Under the direction of the Parks and Recreation Supervisor and Program Coordinator, the P&R Counselor is responsible for the direct supervision of program participants and P&R Aides. The P&R Counselor is also responsible for the implementation of age-appropriate activities. The P&R Counselors are expected to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all participants.
The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
Education and Experience:
High School Diploma required; strongly preferred for applicants to be enrolled in a college or university majoring in recreational studies, sports management, education, or physical education. Minimum of one to three (1-3) years of work in recreation or similar field; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Special Requirements: First Aid/CPR and AED (training will be provided to incoming employees)
Knowledge, Abilities and Skill:
Knowledge: Knowledge of a variety of recreation modalities. Knowledge of the scope and goals of the City’s recreational programs. Knowledge of sports, games, arts and crafts, and other subjects of interest.
Ability: Ability to work within a team. Ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing with a wide variety of stakeholders; ability to maintain confidential information.
Skill: Strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Excellent conflict resolution and communication skills.
The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments. Work in the field involves regular exposure to outside elements.
Physical and Mental Requirements:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.
Physical Skills
Minimal physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. Work requires some agility such as moving in or about athletic fields, ice rinks, or over rough terrain. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as recreational equipment, office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30lbs.).
Motor Skills
Duties are both mental and physical, the job may occasionally require motor skills for activities such as moving objects, interacting in recreational activities, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, excel, filing and sorting of papers.
Visual Skills
Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.
Hours: Part-Time/Seasonal
Salary: $18.00 hourly; no benefits
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Date Posted: February 21, 2024
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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.
Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:
of Total Rewards:
Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

CITY GOVERNMENT: Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City Council govern the City of Somerville, dubbed the "Best Run City" in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe. Numerous national awards and recognition bestowed upon Somerville in recent years include ranking as a top ten Walk Friendly Community and a "Biker's Paradise", three "All America City" awards, four designations as a U.S. "100 Best Communities for Young People," and federal recognition for the Shape Up Somerville healthy living program.
THE CITY ITSELF: Somerville just may be the most interesting 4.1 square miles in New England. Next door to Boston and Cambridge, Somerville is not just close to the abundance of history, high tech, top schools, and culture the Boston area offers, it's a central part of it. George Washington raised the first U.S. flag here, and today Somerville's diverse population of 81,000 spans all walks of life and hails from across the globe (more than 60 languages are spoken by students in our public schools). The City is known for its commitment to progressive ideals, thriving green-tech and innovation hubs, vibrant town squares packed with independent local businesses, a popular restaurant scene, ethnic markets, a proud blue-collar and immigrant heritage, a high-quality workforce, access to higher learning (including Harvard, MIT, and Tufts), and an active and always original arts and maker community (more artists per square mile live here than in any U.S. city other than NYC).
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