The City of Alexandria is in Northern Virginia bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington, and Fairfax counties. Once within the original boundary stones that demarked the area of the Nation’s Capital, Alexandria is a part of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With a population of approximately 157,600 Alexandria is the sixth largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unique and historic, Alexandria is a place that is experiencing substantial redevelopment appeal and business growth opportunities because of a high market demand for urban living in a quality environment. About one-quarter of the City’s 15.47 square miles has been designated as a national or local historic district.

The City of Alexandria is an independent city with no county affiliation and derives its governing authority from a Charter granted by the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, allowing local governments only the authority expressly granted to them by the Virginia Constitution or by the Virginia General Assembly in the City Charter or in general law. City Council is the governing body, which formulates policies for the administration of the City. The mayor is chosen on a separate ballot and presides over sessions of the Council.

The Department is comprised of four operating Divisions: Park Services, Recreation Services, Cultural Activities and Leadership & Management.

• The mission of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is to enrich the City of Alexandria by creating meaningful experiences through public spaces, cultural activities, and programming.
• The Department’s vision is to improve the well-being of every person in our community by connecting them to each other and their environment.

If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for the Park Manager position for Park Services for the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA).

Park Services Overview
The Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities Department (RPCA) supports the well-being of Alexandria’s residents by ensuring access to a variety of quality recreation, park, and cultural experiences. There are over 900 acres of publicly accessible open space (this includes both 566 acres of publicly owned park land and private land that is open for public use), and approximately 30,000 street trees. The Division works to support a full range of programs, facilities, and parks. The Division Chief manages an assigned operating budget and coordinates project management of capital improvement projects.

Park Services - Budget Responsibility

The operating units of Park Services include:

• Park Planning and Capital Development
• Natural Resource Management
• Park Support
• Park Maintenance

There are three Park Manager positions for Park Services. The duties of the incumbents will rotate over time to fully prepare them for continued advancement to the Division Chief and Deputy Director levels. Park Managers oversee park operations for a geographic area or city-wide function, including multiple parks. Incumbents coordinate the administration, personnel management, operation, and maintenance of the parks and related facilities. They are also responsible for planning, coordinating, and directing daily operations, including payroll, incident and accident reports, budget management, procurement, and the hiring, evaluating, and scheduling staff and contractors. Park Managers work in coordination with Park Planning to manage small construction and renovation projects. This work involves supervising staff in maintenance and facility operations, overseeing work completed by contractors, and completing administrative tasks related to the maintenance of the parks. The employee works under the general supervision of a Division Chief. Park Managers serve as shift commanders for emergency weather response and implement incident objectives as determined by City emergencies operations.

The Park Manager key performance indicators:

• To plan and implement maintenance cycles and standards for the area assigned to maintain public satisfaction with quality of parks at 86% or higher based on the annual citizen survey.
• To conduct all area leadership activities to maintain an employee engagement score that exceeds the public sector benchmark based on the annual workplace survey.
• To achieve operational productivity equal to or better than comparable municipal and private sector benchmarks.
• To achieve an area score of 87% or higher for courteousness of staff based on the annual citizen survey.
• To manage financial resources to established annual budget, procurement, and payroll targets.

The Park Manager key work projects FY23:

• Collaborate with HR, implement the career ladder process for park technicians.
• Plan and implement all seasonal maintenance cycles for the assigned area at the established landscape standards.
• Collaborate with facility repair work group to maintain the assigned area all the established safety standards.
• Process timely and correctly all administrative work for budget, procurement, and payroll.
• Plan maintenance requirements and cycles for future park, facilities, and open space in alignment with the CIP.
• Collaborate with Natural Resources to maintain natural areas within assigned parks to established standards.

Key Work Aspects of RPCA and the City of Alexandria:
As a departmental leader, the Park Manager will have both an area assignment to carry out and a strategic team assignment. As a strategy lead you are in the position of leadership within the department. As such, you are tasked with creating an environment of success in the department such that staff is highly engaged to focus on results that support organizational attainment of our mission and strategic plan. Our purpose is to build an organizational culture “ that supports each of us and inspires excellence.”
RPCA Strategic Plan – Each leader is expected to implement the mission, vision, values, and the four focus areas as determined through business plans and the budget process. It is expected that all decisions will be made considering the values and focus areas.

Statement of Workplace Excellence – Every RPCA staff member has the right to a safe, healthy, efficient, and pleasant working environment where all organization members adhere to the highest standards of behavior, personal integrity, and truthfulness. Each staff member demonstrates full support and acts on deploying workplace excellence.

Shared Leadership Approach - We continually strive to gain the maximum amount of discretionary effort on the part of our staff members. All staff members are collectively responsible for our organizational community and have leadership roles. Everyone is a decision-maker within his or her job. We invite participation in solving organizational issues and constantly improving our operations.

Customer Service Guarantee – We are committed to delivering a consistently superior customer experience to all who participate in our programs or visit our parks and facilities. Service will be:

• Responsive – respond in a timely manner to all residents and customers both external and internal. We own the request we receive and do not shift the responsibility.
• Professional – represent the department in appropriate appearance, decorum, and communication.
• Courteous – Treat everyone with respect. Treat everyone fairly. Treat everyone with dignity.
• Accountable – Demonstrate a bias toward action. Ensure follow-up and follow-through with appropriate results.

Our most valued assets are engaged customers and staff members.

High Performance Organization
RPCA commits to building and sustaining a high-performance organization. This ensures a clear and consistent strategic direction. We continually focus on improving all aspects on internal and external operation. We also strive through workplace excellence and shared leadership to inspire staff to outstanding outcomes. Every job in the organization has elements of team leadership, management, and task accomplishment. HPO is team based.

What You Should Bring
Each member of our team is accountable for the outstanding delivery of services. You will bring your expertise of parks and recreation, employee engagement, high performing organizational culture, and change management; you will have a demonstrated ability to work with employees throughout the department and City of Alexandria; your personal mission and values align with those of the organization and can analyze, synthesize, and make data-informed professional recommendations. You will deliver work products that meets the high standards of excellence determined by residents and visitors.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Four-Year College Degree; three-five years of experience in park/facility management, operations or grounds maintenance operations; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Good knowledge of park maintenance and required care; good knowledge of safety procedures; ability to follow directions with minimal supervision; ability to effectively oversee and manage park maintenance contracts; ability to direct and schedule staff to meet operational requirements; ability to lead and manage staff through development of performance plans, evaluation and discipline processes; ability to safely operate hand tools, turf maintenance equipment and tractors; physical ability to perform work under adverse weather conditions; and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively to staff, vendors and the public.

Certified Grounds Manager or equivalent certification.

Notes

This position requires successful completion of a criminal records background check and drug screening prior to employment.