Parks and Natural Resources Director

PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIRECTOR

 

SALARY RANGE

PG 31, $5,000.00 - $6,154.40 Biweekly, $130,000.00 - $160,014.40 Annually, Exempt

 

WORK LOCATION AND SCHEDULE

4177 Ben Durrance Rd Bartow, FL 33830

Monday - Friday, 8:00AM - 5:00PM

 

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

•    Direct Deposit, Bi-Weekly Pay Checks
•    Medical, Dental, Vision
•    Life Insurance
•    FRS Retirement
•    10 Paid Holidays
•    Paid Time Off
•    Tuition Reimbursement
•    Education Incentives
•    Deferred Compensation Plan
•    Wellness Incentives
•    Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
•    Free Employee Gym
•    Free Employee Health Clinic

 

Must have the physical, developmental and mental ability to perform job tasks, work efforts, responsibilities and duties of the job illustrated below:
 

MAJOR FUNCTION

Polk County's Parks and Natural Resources Division Director is responsible for managing five major programs:

• Parks and Recreation Program - Dedicated to maintaining diverse parks and facilities while providing exceptional recreation experiences.
• Environmental Lands Program - Instrumental in protecting natural resources, providing environmental education, and nature-based recreation.
• Stormwater Program - Provides key protection and restoration of lakes and streams.
• History and Genealogical Program - Assists with interpreting history, cultural resources and genealogy research.
• Mosquito Control Program - Implemented to reduce populations of mosquitoes that carry diseases with adverse impacts for public health of residents and visitors.
 

The Parks and Natural Resources Division comprises of over 180 employees, managing over 130 parks and centers, including diverse amenities such as athletic fields, an ATV park, gun ranges, livestock arenas, boat ramps, trails, nature parks, resource centers, an environmental center and a history center. Mosquito control is extremely important for public health, reducing the threat of disease carrying mosquitoes that are harmful to people. The Parks and Natural Resources Division offers a wide range of programs focused on recreation, environmental education, and community outreach. The overall goal is to offer a varied array of programs to enhance the quality of life, protect and enrich natural resources and respond to the needs of the changing demographics and growth of Polk County. The Parks and Natural Resources Director provides the overall leadership for the Division.

Performs highly responsible professional work involved with leading the Parks and Natural Resources Division towards achieving the goal of providing residents and visitors with diverse park facilities, recreation programing, interpretation of cultural resources and history, reducing mosquito populations for public health reasons, and providing protection of important natural resources. Assists in creating a customer-focused approach to programs. This position is integral in overseeing the financial aspects for programs expenditures and revenues and securing appropriate funding for operating budgets and important projects to be included in the Community Investment Plan. Responsible for pursuing outside funding sources. Coordinates and manages the overlap between programs to create a work environment that encourages collaboration with staff. Continuously communicates with Polk County leadership and the public on key projects to highlight project benefits.

 

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

Personnel Leadership

• Directly supervises at least seven (7) direct reports and oversees 180+ employees.
• Leads a team of senior level staff to support operational excellence and work towards developing staff through effective coaching, feedback and accountability.
• Manage initiatives designed to effectively hire, compensate, develop and retain quality staff as well as overseeing various personnel matters including discipline, training and development along with managing performance goals.

Strategic Planning and Oversight

• Keep up to date on trends in the varied fields relating to the Division.
• Provides direction for the organization through appropriate planning efforts, such as strategic plans, master plans and capital plans.
• Establishes work plans with short- and long-term goals along with assigned responsibilities.
• Develop guidelines and standard operating procedures to carry out the responsibilities of Parks and Natural Resources Division.
• Evaluate Division programs with changing population dynamics to determine the need to repurpose existing facilities and/or revamp programs so they are relevant and effective.
• Evaluate technology and other processes to become more effective and efficient.

Community Engagement and Public Communication

• Develop and nurture partnerships, working relationships and communication with government organizations including other County Divisions, community, and the public.
• Serve as the technical and administrative liaison for Board appointed advisory boards and other appropriate groups. Actively participates in appropriate professional organizations.
• Create avenues and opportunities for members of the community to engage in providing suggestions and feedback on a consistent basis.
• Communicate with the public on key project timelines and highlight benefits of the project.

• Works with the Communications Division to continuously provide relevant information about programming, services and upcoming projects, temporary closures and other beneficial public notices.
• Prepare and give presentations to residents, Deputy County Manager, County Manager and the Board of County Commissioners.

Operations and Emergency Management

• Serve as the lead in all actions concerning the acquisition, development, operation and maintenance of assets.
• Oversee on average over 200 projects ranging from simple to highly complex.
• Direct staff and implement processes during emergencies and disaster situations as directed by the Deputy County Manager and County Manager.
• Perform tasks as assigned.

Financial Management and Budgeting

• Responsible for financial management, including preparing operating and capital budgets along with monitoring budget expenses and presenting this information to the Deputy County Manager, County Manager and Board of County Commissioners.
• Directs staff in pursuing funding from federal, state and other sources to supplement county funding.
• Oversees grant compliance for the Division and legislative funding if secured.
• Administrative Review and Project Implementation
• Review County Agenda items as required, procurement documents and other related items to facilitate project and program implementation.

 

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND SKILLS

Knowledge of:

• Environmental/natural resources and historical resources
• Mosquito control programs
• Constructing and maintaining stormwater infrastructure for the benefit of lakes and streams health
• Modern principles and objectives of public parks and recreational administration
• Techniques needed to construct, maintain and operate park recreational areas/facilities
• Types of management practices and equipment utilized in maintaining active and passive parks
• Rules and regulations relating to water resource quality regulations
• Technology related to operations to provide efficiencies and/or customer satisfaction
• Financial and budgeting principles
• Fiscal management, reporting systems and budget preparation

Ability to:

• Plan, assign, schedule, review and evaluate the work of others
• Use good judgement in administrative and personnel situations
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with County officials, employees, technical professionals and the general public
• Present and interpret data
• Interpret and administer various county requirements, along with state and federal statutes
• Research, investigate, experiment, detect, inspect, verify, recognize, and recommend solutions to issues
• Maintain strong organizational skills

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Graduate of an accredited four (4) year college or university with a degree in Environmental Science, Soil Water and Ecosystems, Parks and Recreation Administration, Leisure Studies, Public or Business Administration or a related field. Have a minimum of fifteen (15) years' work experience in environmental sciences, parks and recreation or related field and ten (10) years supervisory, management or administrative experience

OR 

Master's degree in a related field and a minimum of ten (10) years' work experience in environmental sciences, parks and recreation, or related field and seven (7) years of supervisory, management or administrative experience. 

AND

Five (5) years of experience with preparing and managing operating budgets and capital projects is required.

Must have a valid driver's license and be able to secure a valid Florida Drivers's License at time of employment.

 

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

This position is exempt from appeals procedures and serves at the pleasure of the County Manager.

All employees will be required to work before, during, or after an emergency. During an emergency, employees may temporarily be assigned to work and perform duties outside the normal scope of their position, location and work schedule to fit the needs of the County and its citizens.

 

SPECIAL PREFERENCES

Professional certification as a Certified Park and Recreational Professional and/or Certified Parks and Recreation Executive through the National Recreational and Park Association is desirable.

Designation as a Certified Public Manager and/or master's in public administration.

Extensive knowledge of parks and stormwater quality infrastructure site planning, construction requirements and management of constructed facility and operations.