Location
Description
The City of Menlo Park is a great place to work! We are now accepting applications for Recreation Coordinators. This is an unparalleled opportunity to join our energetic and creative team. Interested and qualified candidates should apply now.
Recreation Coordinators are hands-on team leaders responsible for a wide range of programming, operational, and administrative duties, including: program implementation, facility operations, customer service, systems management, marketing and promotion, and special projects as needed and assigned. Assigned areas of program responsibility may include one or more of the following: recreation center operations, childcare, youth and adult sports, aquatics, and/or systems management.
The City of Menlo Park is currently hiring a full-time Recreation Coordinator available immediately with focus area in recreation center operations, programs and systems at the Arrillaga Family Gymnastics Center. This full-time team lead position offers interesting and rewarding work experience, a competitive benefits package, and potential advancement opportunities for highly skilled applicants who are committed to continuous improvement and professional excellence.
In addition to the currently available opportunity, this recruitment will be used to establish the eligibility list for Recreation Coordinator to fill potential future openings in other programs. The City assigns Recreation Coordinators to a wide range of community-oriented programs and projects including but not limited to recreation centers, senior centers, systems administration, event coordination, and child care centers. Interested candidates should apply now to be considered for current and future openings in this classification.
About the Department
The Library and Community Services department is responsible for providing excellent customer service through recreational, educational, and cultural programs for children, adults and seniors. Our facilities include 221 acres of parkland distributed among 13 parks, two libraries, two community centers, two public pools, three childcare centers, two gymnasiums, and one gymnastics center. Included in the parks and recreation areas are tennis and pickleball courts, dog parks, softball diamonds, picnic areas, playgrounds, soccer fields, a skate park, shared use of a performing arts center and open space. The City of Menlo Park opened a state-of-the-art new facility that incorporates a community center, gymnasium, aquatics center, senior center, youth center, and branch library in May 2024.
Ideal Candidate
Desired knowledge, skills, and abilities for the position include but are not limited to:
- Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills.
- Proven experience leading professional teams to achieve defined outcomes.
- Principles and practices of employee supervision, including work planning, assignment, review and evaluation, discipline, and the training of staff in work procedures.
- Strong administrative skills including financial tracking, budget development, accounts payable and receivable.
- Ability to quickly demonstrate mastery of technology systems including financial software, project management and workflow, and customer relations management platform.
- Strong, proven experience using Microsoft Office programs in a professional environment.
- Ability to learn, adapt to, and lead in change environments.
- Ability to successfully interpret and communicate City policy verbally and in professional-quality writing.
- Ability to successfully provide professional-quality analysis and administrative support to department supervisors and management.
- Applicable Federal, State and local laws, regulatory codes, ordinances, and procedures relevant to assigned area of responsibility.
- Excellent time-management skills; ability to balance day-to-day tasks with long-term and seasonal projects.
- Fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all facility visitors and program users.
Examples of typical job functions (illustrative only)
- Plans, organizes, assigns, supervises, and reviews the work of assigned staff responsible for program implementation; ensures staff are properly trained in program operations; evaluates employee performance, counsels employees and recommends initial disciplinary action; assists in selection and promotion.
- Evaluates effectiveness of assigned programs; conducts surveys to identify participant satisfaction with assigned program; evaluates results and makes recommendations on program changes; researches new program ideas to meet the needs of the community.
- Ensures the provision of a safe and healthy work and play environment; trains staff in safety measures; observes program activities and staff compliance with safety requirements.
- Determines and recommends equipment, materials, and staffing needs for program implementation; monitors program and staff time expenditures to ensure they are compliant with the budget provided; works with supervisor if additional resources are needed.
- Provides administrative support, such as conducting research, performing special projects, developing reports, assembling materials, composing documents, proofreading, filing, retrieving information, updating databases or compiling statistics.
- Establishes and maintains records of activities in areas of responsibility.
- May process payments, prepare purchase orders, deposit funds or process invoices, credit card statements, work orders and timesheets.
- Performs related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
- Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in recreation administration, physical education or a related field.
- Two (2) years of community program experience related to the area of assignment.
Licenses and Certifications
- Possession of a valid California driver's license and a satisfactory driving record.
- Possession of, or ability to meet requirements for, a Child Development Site Supervisor Permit within one (1) year of employment if assigned to Child Care.
Benefits
The City offers an excellent benefit package consisting of:
- Health Insurance: City contribution up to $2,655 per month towards a Cafeteria Plan which can be used to purchase medical insurance and participate in a flexible spending account for health care and/or child care reimbursement
- Dental: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
- Vision: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
- Vacation: 88 - 176 hours of vacation leave accrual each year, depending on length of service
- Sick Leave: 96 hours of sick leave accrued each year
- Holidays: 11 official holidays; 34 hours of floating holiday time per year; 8 “Day of Reflection” hours per year in recognition of holidays of individual and community importance
- Retirement: CalPERS: For classic members 2.0% @ 60 formula. For all others, 2.0% @ 62 formula
- Deferred Compensation: Voluntary participation in City Plans.
- Life Insurance: City-paid policy equal to 1.5 times regular annual wage
- Long Term Disability: City-paid coverage
- Educational leave and tuition reimbursement
- A City-paid Caltrain GoPass. The Menlo Park campus is centrally located within walking distance from Caltrain and downtown Menlo Park.
- A City-paid BayPass. This pilot program offers employees unlimited travel for both work and personal trips on 25 Bay Area transit agencies that use the Clipper card.
- A transportation allowance program provides employees with $1.50 per day when they walk, bicycle or carpool to work at least once per week.
- Employees are provided with access to an on-site gym at no cost
For additional benefit information, visit www.menlopark.gov and review the City of Menlo Park and AFSCME Memorandum of Understanding.
Special Instructions
IMPORTANT: Please be sure to fill out the required City application completely, including all relevant work experience. Applications with “See Resume” as a substitution for the work experience description and/or unclear past employment information will not be considered.
Applications will be screened according to the qualifications outlined in this announcement. Not all applications which may meet the minimum requirements will proceed to the next phase of the recruitment process. If 25 or fewer qualified applications are received, the eligibility list will be established based on application review. If 26 or more qualified applications are received, candidates will be invited to participate in an Oral Board Panel Examination or a Spark Hire One-Way Video Interview Examination tentatively scheduled for the week of August 11, 2025. All applicants will be notified by email as to whether or not they are invited to participate further in the selection process.
An Eligible List will be established as a result of this examination process and will be valid for a period of six months. The list may be extended up to a maximum of two years. The hiring department will review the Eligible List to determine which candidates will be invited to the department selection process.
The City of Menlo Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the City of Menlo Park not to discriminate against all qualified applicants or employees. We will make reasonable efforts in the selection process to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please contact Human Resources at jobs@menlopark.gov prior to the closing date for accommodation requests.
Before receiving an offer of employment, the candidate will be required to successfully complete a criminal conviction history questionnaire, DOJ fingerprinting, and an Occuscreen background check.
Applicants must be successful in all phases of the selection process to be considered for this position.
In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all potential employees are required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or authorization to work in the United States. The City will not sponsor applicants for work visas.