Superintendent of Parks and Open Space

Summary/Class Characteristics

Superintendent of Parks and Open Space

Reporting to the Director of Parks & Recreation, the Superintendent of Parks and Open Space provides strategic leadership as part of the department’s executive team. The position oversees 48 parks, 450 acres of parkland, landscape assessment districts, urban forestry, recreation facilities, and an expanding open space program.

The Superintendent manages a 13-member Parks Maintenance team, develops and implements the division’s annual work plan, and leads efforts in park planning, community partnerships, contracted services, and restorative land practices. The role collaborates closely with other City departments to prioritize Capital Improvement Projects and strategic initiatives with citywide impact. The position also serves as staff liaison to the Tree Advisory Committee and provides high-level support to the Director to align operations with City goals.

The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a collaborative and community-minded leader with proven experience managing parks, landscapes, and open spaces. They bring a strong commitment to environmental stewardship, practical knowledge of sustainable maintenance, and a passion for the vital role parks play in community health and connection.
They are skilled in administration, budgeting, and maintenance coordination, and adept at leveraging funding sources to achieve operational goals. Petaluma’s next Superintendent will be a coalition builder—someone who cultivates partnerships, fosters inclusivity, and leads with integrity and creativity.

Key Priorities & Opportunities

• Urban Forestry Management Plan: Implement the community’s vision for a thriving, sustainable urban tree canopy.
• Organic Turf Maintenance: Advance a scalable organic turf program balancing active recreation while maintaining healthy and resilient environments.
• Open Space Strategy: Develop a long-term vision and funding strategy for managing Petaluma’s open spaces.
• Capital Projects: Prioritize multi-use park projects through data-driven, community-focused planning.
• Strategic Parks & Recreation Master Plan: Contribute to developing the City’s first comprehensive plan guiding future investment.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Visionary & Parks Advocate: Navigates complex challenges with creativity and solution-oriented leadership.
• Strong Communicator & Community Connector: Engages residents, stakeholders, and officials with clarity and inspiration.
• Inspirational Leader: Builds trust, empowers staff, and strengthens community partnerships to ensure Petaluma’s parks and open spaces remain vibrant, resilient, and inclusive for generations to come.

SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

• SALARY RANGE : $128,169.60 - $155,812.80 annually
• FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:
  • MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the 2025 Health Plan Contribution Memo
  • DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • LIFE INSURANCE: 1.5x annual compensation up to maximum of $200,000. Option to purchase additional insurance. Long-Term Disability up to 60% of your current monthly salary after eligibility requirements are met and subject to maximum amounts.
  • EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you and eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (is subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future.)
• FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
  • CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
    • 2% at 60 for classic CalPERS members
    • 2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
  • DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: Voluntary participation in your choice of three plans.
• FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):
  • Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service, up to 5 years service credit towards vacation accrual rate for prior qualifying employment.
  • Sick Leave: 96 hours
  • Administrative Leave: 80 hours (per fiscal year)
  • Holidays: 12 fixed and 1 floating
• Other Exceptional Benefits:
  • Paid Parental Leave - up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer

For more information regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website and look at the Memorandum of Understanding and Employee Benefits .

Summary

To plan, organize, direct and coordinate the Parks Division within the Parks and Recreation Department including the oversight of the City's 48 parks, landscape assessment districts, and open space areas; to coordinate and support standing committee(s) appointed by the Council; and provide highly complex staff assistance to the Director of Parks and Recreation or his/her designee.

Class Characteristics
General direction is provided by the Director of Parks and Recreation or his/her designee; responsibilities include the direct supervision of technical positions.

This position is distinguished from Parks Supervisor by its management responsibilities for operating multiple divisions, staff and activities, whereas the latter is responsible for supervising the operations of a section or group within the division.

Duties

Develop and implement divisional goals, objectives, policies, and procedures.

Direct, oversee and participate in the development of the Parks Division work plan; assign work activities, projects, and programs; monitor work flow; review and evaluate work products, methods, and procedures.

Prepare the Parks Division budget; assist in budget implementation; participate in the forecast of additional funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies; administer the approved budget.

Recommend the appointment of personnel; provide or coordinate staff training; conduct performance evaluations; implement discipline procedures as required; maintain discipline and high standards necessary for the efficient and professional operation of the department.

Develop and implement plans related to the maintenance of City parks, recreational facilities, landscaped areas, and buildings; implement best land management practices and procedures.

Implement ongoing maintenance plan for the landscape assessment districts (LAD’s) including annual renewals, interfacing with participating residents, and collaboration with administrative manager and city engineer in Public Works & Utilities to produce annual engineer’s report.

Oversee the maintenance of parks, playground areas, City pool, pedestrian/bike trails, and assigned landscaped medians, parkways, and other miscellaneous landscapes, recreational facilities, and City buildings.

Participate in the selection and management of outside contractors and consultants to ensure compliance with City standards; research and resolve contractor performance issues.

Review plans, drawings, and cost projections for public projects and direct the implementation of changes and construction for new and existing parks and landscape sites.

Inspect damaged and diseased trees, shrubs, or turfs on city-owned or landscape assessment district property to determine appropriate corrective action.

Respond to emergencies including fallen trees and park maintenance repairs.

Facilitate the City’s Adopt a Park Program for the maintenance of City properties.

Attend meetings, including City Council, various boards and commissions, and community meetings. Serve as staff liaison to the City’s Tree Committee and support staff to Recreation, Music, and Parks Commission.

Prepare a variety of reports, forms, correspondence, and related documentation on division operations; ensure all mandated forms and reports are properly completed and filed in a timely manner.

Serve as a member of the department’s executive team and participate in discussion and decisions related to department-wide activities impacting personnel, facilities, quality goals, and budgets.

Participate in Capital Improvement Project prioritization process and forecast maintenance needs of new city assets to set realistic expectations and ongoing project costs.

Represent the division and department to outside agencies and organizations; participate in outside community and professional groups and committees; provide technical assistance as necessary.

Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other City employees, and the public using principles of good customer service.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

Principles and practices of park and landscape maintenance, irrigation, and horticulture.

Principles and practices of facilities maintenance management.

Principles and practices of leadership, motivation, team building, and conflict resolution.

Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and rules.

Principles and practices of contract administration and city-wide procurement.

Principles and practices of organizational analysis and management.

Budgeting procedures and techniques.

Occupational health and safety standard practices.

Playground safety rules and regulations.

Methods and techniques of analyzing and interpreting data and statistics.

Principles and practices of supervision, training, and personnel management.

Principles and practices of effective customer service.

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Education and Experience

Any combination equivalent to the education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to gain such knowledge and abilities would be:

Education :

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in park management, horticulture, forestry, architecture, engineering, construction management, or a related field.

A Master’s degree in a related field preferred.

Experience:

Five years of increasingly responsible work experience in the maintenance of parks and landscaped areas, including two years of supervisory experience.

Certifications/Licenses:

Possession of or ability to obtain within eighteen months of appointment a valid Pest Control Advisors license (PCA) issued by the State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Arborist Certification from the International Society of Arboriculture is desirable.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and sit. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, fumes, or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outside weather conditions, and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The City of Petaluma offers a wide-ranging, comprehensive benefit package including CalPERS retirement, medical, dental, vision, life, LTD, etc. For moreinformation regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website: https://cityofpetaluma.org/employee-benefits-information/

Closing Date/Time: 11/10/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of Petaluma

• 707-778-4534

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