Parks and Recreation Director

Job Description:

Parks and Recreation Director

Description

The Director will leverage operational, technical, and administrative expertise to lead and enhance the department. Recognizing current size and capacity constraints, this position will lay the groundwork for a robust and dynamic recreational framework. As the department grows, the Director will strategically expand services and facilities to meet the evolving needs of the community. 

The City of Camas Parks & Recreation Department provides parks, public spaces, natural areas, trails, recreational opportunities, community gathering facilities, and urban forestry management. As a member of the City’s senior leadership team, the Director will report directly to the City Administrator, oversee a team of three FTE (Recreation Coordinators), and manage an operating budget of approximately $1.5 Million. 

Enjoying great community support, we are a city in southwest Washington State, just minutes away from Portland, Oregon. The City of Camas is home to approximately 27,000 residents, where its many parks, strong schools, and a thriving downtown make for an exceptional quality of life.  Camas proudly maintains 16 parks, 12 miles of trails and over 1000 acres of open space. 

A highly effective leader and communicator, the Director possesses exemplary public engagement skills and excels in conflict management. A proven record of building consensus and delivering outstanding customer service is key to success in this role. The ability to navigate change while achieving department and City priorities will be crucial in addressing the challenges ahead in Camas. The Director will be adept at building partnerships with organizations and maintaining professional relationships with local, regional, and state partners. Additionally, the Director will be a collaborative partner within the senior leadership team and work closely with the Public Works Director and Community Development Director to align department goals with operations and maintenance activities and planning activities; respectively. 

In the near term, the Director will prioritize:

• Completion of capital projects including Crown Park, South Lacamas Creek Trailhead and the T-3 Trail in coordination with the Public Works Capital Engineering team
• Completion of the Legacy Lands Master Planning project
• Project planning for the Bike Park and Green Mountain Master Plan
• Reviewing organizational structure of department with an upcoming staff retirement
• Participating as a member of the senior leadership team in the City’s Strategic Planning process 

Future priorities include:

• Implementation of the Parks & Open Space Management Plan (POSMP)
• Implementation of the City-Wide Sports Field Plan
• Implementation of the FY ‘25-’26 and future budgets
• Updating the Parks and Recreation Open Space (PROS) Plan which sunsets in 2028
• Exploring direct funding options and cost recovery and budgetary policies to sustain and ideally enhance recreation and operating and maintenance resources in coordination with Public Works

Salary:

127000