reports, letters, and summaries. Ability to write reports, evaluations, summaries, letters, financial reports, procedures, and policies. Ability to perform advanced mathematical functions. Ability to speak publicly and extemporaneously; conversant in policies, techniques and procedures of discipline. Ability to analyze data and develop conclusions. Ability to identify and resolve problems.

Volusia County is a drug-free workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse workforce.