How To Become A Recreation Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a recreation director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

A recreation director leads and oversees the personnel and facilities of an organization's recreation department. They are mainly responsible for producing, coordinating, and executing recreational programs and activities following a set of rules and safety protocols.

Their responsibilities also include coordinating with different sectors of the community and government agencies, managing budgets, completing paperwork, and seeking funding options for the promotion and implementation of the recreational programs. They also have to assess and discipline employees and address various problems and issues associated with the program administration. They may work on non-traditional schedules depending on the season and the activities.

To qualify as a recreation director, candidates need a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, aquatics, or any related field. Significant years of prior work experience are mandatory. Certifications in lifeguard training, first aid, and other safety-related areas are necessary to avoid compromising any participant's safety in the activities. Outstanding management, leadership, multitasking, and customer service skills are the key qualities to become successful and efficient in this position.

What general advice would you give to a recreation director?

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

Associate Professor, Recreation Management Program Director, Springfield College

Be open, flexible, and willing to learn. I realize that after graduating from college, many individuals may feel as if they are mentally and emotionally done with learning, but the truth is that graduation is really just the beginning of lifelong learning as a recreation professional. If graduates are looking to work in parks and recreation, I would recommend applying for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification when they are eligible and feel ready to take on the CPRP exam.

If a recent graduate is unable to immediately crack into the field, I would recommend either volunteering in a recreation specialization they are interested in or perhaps looking at job descriptions for recreation positions they are interested in and find jobs that help to give them experience in the requested knowledge, skills, and abilities so that they can better position themselves as a future candidate.

ScoreRecreation DirectorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,525

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.07%

Black or African American 12.21%

Hispanic or Latino 15.12%

Unknown 5.57%

White 61.36%

Gender

female 51.96%

male 48.04%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a recreation director

Explore recreation director education requirements

Most common recreation director degrees

Bachelor's

71.0 %

Associate

11.6 %

Master's

9.8 %

Start to develop specific recreation director skills

Skills	Percentages
Community Resources	15.50%
Therapeutic Recreation	14.47%
Nursing Home	14.05%
Customer Service	9.67%
Provides Supervision	6.87%

Complete relevant recreation director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New recreation directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a recreation director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real recreation director resumes.

Research recreation director duties and responsibilities

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Organize and provide staff training material regarding Alzheimer's disease.
Conduct monthly resident council meetings, daily initial evaluations, standard MDS and interdisciplinary care plan documentation.
Advance technical knowledge of all office equipment including Microsoft office and POS systems.

Get recreation director experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a recreation director. The most common roles before becoming a recreation director include internship, recreation therapist team lead and activities director.

Prepare your recreation director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your recreation director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a recreation director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable recreation director resume templates

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