Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent

Job Responsibilities

The Superintendent is responsible for planning, organizing, and administering a large, complex, and diverse parks and recreation system. The Priorities Of The Superintendent Are:

• Lead Seattle Parks and Recreation – Ensure the operations, investments, and staff of Seattle Parks and Recreation support city priorities effectively and efficiently.
• Align operations and investments with city policy goals, service equity, and regulatory compliance.
• Prioritize investments aligned with mayoral and council priorities and collaborate with the community and partners to understand their needs and implement solutions.
• Maintain and adapt parks, public facilities and programs to meet the needs of our changing city through strategic planning, partnerships and investments.
• Beyond recreation, ensure community centers can serve as hubs for community building by keeping the spaces inviting, affordable and programmed to reflect the demographics, interests and needs of the surrounding community.
• Promote racial and social equity. Ensure that community centers serve as the bedrock of a recreation system grounded in racial and social equity, with open doors for all and free or low-cost, community-centric programs.
• Expand participation and access to recreation programs that increase physical activity and health awareness by analyzing program performance data for equitable outcomes and building equity-based leadership skills among staff.
• Ensure that open space and recreation facility distribution is based on access, opportunity, equity, and data.
• Ensure safety, cleanliness, and accessibility.
• Maintain and adapt parks and public facilities to meet the needs of our changing city through strategic planning, partnerships and investment.
• Continue to provide necessary maintenance and improvements to aging infrastructure (especially pools and community centers) to maximize the life cycles of these well-used buildings and reduce major maintenance backlogs.
• Excel in service delivery. Emphasize the importance of customer orientation. Establish a high standard of customer service with staff and within facilities to provide a climate of welcoming everyone, cleanliness and attention to each community member's needs.
• Support employee development and training programs that foster teambuilding and collaboration so that employees have the knowledge and skills to perform their work and equitably serve the community.
• Engage and develop staff. Foster an inclusive culture where employees feel supported, respected, and empowered to deliver exceptional service and innovate for the people of Seattle.
• Manage employees within a union environment, collaborate with union leadership, and supervise personnel actions such as hiring, grievances, and performance management.
• Develop valued partners. Collaborate with community stakeholders, the Associated Recreation Council, Seattle Public Schools, agency partners, developers, private sector stakeholders, property managers, legislators, and funding partners to increase recreational opportunities.
• Represent the city with government stakeholders, private sector entities, community advocates, funders, executive-level leadership with nonprofits, and other important partners.
• Champion inclusive and accountable governance. Centers accountability, transparency, and responsiveness in the direction, management, and oversight of department operations. Leads ‘best-in-class administrative and operational processes that embed inclusive and accountable governance through rigorous fiscal management, collaborative program planning, and transparent, performance-based reporting.

Qualifications

The successful candidate has a passion for parks and recreation, extensive management experience, exceptional communication skills, political savvy, and sensitivity to competing stakeholder needs. They advise executive leadership with credibility, guide equitable stewardship of land, resources, and people, and implement change through shared goals, accountability, and efficient, community-centered processes. Their work history exemplifies SPR’s core competencies of accountability and action, equity and inclusion, communication, service, and teamwork. They value relationships, are known as a good listener, and foster an inclusive culture in which staff feel supported and empowered. Well-qualified candidates will have senior leadership experience and extensive professional knowledge in administering urban parks and recreational programs. Their background includes successfully navigating highly collaborative community processes, establishing impactful partnerships, and demonstrating administrative, financial, and political expertise, along with a strong commitment to public service. They are recognized as a leader who fosters an inclusive, open, and transparent workplace culture, where staff at all levels are meaningfully involved in decision-making and where data and evidence drive clear, timely decisions.