What does a recreation director do?
Recreation directors may take part in leading activities like canoeing, wilderness first-aid, rock climbing, camping, and resource management for this dynamic career. Responsibilities include implementation and success assurance of recreation programs, as well as management of schedules for activities and facilities. They also handle the recruitment, training, and supervision of staff and volunteers.
Recreation director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real recreation director resumes:
- 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.
- Expand programming, develop outdoor adventure programs, and maintain current city programs.
- Design and layout seasonal brochure, create flyers, signs and periodically upload recreation information to town website.
- Formulate care plans and monitor progress in the MDS chart which include resident's progress in daily morning reports.
- Plan, write and implement monthly newsletters for residents in the Alzheimer's unit and the assisted living unit.
- Develop and distribute flyers, brochures, letters and various promotional materials for all programs and events as needed.
- Certify lifeguard instructor which includes CPR for the professional rescuer, blood borne pathogens, oxygen administration and a certifications.
- Execute payroll management, including tabulation of accrue employee benefits.
- 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.
Recreation director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Recreation Directors are proficient in Community Resources, Therapeutic Recreation, and Nursing Home. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Flexibility, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Recreation Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Community Resources, 15%
Developed methods for effective utilization of community resources.
- Therapeutic Recreation, 14%
Provided specialized therapeutic recreational programming.
- Nursing Home, 14%
Develop and implement a recreation program designed to meet the social, psycho-social and therapeutic needs of nursing home residents.
- Customer Service, 10%
Execute daily tasks/functions of guest activities while focusing on providing superior customer service.
- Provides Supervision, 7%
Park Pals provides supervision of recreational activities at parks.
- Recreation Programs, 5%
Hired staff, implemented and developed recreation programs, constructed all operating procedures and submitted all construction/repairs projects.
"community resources," "therapeutic recreation," and "nursing home" are among the most common skills that recreation directors use at work. You can find even more recreation director responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a 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 recreation director resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "initiated immediate community outreach, internal and external communications to promote city sports and recreation programs. "
Flexibility. Many recreation director duties rely on flexibility. "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities," so a recreation director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways recreation director responsibilities rely on flexibility: "developed a supervisory structure that maximized flexibility and customer service. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for recreation directors to perform their duties. For an example of how recreation director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a recreation director: "advised youth on leadership, teamwork, event planning and recruitment. ".
Physical strength. A big part of what recreation directors do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to 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 recreation director tasks: "plan, direct, and implement all recreation services for residents of varied physical and mental capacities. "
Problem-solving skills. A commonly-found skill in recreation director job descriptions, "problem-solving skills" is essential to what recreation directors do. Recreation director responsibilities rely on this skill because "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." You can also see how recreation director duties rely on problem-solving skills in this resume example: "complete staff training and in-services regarding fire safety, conflict resolution and elderly abuse/neglect. "
The three companies that hire the most recreation directors are:
- Nyc Parks
12 recreation directors jobs
- CareOne6 recreation directors jobs
- NHC2 recreation directors jobs
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Compare different recreation directors
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a recreation director are more likely to require skills like "therapeutic recreation," "nursing home," "customer service," and "compassion." On the other hand, a job as a day camp counselor requires skills like "kids," "cleanliness," "pet," and "leadership." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Day camp counselors earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,530. On the other hand, recreation directors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $45,167.On average, day camp counselors reach similar levels of education than recreation directors. Day camp counselors are 1.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Recreation director vs. Camp counselor
Camp counselors' general responsibility is the supervision of a camping event. Camp counselors' duties include reiterating the rules and regulations, emergency drills and procedures, and related standard protocols to ensure that the campers maintain a safe camping environment. A camp counselor should possess strong leadership and decision-making skills to develop recreational programs and immediately resolve concerns that might affect everyone's overall camping experience. Camp counselors also help develop social interaction, promote teamwork, and monitor participation among campers.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that recreation director responsibilities requires skills like "community resources," "therapeutic recreation," "nursing home," and "customer service." But a camp counselor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "kids," "summer camps," "role model," and "child care."
On average, camp counselors earn a lower salary than recreation directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, camp counselors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $29,249. Whereas recreation directors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $45,167.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Camp counselors tend to reach similar levels of education than recreation directors. In fact, they're 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for recreation directors in the next 3-5 years?
Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP
Associate Professor, Recreation Management Program Director, Springfield College
It is likely that we will also continue to see efforts to connect online technologies with recreation programming and special events. For instance, we have seen demand for export programming increase over the years. Covid-19 seems to have perpetuated this need as there is an increased need for individuals to stay in confined spaces, and gaming stigmas have dramatically decreased in recent years. With new gaming technologies, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, being currently launched, it is likely they will play a role in the provision of recreation services by professionals for years to come.
Recreation director vs. Program lead
A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands. They have a clear understanding of the organization's long-term goals and outline plans to define those objectives, bringing new programs to light following clients' specifications that would help the business grow revenues, maintain customer satisfaction, and keep its good reputation, and achieve profitability goals.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a recreation director is likely to be skilled in "community resources," "therapeutic recreation," "nursing home," and "compassion," while a typical program lead is skilled in "project management," "hr," "work ethic," and "customer satisfaction."
Program leads typically earn similar educational levels compared to recreation directors. Specifically, they're 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Recreation director vs. Camp leader
Types of recreation director
Updated January 8, 2025
