What does a parks recreation director do?
A parks recreation director manages and leads the operations of a park's recreation department. You will be responsible for department oversight, budget management and requisition, coordination with other town council departments, recreation publicity campaigns, and overseeing capital expenditure. Parks recreation directors are the policy and strategy leads for city parks and submit regular reports to the council parks boards. Staff recruitment and supervision, community engagement in recreation activities, and ensuring policy compliance are other core duties.
Parks recreation director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real parks recreation director resumes:
- Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
- Perform minor first aid and CPR as needed.
- Acquire MDS data for the use of the clinical reimbursement team, as well as assessed patients.
- Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
- Maintain written and personal communication with general public and local community through ongoing PowerPoint presentations, weekly newsletters and monthly newspaper.
Parks recreation director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Parks Recreation Directors are proficient in Aquatics, Recreation Programs, and Flag Football. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Flexibility, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Parks Recreation Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Aquatics, 17%
Manage recreation center, aquatics center, enrichment center, childcare, sports fields and all recreation programming.
- Recreation Programs, 8%
Coordinated and/or facilitated a wide variety of educational, instructional and recreation programs and services.
- Flag Football, 6%
Constructed various tournaments for the youth including flag football, basketball, pool, and table tennis.
- Recreational Facilities, 5%
Derived fiscal year budgets for recreational facilities and created revenue generating tournaments through national and local sponsorship.
- CPR, 5%
Prepared to use certified CPR in case of emergency.
- Program Development, 4%
Involved in program development, managing recreation staff, and overseeing sports operations such as spending activities and development of budgets.
Most parks recreation directors use their skills in "aquatics," "recreation programs," and "flag football" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential parks recreation director responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a parks recreation director to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." Additionally, a parks recreation director resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "oversee youth soccer program by managing registrations, creating teams, ordering uniforms and equipment, and communications with parents. "
Flexibility. Another essential skill to perform parks recreation director duties is flexibility. Parks recreation directors responsibilities require that "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities." Parks recreation directors also use flexibility in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed a supervisory structure that maximized flexibility and customer service. "
Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of parks recreation directors is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday parks recreation director duties, as "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided leadership, clarified behavior expectations and ensured safety of the center's participants. "
Physical strength. A big part of what parks recreation directors do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to parks recreation director responsibilities because "most recreation workers should be physically fit." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical parks recreation director tasks: "supervised the operation of sports & wellness department, consisting of fitness, aquatics and physical education. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in parks recreation director job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what parks recreation directors do. Parks recreation director responsibilities rely on this skill because "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." You can also see how parks recreation director duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "address and enforce solutions to improve facility operations. "
The three companies that hire the most parks recreation directors are:
- Salt Lake County
5 parks recreation directors jobs
- The Independent Traveler2 parks recreation directors jobs
- City of Cincinnati2 parks recreation directors jobs
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Compare different parks recreation directors
Parks recreation director vs. Summer camp counselor
Summer camps are programs with different themes organized for children or teenagers during the summer months. Summer camp counselors are responsible for the overall supervision of campers and the planning and implementation of the different programs to give children a memorable experience. It is their responsibility to create a fun, safe, and rewarding environment for each camper. They provide counsel, support, and monitor each camper's individual development. A good summer camp counselor is reliable, honest, and has strong leadership skills.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a parks recreation director are more likely to require skills like "aquatics," "recreation programs," "flag football," and "program development." On the other hand, a job as a summer camp counselor requires skills like "child care," "kids," "customer service," and "work ethic." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Summer camp counselors earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $30,707. On the other hand, parks recreation directors are paid more in the automotive industry with an average salary of $41,295.On average, summer camp counselors reach lower levels of education than parks recreation directors. Summer camp counselors are 5.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Parks recreation director vs. Site leader
A site leader is responsible for managing the staff's performance, ensuring the smooth delivery of daily operations, and guiding the successful project completion by maximizing the staff's productivity within the specified timeframe and budget goals. Site leaders work closely with the clients, together with the site manager, to identify their specifications and requirements, as well as providing progress updates and suggesting design adjustments as needed. A site leader also performs safety inspections, making sure that all the staff follows the required operational procedures and regulations to prevent hazards and delays in project deliverables.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that parks recreation director responsibilities requires skills like "aquatics," "recreation programs," "flag football," and "recreational facilities." But a site leader might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "project management," "logistics," and "patients."
In general, site leaders achieve similar levels of education than parks recreation directors. They're 0.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Parks recreation director vs. Day camp counselor
The job of the camp counselors is to develop recreational plans and oversee camp activities in residential camps. Their duties and responsibilities include organizing camping trips, planning and scheduling group activities, and guiding children and teenagers in various outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking. They are expected to lead campers in emergency procedures and fire drills, explain safety rules and procedures, and provide emotional support to campers. Camp counselors are also responsible for assessing and responding to emergencies when they arise.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, parks recreation directors are more likely to have skills like "aquatics," "recreation programs," "flag football," and "recreational facilities." But a day camp counselor is more likely to have skills like "kids," "cleanliness," "pet," and "leadership."
Day camp counselors make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $34,530. On the other hand, parks recreation directors are paid the highest salary in the automotive industry, with average annual pay of $41,295.When it comes to education, day camp counselors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to parks recreation directors. In fact, they're 1.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Parks recreation director vs. Activities leader
An activity leader's main duty is to offer sports programs and exercises that are riveting in a positive manner. The activities typically assigned to leaders are the ones they understand for the smooth promotion and planning of events. Usually, hotel resorts and summer camps seasonally employ activity leaders to make time for different exercises throughout the year. Working as an activities leader can also be viewed as a way to practically enhance a person's teaching or coaching skills, leadership and communication skills, and marketing skills when it comes to publicizing upcoming events.
Types of parks recreation director
Updated January 8, 2025
