Division Chief (Manager II, Grade M2)

About The Position

Please note: The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $113,715 - $186,855 based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Who We Are

The Montgomery County Department of Recreation is a nationally recognized and award-winning agency with a mission to provide high-quality, diverse, and accessible community-based programs, activities, and services that serve the recreation and leisure needs of the Montgomery County community. The department manages 39 facilities, including recreation centers, senior centers, and indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities, and provides thousands of programs such as out-of-school activities, aquatics, classes, youth and adult sports programs and leagues, senior programs, and therapeutic recreation. The department values diverse perspectives, lived experiences and cultures and encourages BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), immigrants, women, LGBTQIA+, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. Bilingual candidates are also encouraged to apply!

Key Responsibilities

• Provides customer-focused leadership, inspires teamwork, motivates employees, and establishes clear direction through effective communication of goals and expectations.
• Fosters a positive, inclusive, and productive work environment grounded in participative management.
• Communicates plans to supervisors, colleagues, and community stakeholders; identifies resource needs; monitors trends in recreation; recommends program modifications to meet evolving community needs; and oversees program budgets to ensure responsible, strategic, and equitable use of resources.
• Analyzes data to initiate or revise programs, builds and maintains effective working relationships, and demonstrates flexibility and adaptability when managing competing priorities.
• Prepares high-quality written documents and delivers presentations to senior leadership, community partners, and elected officials.
• Requires the ability to cultivate and sustain meaningful partnerships with other government agencies, nonprofits, and community-based organizations to advance Montgomery County Recreation’s mission.
• Some assignments require evening and weekend work to support programs, with occasional holiday coverage. The position also requires the ability to attend meetings and perform work at off-site locations.
• The individual selected for this role will be designated as an Essential Employee and must report to work during general emergencies or periods of liberal leave.
• As a manager or supervisor of unionized employees, this position carries the responsibility of promoting a positive labor-management environment based on mutual trust, respect, communication, and collaboration.

Ideal Candidate Will Have

• Demonstrate strong recreation programming and management experience, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to convey information in a clear, concise, and direct manner.

Additional Information

• This position may require work during non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and occasional outdoor work in varying weather conditions.
• The individual selected for this role will be required to complete a background investigation and medical history review.
• Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace.

Minimum Qualifications

• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the parks and recreation field. Three years (3) of which were in a supervisory or executive capacity.
• Note: The term “executive” is further defined as a high echelon or high level position in an organization that is assigned technical research, management advisory services responsibilities, or policy-making duties and responsibilities that exerts considerable influence on organizational policy, plans, and operations through technical research, management advisory services, and/or policy-making duties and responsibilities (e.g., County positions at Grade 30 or above).
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
• Possession of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver’s license from the applicant's state of residence when required for job-related duties.
• Completion of a financial disclosure.
• Completion of a pre-employment medical history form to assess your ability to safely perform the essential duties of the role.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

Describe your executive leadership experience overseeing large-scale recreation or human-services program portfolios. Include the breadth of programs under your direction, your strategic approach to division-wide management, and how you measured organizational performance.

Provide an example of a strategic initiative you led to expand, redesign, or modernize programs or services. What assessment methods or data did you rely on, what decisions did you make, and how did the initiative advance organizational goals or community impact?

Explain your experience providing executive-level oversight of complex budgets. Include the size and scope of the budgets you managed, your approach to long-range financial planning, and how you ensured fiscal accountability while supporting innovation and service delivery.

Describe your experience cultivating high-level partnerships with government agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations. What strategies did you use to align partners around shared goals, and how did these collaborations strengthen outcomes at the division or departmental level?

Explain your leadership approach to managing in a unionized environment. Describe how you have fostered a culture of trust, collaboration, and accountability, and provide an example of how you successfully navigated a complex labor-management issue.