Job Description

Posting number: 2027-00619

Department: Recreation Parks & Cultural Activities

Division: RECREATION SERV

Job classification: DIVISION CHIEF/ RECREATION, PARKS, & CULTURAL ACTIVITIES/ GS-25

Posting type: Open

Categories: Parks and Recreation

Summary

20250624072853_City of Alexandria Banner.png

Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities

Division Chief, Recreation Services

Join our Great City

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.

If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Division Chief, Recreation Services – Community Recreation Centers & Aquatics, within the City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA).

A Message from the Director

Alexandria’s recreation centers are the foundation of community recreation and among our most valuable neighborhood assets. They bring people together, support healthy lifestyles, and provide meaningful opportunities for residents of all ages. Our responsibility is to ensure these facilities are safe, welcoming, well-managed, and deliver exceptional programs and services.

As Division Chief of Recreation Services, I am looking for an experienced operational leader who understands community recreation, brings strong knowledge of aquatics, develops high-performing teams, and delivers results. This position requires someone who takes ownership, establishes clear expectations, holds employees accountable, and leads with a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Our system includes school-connected recreation centers, standalone facilities, two indoor aquatic facilities, and three seasonal outdoor pools. Each has unique operational needs, but our standards for safety, quality, and service must remain consistent.

Over the next three years, our priorities include strengthening Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), facility inspections, preventive maintenance coordination, aquatic safety, and operational accountability. Equally important is collaborating with programming staff to support classes, camps, registrations, and community activities while using attendance, participation, and facility utilization data to guide decisions and improve services.

I expect a visible, engaged leader who develops employees, solves problems, builds strong partnerships, and continuously looks for ways to improve. Our goal is to make Alexandria’s recreation centers and aquatic facilities among the best in Northern Virginia.

Success is not simply keeping facilities open. It is about how well they operate, the quality of our customer service, the strength of our teams, and the experiences we create for our residents.

If you are passionate about leading people, improving operations, and making a meaningful difference in our community, I encourage you to join our team.

Hashim T. Taylor, Director

Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities

About Us

The City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA) plays a vital role in shaping the quality of life, health, and character of our community. With more than 900 acres of parkland, 100 parks and open spaces, and over 30 recreation, nature, and cultural facilities, RPCA delivers programs and services that connect people to each other and to the world around them. From Old Town’s Waterfront Park to Ben Brenman Park, Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility, Patrick Henry Recreation Center, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center, our facilities and programs reflect the City’s commitment to inclusion, creativity, and service. RPCA’s employees help ensure that every experience, whether a community event, park visit, or recreation program, is safe, welcoming, and enriching for all. The Department is organized into four core operating divisions: Recreation Services, Park Operations, Cultural Activities, and Leadership & Management.

• The Department’s mission - We create meaningful experiences that inspire community, foster creativity, and enhance quality of life for everyone.
• The Department’s vision – The Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities envisions Alexandria as a vibrant, connected, and thriving community where every resident feels a sense of belonging. Through safe, inclusive and innovative programs and spaces, we strengthen well-being, celebrate diversity, and create opportunities for joy and discovery. Guided by equity and excellence, we are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all who live, work and play in our city.

The Division Chief is expected to:

• Lead and oversee all recreation center operations, including school-connected and standalone facilities, establishing clear standards for safety, cleanliness, staffing, facility management, and daily operational readiness to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across the City.
• Provide comprehensive leadership and oversight of aquatic operations, including two indoor facilities and three seasonal outdoor pools, ensuring excellence in water quality management, mechanical systems, lifeguard operations, regulatory compliance, emergency preparedness, and service reliability.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for recreation centers and aquatic facilities, establishing consistent systems for daily operations, staffing, scheduling, registrations, point-of-sale transactions, rentals, customer service, incident reporting, and emergency response.
• Establish a proactive facility inspection, preventive maintenance, and quality assurance program that ensures recreation centers and aquatic facilities are safe, clean, accessible, well-maintained, and operated to premier standards, with clear accountability for identifying and resolving deficiencies.
• Strengthen safety, risk management, and regulatory compliance by ensuring operations meet applicable City policies, aquatic and public health regulations, building and fire codes, ADA requirements, employment practices, contractual obligations, and industry standards while maintaining effective emergency response and operational continuity procedures.
• Collaborate closely with recreation programming staff to support high-quality community recreation services, ensuring classes, camps, youth programs, fitness and wellness activities, special events, and other recreational opportunities have the facility space, staffing, equipment, scheduling, and operational support necessary for success.
• Establish an exceptional customer service culture that prioritizes professionalism, responsiveness, accessibility, and positive resident experiences across all recreation centers, aquatic facilities, member services desks, registration functions, rentals, and other customer-facing operations.
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing workforce by strengthening recruitment, onboarding, training, supervision, performance management, and professional development for full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees while fostering teamwork, employee engagement, and ownership.
• Implement measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and operational dashboards to track facility attendance, program participation, registration trends, space utilization, customer satisfaction, staffing, safety compliance, and operational performance, using data to guide decisions and improve services.
• Maximize recreation center utilization and strengthen neighborhood-based recreation by evaluating operating hours, facility schedules, participation trends, community needs, and available resources to ensure centers remain active, accessible, welcoming, and responsive to the communities they serve.
• Strengthen collaboration and strategic partnerships with Alexandria City Public Schools, City departments, nonprofit organizations, health and wellness providers, businesses, recreation user groups, and community organizations to improve shared-use operations, expand recreational opportunities, increase participation, and advance community goals.
• Demonstrate strong financial stewardship, visible leadership, and operational accountability by developing and managing operating budgets in partnership with the Deputy Director of Recreation Services, evaluating staffing and resource needs, maintaining a regular presence in facilities, supporting employees, and delivering measurable improvements in operational efficiency and service quality.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and accountability where supervisors and employees proactively address challenges, develop solutions, improve operational efficiency, and remain focused on delivering exceptional experiences for Alexandria residents.

The Division Chief will play a central role in implementing the following priorities as part of the Department’s commitment to stronger operations, high-quality facilities, workforce development, and exceptional public service.

1. Modernize Recreation Center Operations and SOPs

• Evaluate current operating practices and implement consistent procedures, service standards, and accountability measures across recreation centers and aquatic facilities.

1. Strengthen Aquatics Safety and Operational Reliability

• Implement operational improvements that strengthen aquatic safety, staff readiness, water quality management, regulatory compliance, and facility reliability while reducing preventable closures.

1. Establish a Facility Inspection and Quality Assurance Program

• Develop consistent inspection standards, facility condition assessments, corrective action tracking, and preventive maintenance coordination.

1. Strengthen Community Recreation and Programming Coordination

• Improve collaboration between recreation center operations and programming staff to ensure effective support for classes, camps, activities, facility scheduling, registrations, and community-based services.

1. Improve School-Connected Recreation Center Operations

• Strengthen coordination with Alexandria City Public Schools regarding shared-use facilities, building access, scheduling, maintenance responsibilities, security, and service delivery.

1. Build a High-Performing Workforce

• Establish clear supervisory expectations, strengthen employee training and development, improve workforce planning, and build a culture of accountability and professional growth.

1. Implement an Exceptional Customer Service Initiative

• Develop consistent customer service expectations, registration support procedures, employee training, feedback systems, and service quality measures across facilities.

1. Establish Facility Utilization and Performance Dashboards

• Implement consistent tracking of attendance, program participation, registrations, facility utilization, operational reliability, and financial performance to support data-informed decisions and continuous improvement.

What You Should Bring

Each member of our team is accountable for the outstanding delivery of services. You will bring your expertise on parks and recreation, change management, employee engagement, and leading a high performing organizational culture; 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 meet the high standards of excellence determined by residents and visitors.

Examples of duties

Four (4) year college degree in recreations or related field; four (4) years of related professional experience in the recreational field, which shall have included demonstrated supervisory experience and experience in planning, coordinating, and marketing revenue and/or non-revenue producing programs.

Qualifications

Preferred: Master’s degree in Recreation Administration, Parks and Recreation Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field; and at least five years of progressively responsible leadership experience in recreation center and aquatic facility operations. Demonstrated expertise in multi-facility management, staff leadership, financial oversight, operational excellence, customer service, and community partnerships. Professional certifications such as Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE), Certified Pool Operator (CPO), or Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) are highly desirable.

Supplemental information

Application Process

Interested candidates must apply through the City’s online recruitment system.

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

Required Documents:

All applicants are required to submit a (i) cover letter, (ii) resume, and (iii) professional writing sample such as a memo, standard operating procedure, policy document, strategic plan, report, or presentation

Applications without all required documents may not be reviewed.