Therapeutic Recreation Manager I

Therapeutic Recreation Manager I- GS 17

Nannie J. Lee

The City of Alexandria is in Northern Virginia bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington, and Fairfax counties. Once within the original boundary stones that demarked the area of the Nation’s Capital, Alexandria is a part of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. With a population of approximately 157,600 Alexandria is the sixth largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unique and historic, Alexandria is a place that is experiencing substantial redevelopment appeal and business growth opportunities because of a high market demand for urban living in a quality environment. About one-quarter of the City’s 15.47 square miles has been designated as a national or local historic district.

The City of Alexandria is an independent city with no county affiliation and derives its governing authority from a Charter granted by the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, allowing local governments only the authority expressly granted to them by the Virginia Constitution or by the Virginia General Assembly in the City Charter or in general law. City Council is the governing body, which formulates policies for the administration of the City. The mayor is chosen on a separate ballot and presides over sessions of the Council. Alexandria is a Council/Manager form of government. 

If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Therapeutic Recreation Manager I – Therapeutic Program for Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA). 

•  The mission of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is to enrich the City of Alexandria by creating meaningful experiences through public spaces, cultural activities, and programming. 

• The Department’s vision is to improve the well-being of every person in our community by connecting them to each other and their environment.  

 Overview 

RPCA supports the well-being of Alexandria’s residents by ensuring access to a variety of quality recreation, park, and cultural experiences. There are over 900 acres of publicly accessible open space (this includes both public and private land that is open for public use), 51 programmed recreation and park facilities, hundreds of classes, an arts center, and a City Marina. The Department is comprised of four operating Divisions: Recreation Services; Leadership & Management; Cultural Activities; and Park Services. These four Divisions work to offer the full range of programs, services, facilities, and parks. 

Under the supervision of the Therapeutic Recreation Manager II – Therapeutic Program, the Therapeutic Recreation Manager I will assist with the management of the Therapeutic Recreation Programs.  Primary responsibilities entail planning, facilitating, and supervising activities for youth, teenagers, and adults with special needs and providing full inclusive opportunities.  The incumbent will provide professional administrative, budgetary, supervisory, and programmatic duties. The Therapeutic Recreation Manager I is responsible for maintaining participation through engaging programs and activities. This position also includes recruiting, scheduling, and assisting with supervising full-time, part-time, seasonal and volunteer staff. Through effective leadership, human resources, budget management, and exceptional customer service the Therapeutic Recreation Manager I will perform related work as required ensuring the existence of safe working conditions. The successful candidate will be passionate about working in the community and possess effective communication and excellent customer service skills. 

Major areas of responsibility include:

• Program Supervision and Execution (35% of position/10 hours per week) 

Provide oversight and management of the daily operation of the Therapeutic Recreation Program.  Plan, implement, coordinate, schedule and supervise a variety of City-wide therapeutic recreation programs and services for individuals with special needs and disabilities.  Develop goals and objectives for programming and individual participants based on daily assessments and incorporates Individual Education Plan (IEP) into existing programs and activities.  Supervises the work of part-time and seasonal recreation leaders and volunteers who coordinate and lead or assist in providing a variety of therapeutic recreation programs. Identifies staff training needs and coordinates training and in-service programs.  Assigns work to staff, evaluates work performance and counsels’ staff on work-related matters. Develop new program strategies for the community following the department’s standard operating procedures to include submission of program plans, presentations, summary reports and evaluation results.  Develop measures for each program to evaluate success and adjust as necessary. Develop program budgets and staffing. 

•  Outreach, Direct Service and Community Engagement & (25% of position/10 hours per week) 

Create a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for internal and external customers. Assist with increasing public awareness of Therapeutic Recreation Programs. Communicates (written & verbal) clearly and courteously with internal and external customers to include parents, participants, volunteers, officials, caseworkers, and contractor/vendors. Conducts participant assessments and interviews in addition to recording and maintaining documentation of progress. Responds to patron inquiries and complaints in a timely manner.  Provides customers with RecTrac information, and program registration. Create and maintain relationships with community groups, schools, parents, and others to assist in advancing the department’s mission, and promoting the Therapeutic Recreation Program.  Attend back to school night events, organize community pop-up and special events. Meet with various community groups and agencies to coordinate and promote therapeutic recreation programs to maintain working relationships with members of the community, interest groups/stakeholders. Create partnerships to increase program opportunities.  Designs, supervises and carries out projects appropriate for volunteers and student interns.   

•  Leadership/Management (15% of position/6 hours per week) 

Responsible for recruiting, scheduling, training, supervising, and evaluating part-time, seasonal, and volunteer staff. Responsible for conducting background checks and tracking of required training and hours for staff and volunteers.  Create consistent and effective communication methods with staff, community groups and volunteers.  Facilitate Winter, Summer, and Onboarding training for Therapeutic Recreation staff.  Actively participate in Section, Division, Department, or City meetings, committees and/or work groups.

•  Facility Operations (10% of position/6 hours per week) 

Monitor after school space to ensure a safe, clean, and welcoming environment. Manage set up and break down of equipment and monitor the proper use of the equipment.  Reports accidents, injuries, incidents and property loss/damage. Proactively performs routine facility safety and maintenance checks and responds to building concerns ensuring the safety and cleanliness for quality programs and experiences. Maintains inventory and order supplies required for the operation, provide transportation for participants to and from school, workshops, home, and activity sites.  Completes paperwork related to programs including recruitment information, newsletters, daily reports, program evaluations participant assessments, planning sheets, attendance reports and incident reports. Performs first aid procedures, serves food or assists participants with eating daily and administration of medication.  Being accessible for after-hours needs such as staff support, emergency situations, and inclement weather responsibilities.  Participate in department meetings and training as required. Perform and complete other duties as assigned by supervisor. 

•  Other (15% of position/6 hours per week) 

Other duties include being accessible for after-hours needs such as staff support, respond to facility alarms, emergency situations, and inclement weather responsibilities. Provide program and facility coverage when needed. Management of patrons and staff during emergency situations. Participate in department meetings and training as required. Perform and complete other duties as assigned by supervisor. Works various hours which include days, evenings, weekends, and some holidays.  

Key Work Aspects of RPCA and the City of Alexandria: Based on your reporting relationship, you are tasked with creating an environment of success in the department such that staff are highly engaged to focus on results that support organizational attainment of our mission and strategic plan. Our purpose is to build an organizational cultural “that supports each of us and inspires excellence.” 

 RPCA Strategic Plan – Each leader is expected to implement the mission, vision, values, and the three strategic themes (grow our facilities, grow our services, grow our operations) as determined through the department strategic plan, business plan and the budget process. It is expected that all decisions will be made considering the values and theme areas.  

 Statement of Workplace Excellence – We believe every RPCA staff member has the right to a safe, healthy, efficient, and pleasant working environment where all organization members adhere to the highest standards of behavior, personal integrity, and truthfulness. Each staff member demonstrates full support and acts on deploying workplace excellence.  

 Shared Leadership Approach – We continually strive to gain the maximum amount of discretionary effort on the part of our staff members. All staff members are collectively responsible for our organizational community and have leadership roles. Everyone is a decision maker within his or her job. We invite participation in solving organizational issues and constantly improving our operations. We share a leader-to-leader model.  

 Customer Service Guarantee – We are committed to delivering a consistently superior customer experience to all who participate in our programs or visit our parks and facilities. Service will be: 

• Responsive – respond in a timely manner to all residents and customers both external and internal. We own the request we receive and do not shift the responsibility.  
• Professional – represent the department in appropriate appearance, decorum, and communication. 
• Courteous – Treat everyone with respect. Treat everyone fairly. Treat everyone with dignity. 
• Accountable – Demonstrate a bias toward action. Ensure follow-up and follow-through with appropriate results. 

  Our most valued assets are engaged staff members and customers.   High Performance Organization – RPCA commits to building and sustaining a high-performance organization. This ensures a clear and consistent strategic direction. We continually focus on improving all aspects of internal and external operation. We also strive through workplace excellence and shared leadership to inspire staff to achieve outstanding outcomes. Every job in the organization has elements of team leadership, management, and task accomplishment. HPO is team based. 

What You Should Bring

Each member of the team is accountable for the outstanding delivery of services to the community. The ideal candidate should possess knowledge of programming and special event planning; knowledge of child development; ability to plan and direct program activities; ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, stakeholders, and the public; ability to generate interest and participation in center activities with various age groups; ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing. The ability to work independently and use judgment within established procedures; experience preparing reports; ability to organize, ability to work with a variety of staff at all levels and to handle assignments across sections of the Recreation Services Division will ensure success in this role.

Two-Year College Degree; good knowledge of the principles and practices of a field related to one or more phases of community recreational and cultural activity work; ability to plan and direct recreational program activities; ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and with activity participants; ability to motivate interest and participation in community center activities with varied ages groups; and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Additional Requirements: CPR/First Aid certification, prior to working with consumers and possess a valid driver's license issued by state of residence with a safe driving record. Ability to acquire appropriate certifications for Defensive Driving, Medication Administration Certification, Snack/Food Handler Training within 90 days of employment appointment date.

Four-Year College Degree; considerable experience in therapeutic recreational or related field (i.e., special education, vocational rehabilitation, human development, etc.) including three years’ experience at a supervisory level or related work at the level of Therapeutic Recreation Leader, or completion of college level courses in recreation, physical education, fine arts or in other fields related to area  of assignment;  or any equivalent combination or experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities; good knowledge of the social and recreational sciences, including the theory, principles and practices of therapeutic recreation; ability to schedule and coordinate programs on a City-wide basis; effective communication skills; good time management skills; computer skills and knowledge of Rec-Trac, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

This position requires successful completion of a criminal records background check and drug screening prior to employment.

Salary : $56,890 - $100,114