-
Job Description
Description
About the Department
The Community Services Department (CSD) offers dozens of urban and neighborhood parks, outstanding classes for adult/seniors and kids, 40 miles of hiking trails, a municipal golf course, fascinating art exhibits, the Palo Alto Jr. Museum and Zoo, facility rentals, pools, and fields and gyms for fitness. Whether you're looking for educational activities for your kids, a place to relax, or place to explore the world around you, Palo Alto's Community Services Department is proud to offer programs, activities, and parks to meet all the needs of your family and to sustain a positive quality of life!
About the Role
Under general supervision, coordinates and leads community services programs, specifically the Middle School Athletics Program, Adult Sports and Summer sports contracts; may direct personnel participating in such programs. Coordinates, plans, and executes all components of assigned programs, including the application process, contractors, marketing, and oversight of staff. This is the entry-level class in the professional recreation series. Incumbents are responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing community leisure service programs in a defined program area.
Benefits
Learn more about some of the great benefits the city offers:
Commuter Benefits
Childcare Benefits
Parental Leave Benefits
Health Benefits
Retirement Benefits
Compensation (SEIU): Comprehensive compensation plan, to learn more click HERE.
This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Leads and directs sports programing
- Plans community services programs by analyzing demand and researching trends, demographics and needs of programs participants in order to evaluate current programs and plan strategically for the future; prepares justification for recommended programs.
- Coordinate plan, organize and supervise fee classes; prepare instructional materials.
- Plan and implements marketing plan / activities; prepare market promotions, including preparation of brochures, flyers, posters, news releases, and other marketing devices and promotional materials.
- Instructs support staff, volunteers and participants in the fundamental knowledge required to participate in the preparation and production of Recreation programs.
- Prepares contracts and job descriptions, recruits, interviews, evaluates, and supervises support staff, volunteers and contracts.
For full job description, please click HERE .
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities, which would typically be acquired through:
For recreation positions:- College degree in recreation, liberal arts or a related field, or equivalent experience. For special events position:
- College degree in marketing, PR or communications or equivalent experience in the special events industry.
- At least one year of lead or supervisory experience
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- The screening process for this position may include a practical and/or written exam, panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying). Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 6/18/2026 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
-
-
City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
-