Recreation Manager II

Department:

Parks Recreation and Natural Resources

Start Here. Grow Here. Stay Here.

As a Recreation Manager II, you’ll lead teams across multiple recreation facilities, programs, and community events. This role provides strategic oversight to supervisors managing sites such as Colonial Oaks Park, Nokomis Community Park, the Ridge Teen Center, and other key locations, as well as division-wide programs and events.

The Recreation Manager drives the planning and delivery of summer and school-year day camps, ensuring high-quality, consistent experiences for our community. This position champions operational excellence, strong fiscal management, and compliance with accreditation standards (CAPRA, ACA).

Serving as a key member of the division’s leadership team, the Recreation Manager II works closely with internal teams and community stakeholders to strengthen accountability, enhance customer service, innovate programming and events and support efficient, high-quality operations across facilities, programs, and events.

Apply today and be part of a team dedicated to serving our community through parks, programs, and events.

About the Position

Leadership and Oversight:

• Provide leadership and oversight for recreation facilities and parks, ensuring alignment with County policies, division goals, and accreditation standards.
• Directly supervises multiple supervisors overseeing operations across several parks, community centers, and recreation facilities.
• Plan, direct, and coordinate division-wide and countywide programs, special events, and day camp operations.
• Ensure accountability for service quality, operational consistency, customer experience, and compliance, while addressing public inquiries and complex operational, staffing, and customer service issues.

Staffing and Leadership:

• Supervise, coach, mentor, and evaluate supervisors and staff, ensuring accountability for performance, accuracy, and adherence to County and departmental expectations.
• Ensure consistent application of County HR policies, labor agreements, performance management, corrective action, and disciplinary procedures.
• Oversee staffing and succession planning, staff development, and fosters a positive, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture.

Operational Management:

• Develop and implement division goals, objectives, policies, procedures, and standards while monitoring performance measures to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Oversee division budgets, revenues, expenditures, pricing structures, and fiscal accountability, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and strong internal controls.
• Ensure consistent and accurate use of operational and financial systems (including RecTrac, CampDoc, Skynet, and related technologies) and holds supervisors accountable for system and data compliance.

Capital Planning and Facilities:

• Assist with coordination of capital and non-capital facility improvement initiatives, including participation in CIP reviews, to enhance functionality, accessibility, sustainability, and customer experience.
• Ensure parks and facilities are safe, clean, accessible, and well maintained through coordination with internal teams and contractors, with follow-through to completion of work.

Compliance, Audits and Accreditation:

• Ensure compliance with County policies, procedures, and environmental stewardship standards.
• Oversee division-wide compliance with CAPRA and ACA accreditation standards, including documentation, practices, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee financial, compliance, operational, and performance audits; reviews findings, ensures accuracy of responses, and implements corrective actions.

Operating Hours are Sunday - Saturday

What to expect:

• 40-hour work week

• Weekdays, Weekends, and Nights

• Schedule will be based on business needs, events, rentals, programs, etc.

About You

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in recreation, leisure services, education, or a highly related field AND four (4) years of professional experience related to the position

• -OR- Associate's degree from an accredited college or university AND six (6) years of professional experience related to the position

• -OR- Professional-related experience may substitute for the required degree on a year-for-year basis

• Two (2) years or more of supervisory experience in the related field

• A valid Florida Driver's License at the time of hire

Preferred "BONUS" Qualifications:

• Previous experience in the management of recreation facilities, events and programming

• Previous experience with Summer Camp

• Certified Parks and Recreation Professional certification  by National Parks and Recreation Association

Physical Demands: Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds

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 (5) years

Fingerprint Screening:  This position is subject to a mandatory fingerprint-based background check per applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. The screening will be used to verify criminal history and other relevant information as permitted by law.  An applicant who fails to pass a required screening may be disqualified from employment

About Everything Else

Starting Pay Range: $77,105.60 - $80,953.60 / annually, based on experience

Our interview process could include phone interview(s), Microsoft Teams video interview(s), and/or in-person interview(s).

If you are selected to join our team, please click on this link to review the Required First Day Documents. You will need to present the following items on your first day:

1. 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.)  

2. 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.)  

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. 

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. For assistance with the application, please call 941-861-5353.

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.