Park Operations Manager

OPPORTUNITY

Open: June 21, 2024

Close: July 22,2024, 8:00 AM

The City of Santa Maria, Recreation & Parks Department is recruiting for the position of Park Operations Manager (Business Leader job class). Please see below for specific positions and assignments.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

Under administrative direction, plans, coordinates, and manages the construction, maintenance, and restoration of parks, parkways, medians, street trees, and landscaped areas; develops regular and preventative maintenance plans, staffing schedules, and associated labor and material costs; administers maintenance contracts; manages grants; coordinates programs and services with other managers, service providers, advisory bodies, and community groups; provides professional, administrative, and technical support to the Assistant Recreation and Parks Director, Recreation and Parks Director, and the Recreation and Parks Commission; performs related duties as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

The Park Operations Manager is a middle manager classification, having broad responsibility for a diverse variety of parks maintenance programs and services, including street trees, community and neighborhood parks, sports fields, forested areas, and open areas. This position reports to the Assistant Recreation and Parks Director and supports the Recreation and Parks Commission, and specific advisory groups. The Park Operations Manager is distinguished from the Recreation Manager by its specialized knowledge of park and landscape maintenance, and planning practices.

WHO WE ARE:

The City of Santa Maria is a full-service City with a City Council/City Manager form of government with over 700 employees and serves approximately 108,000 constituents. The City of Santa Maria is located on the beautiful central coast of California and covers over 23 square miles. The City has a harmonious balance of maintaining coastal and agricultural lands while promoting business. Santa Maria offers reasonably priced housing, community festivals, quality schools, and is in close proximity to beaches, cultural arts, a local airport, wineries, and higher education institutions.

REQUIRED SUBMITTALS:

• Application

• Resume with 4 references

• Cover letter highlighting experience and explaining interest in position.

DUTIES

DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTIONS:

Business Leader

These duties are a representative example; position assignments may vary depending on the business needs of the department and organization

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION/TRAINING/EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, horticulture, landscape architecture, urban forestry, environmental science, or a closely related field; related increasingly responsible work experience may be substituted for education on a year-by-year basis.

• Four years of increasingly responsible work experience in the planning, development, and maintenance of parks or other landscaped areas, including two years of supervisory or management experience with both office staff and field staff.

LICENSE, CERTIFICATION, SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

A valid Class C California driver's license and the ability to maintain insurability under the City's Vehicle Insurance Policy. Ability to work extended hours.

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Occupational Health and Safety Administration Act (OSHA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and related standards pertaining to tree trimming, pesticide applications, and safety practices, and applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, and regulations.

• Theories, principles and practices of parks development and maintenance, horticulture, and urban forestry. Landscape design principles and practices.

• Information sources and trends in the field of parks maintenance, including irrigation, fertilization, and planting programs.

• Grant writing and grant management.

• Project Management.

• Principles and practices of park/aquatic/urban forest/facilities management, horticulture, and landscaping.

• Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972, Section 22620, et seq., of the Streets and Highways Code of the State of California, and Proposition 218

• Work safety standards, practices, and procedures.

• Pertinent laws and regulatory codes governing landscaping, accessibility, and maintenance operations.

DESIRED CORE COMPETENCIES

Middle Manager:

• Talent Development

• Effective performers keep a continual eye on the talent pool to monitor skills and needs of team members. They expand staff skills through training, coaching, and development. They evaluate and articulate present performance and future potential.

• Organizing & Planning

• Effective performers have strong organizing and planning skills that allow them to be highly productive and efficient, manage time wisely, and effectively prioritize multiple competing tasks.

• Organization Knowledge

• Effective performers understand the workings of a municipal organization, formal and informal policies, and structures, and know "how the place works."

• Relationship Building

• Effective performers understand that a primary factor in success is establishing and maintaining productive relationships. They interact with people and are good at it. They devote appropriate time and energy to establishing and maintaining networks.

• Results Orientation

• Effective performers maintain appropriate focus on outcomes and accomplishments, are motivated by achievement, and persist until the goal is reached.

• Industry Knowledge

• Effective performers understand the general workings of local government within which the organization functions and maintain a current knowledge base.

• Written Communication

• Effective performers write clearly and concisely, composing informative and convincing documents. They use written language to convey substance and intent with simplicity, accuracy, and clarity.

• Financial Acumen

• Effective performers understand the financial framework of the organization. They are cost conscious and fiscally responsible and use financial data to make informed business decisions.

• Change Agility

• Effective performers are adaptable, are effective in the face of ambiguity, and support an orientation for change.

• Technology Savvy

• Effective performers use technology to be successful in their organizational role. They value technology and leverage existing and new technology to achieve efficiency.

SELECTION PROCESS

The completed electronic application packet will include the online application and electronic attachments of a resume, cover letter and 4 references. If not attached, your application will be considered incomplete

The most qualified candidates will be selected to appear before a panel for an oral interview that may also include a written exercise. The oral interview will tentatively take place on July 26, 2024. Those applicants invited to interview will be notified electronically at the e-mail address provided by each candidate through the application process. Therefore, it is the applicant's responsibility to provide an accurate email address and to allow their inbox to receive emails in regard to this recruitment. The oral panel will recommend the most qualified candidates to Eligibility List from where the new Recreation Coordinator may be selected. The Eligibility List will be established for future vacancies.

If you have further job-related questions, please contact staff in the HR Division at 805-925-0951 x2203. If you are experiencing any technical (computer related) difficulties, please call the NEOGOV help line for technical assistance at 1-855-524-5627.