Park Manager

Park Manager- Park Services Division

Join our Great City

The City of Alexandria is in Northern Virginia bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington, and Fairfax counties. Once within the original boundary stones that demarked the area of the Nation’s Capital, Alexandria is a part of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With a population of approximately 157,600 Alexandria is the sixth largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unique and historic, Alexandria is a place that is experiencing substantial redevelopment appeal and business growth opportunities because of a high market demand for urban living in a quality environment. About one-quarter of the City’s 15.47 square miles has been designated as a national or local historic district.

The City of Alexandria is an independent City with no county affiliation and derives its governing authority from a Charter granted by the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, allowing local governments only the authority expressly granted to them by the Virginia Constitution or by the Virginia General Assembly in the City Charter or in general law. City Council is the governing body, which formulates policies for the administration of the City. The mayor is chosen on a separate ballot and presides over sessions of the Council.

If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Park Manager position for the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA).

• The mission of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is to enrich the City of Alexandria by creating meaningful experiences through public spaces, cultural activities, and programming.
• The Department’s vision is to improve the well-being of every person in our community by connecting them to each other and their environment.

Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural ActivitiesThe Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) supports the well-being of Alexandria’s residents by ensuring access to a variety of quality recreation, park, and cultural experiences. The Department is comprised of four operating Divisions: Recreation Services; Leadership & Management; Cultural Activities; and Park Services. These four Divisions work to offer the full range of programs, facilities, and parks.

Park Services manages over 900 acres of publicly accessible open space (this includes both public and private land that is open for public use) 566 acres of it is publicly owned park land, natural areas, and approximately 30,000 street trees. The City Marina has 60 slips for recreational boating and annual licensing, commercial water taxi and sightseeing contracted services, licensed outdoor dining, and receives approximately 300,000 visitors annually. The Natural Resources section in one of four operational sections of Park Services.
The operating units of Park Services include:

• Park Planning and Capital Development
• Natural Resource Management
• Park Support
• Park Maintenance

Park Maintenance
There are three Park Manager positions, and the duties of the incumbents will rotate over time to fully prepare them for continued advancement to the Division Chief and Deputy Director levels. Park Managers oversee park operations for a geographic area of the City. Incumbents coordinate the administration, personnel management, operation, and maintenance of the parks and related facilities. They are also responsible for planning, coordinating, and directing daily operations, including payroll, incident and accident reports, budget management, procurement, and the hiring, evaluating, and scheduling staff and contractors. Park Managers work in coordination with Park Planning and Capital Development to manage small construction and renovation projects. This work involves supervising staff in maintenance and facility operations, overseeing work completed by contractors, and completing administrative tasks related to the maintenance of the parks. The incumbent works under the general supervision of a Division Chief. Park Managers serve as shift commanders for emergency weather response and implement incident objectives as determined by City emergencies operations.

The Park Manager key performance indicators:

• To plan and implement maintenance cycles and standards for the area assigned to maintain public satisfaction with quality of parks at 86% or higher based on the annual citizen survey.
• To conduct all area leadership activities to maintain an employee engagement score that exceeds the public sector benchmark based on the annual workplace survey.
• To achieve operational productivity equal to or better than comparable municipal and private sector benchmarks.
• To achieve an area score of 87% or higher for courteousness of staff based on the annual citizen survey.
• To manage financial resources to established annual budget, procurement, and payroll targets.

The Park Manager key work projects FY2026

• Fully implement the Career Ladder Process for Park Technicians to Park Specialist.
• Plan and implement all seasonal maintenance cycles for the assigned area at the established landscape standards.
• Collaborate with Park Support to ensure established safety standards are met for parks, facilities and open space.
• Collaborate Park Planning and Capital Development in the development of maintenance requirements and cycles for future parks, facilities, and open space in alignment with the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP).
• Collaborate with Natural Resources to maintain natural areas within assigned parks to established standards.
• Collaborate Natural Resources to address and resolve Natural Resource issues.
• Provide quality customer experience to citizens, staff, and other City collaborators.
• Utilize the City Works data management system to update and track Service Requests and Work Orders in accordance with standard operating procedures.

Key Work Aspects of RPCA and the City of Alexandria:
The Park Manager will have both a division assignment to carry out a functional area of work and a strategic team assignment. As such, you are tasked with creating an environment of success in the department such that staff are highly engaged to focus on results that support organizational attainment of our mission and strategic plan. Our purpose is to build an organizational cultural “that supports each of us and inspires excellence.”
RPCA Strategic Plan – Each senior leader is expected to implement the mission, vision, values, and the four focus areas as determined through business plans and the budget process. It is expected that all decisions will be made considering the values and focus areas.

Statement of Workplace Excellence – Every RPCA staff member has the right to a safe, healthy, efficient, and pleasant working environment where all organization members adhere to the highest standards of behavior, personal integrity, and truthfulness. Each staff member demonstrates full support and acts on deploying workplace excellence.

Shared Leadership Approach - We continually strive to gain the maximum amount of discretionary effort on the part of our staff members. All staff members are collectively responsible for our organizational community and have leadership roles. Everyone is a decision maker within his or her job. We invite participation in solving organizational issues and constantly improving our operations. We share a leader-to-leader model.

Customer Service Guarantee – We are committed to delivering a consistently superior customer experience to all who participate in our programs or visit our parks and facilities. Service will be:

• Responsive – respond in a timely manner to all residents and customers both external and internal. We own the request we receive and do not shift the responsibility.
• Professional – represent the department in appropriate appearance, decorum, and communication.
• Courteous – Treat everyone with respect. Treat everyone fairly. Treat everyone with dignity.
• Accountable – Demonstrate a bias toward action. Ensure follow-up and follow-through with appropriate results.

Our most valued assets are our engaged staff members and customers.

Bring your ability to manage and prioritize multiple assignments and projects, working both independently and collaboratively with other City departments, staff, and the public. Your expertise in natural resources, land management techniques, and environmental assessments will be essential. Strong leadership and effective communication skills, both oral and written, are critical. A commitment to public service, providing exceptional customer experiences, and representing the Department and the City of Alexandria positively, while being responsive, professional, courteous, and accountable, will be highly valued in this role.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Four-Year College Degree; three-five years of experience in park/facility management, operations or grounds maintenance operations; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Good knowledge of park maintenance and required care; good knowledge of safety procedures; ability to follow directions with minimal supervision; ability to effectively oversee and manage park maintenance contracts; ability to direct and schedule staff to meet operational requirements; ability to lead and manage staff through development of performance plans, evaluation and discipline processes; ability to safely operate hand tools, turf maintenance equipment and tractors; physical ability to perform work under adverse weather conditions; and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively to staff, vendors and the public

Notes

This position requires successful completion of a criminal records background check and drug screening prior to employment

The City of Alexandria is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workforce. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, military status, or disability.