Park Unit Manager

ABOUT US:
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a full-service governmental agency stewarding a metropolitan system of public open space parklands and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties east of the San Francisco Bay. EBRPD spans across 125,000 acres in 73 regional parks, including over 1,250 miles of trails that are enjoyed by over 25 million visitors and the community per year. The Park District acquires, manages, and preserves natural and cultural resources for everyone to enjoy now and forever to experience nature nearby.

OUR MISSION:
EBRPD preserves a rich heritage of natural and cultural resources and provides open space, parks, trails, safe and healthful recreation and environmental education.  An environmental ethic guides the District in all of its activities.
 
OUR VALUES: 

• Respect – We honor the land we steward, each other, and the park visitors we serve.
• Resilience – We creatively adapt to change. We address challenges with empathy, perspective, and determination.
• Relationships – Our greatest strength lies in the trust, accountability, and teamwork we cultivate with our colleagues, partners, and the public we serve.
• Responsiveness – We communicate openly, honestly, and reliably.
• Transparency – We hold the public's trust through meaningful stakeholder engagement and access to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance. 

• Working with a purpose for a better world today and for future generations through the preservation of open space, public access to the outdoors, and a commitment to the conservation of the natural world found east of the San Francisco Bay across 33 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
• A community of colleagues who are passionate about public service and the East Bay Regional Park District, the communities it serves, and its mission.
• Excellent benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending, and pension benefits through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). Click here for details regarding additional benefits.
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development.
• Free on-site parking.
• Free parking permit for EBRPD parks (for up to 2 privately owned vehicles)
• Employee discounts for certain EBRPD park amenities (reservations, daily fishing permit, public boat launch).

• Is an experienced park professional with a strong background in Regional Parks management including open space natural areas and developed park facilities such as swim facilities and regional trail systems.
• Has a strong collaborative leadership style with a track record of forming effective relationships with those they supervise, other internal stakeholders, external public agencies, park concessionaires, community organizations, and individual community members.
• Exhibits flexibility, is a problem solver and has the ability to motivate and guide staff in a continuously changing fast-paced environment.
• Has a strong environmental ethic.
• Has experience with governmental and/or public agencies and adhering to and interpreting external and internal processes and guidelines; environmental permitting, board operating guidelines, human resource policies, etc.

The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to: 

• As one of several unit managers, supervises individual park first-line supervisors within the assigned category of parks and facilities.
• Exercises second and third level supervisory responsibilities over a large unit workforce of regular, seasonal, and temporary park maintenance classifications, support personnel; indirectly over a large number of volunteers, and both directly and indirectly, over contract concessionaires.
• Ensures senior management policy, programs, goals, objectives, and guidelines are understood and met.  Key program objectives include allocating appropriate resources necessary to operate and maintain parks and trails.
• Manages physically dispersed parks and facilities through coordinated leadership assuming overall responsibility for a significant Operating and Capital Budget.
• Develops, justifies, and defends proposed budget submissions, including annual Budget Objectives.
• Provides direction and oversight for the diverse elements of a complex unit, ensuring that specifically assigned ongoing and annual operational and financial objectives are met.
• Resolves internal problems and issues and coordinates with other District staff on broader problems and issues.
• Confers regularly with the Chief of Operations, with Unit staff, and with staff from other District departments to address issues.
• Performs representational duties for assigned parks, facilities, and programs with concessionaires, community and special interest groups, public agencies, contractors, and the general public.  Typical responsibilities include participating in negotiating, managing, and monitoring contracts, leases, and agreements; responding to public agency and public inquiries and complaints, and the overall maintenance of good public relations, including making public presentations.  May also serve as a District representative to external organizations related to the assigned unit, such as public agencies, water districts, local municipalities, park neighbor associations.
• Ensures that the Park District's operational, maintenance, and financial interests receive maximum attention and that decisions are consistent with overall District goals and objectives.
• Serves on internal Park District committees, working groups, and/or ad hoc task forces, providing parkland operational expertise and contributing to the attainment of successful results.
• Prepares and reviews a variety of correspondence, Board material, manuals, and reports.
• Motivates, develops, and evaluates staff.  Provides leadership and assistance to staff in personnel and labor relations matters.
• Develops maintenance and operational standards, evaluates staff's performance regarding these standards.
• On-call to respond to a wide range of potential public operation or maintenance emergencies, as well as disasters caused by fires, floods, earthquakes, or other natural events.

Education: A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in park management, environmental science, public administration, or a closely related field; 

Experience: Four years of experience in park operations.  At least two of the four years should be at a supervisory level.  Additional experience in park and facility maintenance is desirable.

Substitution: A Master's Degree in park management, environmental science, public administration, or a closely related field may be accepted as an equivalent to one and a half of the required four years of experience.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• General knowledge of park operations and specific knowledge of the operational programs of the specialized unit category of parks and facilities under recruitment.
• General understanding of routine parks and facilities maintenance.
• Thorough knowledge of management and supervisory principles and practices, and sound judgment and leadership skills.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively with divergent groups are also required.
• Knowledge of park design, blueprint reading, traffic circulation, revenue collection, and labor relations principles.
• Familiarity and skill with various computer programs.
• Ability to serve as a representative of the unit and the District with other District staff, external organizations, and the public.

• Must be able to pass a Level 1 background check, which includes: employment history verification, employment reference check, education or certificate verification. Department of Justice fingerprinting, and criminal history review.
• A valid California State driver's license is a condition of initial and continued employment in this position.

1. A current East Bay Regional Park District application submitted online, and
2. Completed supplemental questions

• Supplemental Questions Screening
• Oral Examination: (Tentative Date: The week of November 18th)
• Written Examination: (Tentative Date: The week of November 18th - candidates who are placed on 1st pool will proceed to the written test)