Manager, Community Recreation Services

The City of Richmond is committed to be the most appealing, livable, well-managed community in Canada, a vision that is only made possible by developing our most valuable asset – our people. This is a great opportunity to join our team and shape our community. The City of Richmond offers competitive pay programs, comprehensive benefits and attractive incentives. If you are looking to make a difference, and to share our vision, then please apply.

The Community Services division is driven by a vision to provide recreational programming and services that inspire individuals and communities to be active, connected, healthy and engaged. This position will focus on providing high quality accessible, equitable, and inclusive recreation experiences that promote skill development, physical activity, social interactions and community connectedness.

Reporting to the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, the Manager, Community Recreation Services is a senior leadership position, managing a diverse staff team providing community based recreation services that meet the evolving needs of our diverse community. Central to this role is the delivery of a comprehensive range of programs and services through a collaborative and relationship based approach, in a dynamic and thriving work environment within the City of Richmond.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing leadership in the planning, delivery and continuous improvement of recreation programs and services, facility operations, and customer service excellence, including the development of systems, processes, and procedures to support day-to-day operations and the planning and development of new community recreation facilities;

• Managing human resources, including hiring, supervising, and training staff; developing work plans and job performance expectations; evaluating and coaching staff; addressing labour relations and performance management issues;

• Providing leadership and guidance both directly and indirectly to community association boards involved in the delivery of recreation services, and in the area of board development;

• Financial management including operating and capital budget planning and monitoring;

• Analysis of operations and projects, including the use of data and metrics, to drive decisions, ensure effective and efficient use of resources and financial sustainability;

• Ensuring that facilities are safe, clean, well maintained, and provide healthy environments for workers and patrons alike;

• Developing and managing a wide range of relationships from formal partnerships to informal working relationships with other organizations working to provide quality of life services (Not for profit organizations, agencies, governmental organizations, private sector);

• Developing formal and informal agreements and attending regular meetings with community partners regarding the delivery of services; and

• Leading, participating in and supporting a range of departmental (Community Services) and corporate strategies and initiatives which utilize collaborative approaches with internal and external stakeholders and involving work with strategic teams, committees and task forces.

The successful candidate will possess a team-focused leadership style that promotes continuous improvements. The preferred candidate will possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, or a related discipline, with a minimum of 10 years of experience in the public recreation sector, demonstrating progressive levels of responsibility and complexity of duties. They understand the unique environments in which recreation departments operate and are proactive in working to address challenges and further departmental and corporate goals and objectives. The manager will have excellent interpersonal skills, and a demonstrated ability to lead, mentor and develop a team.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to form and maintain positive working relationships with a variety of staff, partners, stakeholders, and community interest groups while applying knowledge of recreation facility management, customer service and human resource management, including knowledge of recent trends in these areas.

• Knowledge of the rules, regulations, policies, bylaws and objectives governing the operations of community recreation services.

• Ability to effectively communicate at all levels within the organization and respond in a fast-paced atmosphere including preparing reports, recommendations and correspondence.

• Ability to integrate data, staff recommendations, corporate priorities and community input to make decisions, anticipate and respond to a variety of complicated issues and develop work plans.

• Ability to work with community associations to align priorities with corporate objectives and strategies, including an understanding of the operations and governance of non-profit organizations.

• Ability to assess and determine appropriate level of risk in programs and services.

If you are looking to make a difference and share our vision “to be the most appealing, livable, and well-managed community in Canada”, then apply today!

This posting will remain open until the position has been filled with applicant reviews happening throughout the posting period; shortlisting to be completed and interviews beginning shortly after the week of August 17th 2026.

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