Senior Recreation Leader, Parks Division - Parks, Recreaton and Neighborhood Services (PRNS)

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

Are you ready to join a team that is “Building Community Through Fun?”Are you ready to make a difference?

The City of San José’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) is looking for people who want to make San José a better place to live. Our mission is to connect people through parks, recreation and neighborhood services for an active San José. ActivateSJ, PRNS’ latest strategic work plan, is committed to establishing healthy communities that inspire belonging by following the guiding principles of stewardship, nature, equity & access, identity and public life.

The Department creates and activates thriving places where people live, work, play, and learn, which include 48 community centers, 10 regional parks, 200 plus neighborhood parks, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, 290 playgrounds and over 60 miles of trails, programs and services that touch the lives of individuals and families in our community. We take a fun approach to public service, and value the public’s trust. Our team is collaborative, supportive, and innovative. We are a fast-paced organization that takes decisive action after thoughtful planning.

For more information, please visit activatesj.org.

Position Duties

The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department is currently seeking to fill two (2) Full-Time Senior Recreation Leader vacancies within our Parks Division.

Salary range for this classification is: $64,144.08 - $77,903.28 annually.

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Senior Recreation Leader is the highest class in the Recreation Leader series responsible for organizing, conducting, and coordinating a variety of recreation activities. Incumbents regularly work on tasks that require discretion and independent judgment. Assignments are given with general guidelines and incumbents are responsible for establishing objectives, timelines, and methods to deliver services.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Scheduling, supervising, training, and evaluating part-time staff and volunteers to ensure high-quality program delivery and customer service.
• Providing timely and accurate information and referrals to the public regarding park activities and available services; creating and distributing promotional and outreach materials as needed.
• Ensuring a safe and welcoming park environment by following safety protocols and assisting with emergency response procedures when necessary.
• Ensuring the provision of optimal customer service; receiving and responding to issues, concerns and other comments or questions from customers.
• Supporting the development of inclusive, culturally responsive programs that reflect the diversity of the San Jose community
• Allocating budget hours to various activities, monitors expenditures for activities, prepares routine reports, and as appropriate provides refunds.
• Planning and conducting special events and activities such as nature-based public programming.
• Working collaboratively with the park’s stakeholders and partner organizations to support ongoing park programs and coordinate special events.
• Assisting in overall park operations, including customer service, opening and closing facilities, addressing safety concerns, and coordinating among all park teams.
• Ability to work nights and weekends.
• Other duties as assigned

Staff hired for these positions may be assigned to one of the following programs:

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (Full-Time)

The Senior Recreation Leader at Happy Hollow performs work of moderate difficulty in day-to-day and long-term coordination of public and in-house events and conservation initiatives within the Conservation & Communications department.

Responsibilities for the Senior Recreation Leader at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo position may include, but are not limited to: planning, organizing, and conducting park-wide and internal special events; attending off-site events on behalf of the park and zoo; supervising part-time staff and volunteers during event days or volunteer work days; implementing procedures for conservation grant funds and monitoring and tracking funds distributed; monitoring and tracking success of events and conservation programs.

As a member of the Conservation & Communications team, this position supports the marketing and public relations efforts of Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, including assisting with social media content creation, website updates/edits, and graphic design, particularly related to conservation projects and Happy Hollow events. The schedule for this role typically spans Tuesday through Saturday, with some required evening and holiday hours.

Emma Prusch Farm Park (Full-Time)

The Senior Recreation Leader at Emma Prusch Farm Park is a hands-on, dynamic role focused on creating and leading engaging nature-based educational programs that highlight the park’s agricultural history. This includes camps, preschool and adult programs, leisure activities, school field trips, and group tours that incorporate the park’s gardens, farm animals, and seasonal crops, with opportunities to operate park equipment such as the tractor as part of programming. The role also supports major community events like the Halloween Trick-o-Treat and Holiday Give-Away, while ensuring programs are inclusive and culturally responsive to the diverse Mayfair and surrounding neighborhoods. In addition to program leadership, the Senior Recreation Leader trains and supervises part-time staff and volunteers, provides support for facility rentals and customer service, collaborates with community partners and stakeholders, and assists with daily park operations. The recurring schedule is Tuesday through Saturday or Sunday through Thursday, with some evenings, weekends, and holidays required to support programming and operational coverage. Bilingual, preferably Spanish, is a plus.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Completion of high school or equivalent (General Education Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate) AND one (1) year (equivalent to 2080 hours) of full-time recreation experience planning programs, scheduling classes, lesson plan development, leading recreation activities, or performing recreational support services.

OR

Completion of high school or equivalent (General Education Development [GED] Test or California Proficiency Certificate) completion of a minimum of two (2) years of college (equivalent to 60 semester units/90 quarter units) AND six (6) months (equivalent to 1040 hours) of full-time recreation experience planning programs, scheduling classes, lesson plan development, leading recreation activities, or performing recreational support services.

Required Licensing (such as driver’s license, certifications, etc.):

• A valid First Aid certificate is required and must be maintained. Must provide proof of a valid certificate or will need to obtain a certificate within one (1) year of hire.
• A valid CPR certificate is required and must be maintained. Must provide proof of a valid certificate or will need to obtain a certificate within six (6) months of hire.

Other Qualifications

Other Qualifications

• Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Communication Skills: Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Computer Skills: Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, MS Excel.
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
• Customer Service: Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.
• Problem Solving: Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
• Supervision: Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
• Project Management: Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered, or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Jaine Davies at jaine.davies@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 8/28/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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