Salary : $86,142.42 - $151,594.04 Annually
Location : Alexandria, VA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number:Department: Recreation Parks & Cultural Activities
Division: RECREATION SERV
Opening Date: 11/09/2026
Closing Date: 12/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Bargaining Unit: N/A
Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities
Division Chief, Recreation ServicesDivision Chief, Recreation Services - Community Recreation Centers & Aquatics, within the City of Alexandria's Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities (RPCA).
- Lead and oversee all recreation center operations, including school-connected and standalone facilities, establishing clear standards for safety, cleanliness, staffing, facility management, and daily operational readiness to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across the City.
- Provide comprehensive leadership and oversight of aquatic operations, including two indoor facilities and three seasonal outdoor pools, ensuring excellence in water quality management, mechanical systems, lifeguard operations, regulatory compliance, emergency preparedness, and service reliability.
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for recreation centers and aquatic facilities, establishing consistent systems for daily operations, staffing, scheduling, registrations, point-of-sale transactions, rentals, customer service, incident reporting, and emergency response.
- Establish a proactive facility inspection, preventive maintenance, and quality assurance program that ensures recreation centers and aquatic facilities are safe, clean, accessible, well-maintained, and operated to premier standards, with clear accountability for identifying and resolving deficiencies.
- Strengthen safety, risk management, and regulatory compliance by ensuring operations meet applicable City policies, aquatic and public health regulations, building and fire codes, ADA requirements, employment practices, contractual obligations, and industry standards while maintaining effective emergency response and operational continuity procedures.
- Collaborate closely with recreation programming staff to support high-quality community recreation services, ensuring classes, camps, youth programs, fitness and wellness activities, special events, and other recreational opportunities have the facility space, staffing, equipment, scheduling, and operational support necessary for success.
- Establish an exceptional customer service culture that prioritizes professionalism, responsiveness, accessibility, and positive resident experiences across all recreation centers, aquatic facilities, member services desks, registration functions, rentals, and other customer-facing operations.
- Build, develop, and lead a high-performing workforce by strengthening recruitment, onboarding, training, supervision, performance management, and professional development for full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees while fostering teamwork, employee engagement, and ownership.
- Implement measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and operational dashboards to track facility attendance, program participation, registration trends, space utilization, customer satisfaction, staffing, safety compliance, and operational performance, using data to guide decisions and improve services.
- Maximize recreation center utilization and strengthen neighborhood-based recreation by evaluating operating hours, facility schedules, participation trends, community needs, and available resources to ensure centers remain active, accessible, welcoming, and responsive to the communities they serve.
- Strengthen collaboration and strategic partnerships with Alexandria City Public Schools, City departments, nonprofit organizations, health and wellness providers, businesses, recreation user groups, and community organizations to improve shared-use operations, expand recreational opportunities, increase participation, and advance community goals.
- Demonstrate strong financial stewardship, visible leadership, and operational accountability by developing and managing operating budgets in partnership with the Deputy Director of Recreation Services, evaluating staffing and resource needs, maintaining a regular presence in facilities, supporting employees, and delivering measurable improvements in operational efficiency and service quality.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and accountability where supervisors and employees proactively address challenges, develop solutions, improve operational efficiency, and remain focused on delivering exceptional experiences for Alexandria residents.
The Division Chief will play a central role in implementing the following priorities as part of the Department's commitment to stronger operations, high-quality facilities, workforce development, and exceptional public service.
1. Modernize Recreation Center Operations and SOPs- Evaluate current operating practices and implement consistent procedures, service standards, and accountability measures across recreation centers and aquatic facilities.
2. Strengthen Aquatics Safety and Operational Reliability- Implement operational improvements that strengthen aquatic safety, staff readiness, water quality management, regulatory compliance, and facility reliability while reducing preventable closures.
3. Establish a Facility Inspection and Quality Assurance Program- Develop consistent inspection standards, facility condition assessments, corrective action tracking, and preventive maintenance coordination.
4. Strengthen Community Recreation and Programming Coordination- Improve collaboration between recreation center operations and programming staff to ensure effective support for classes, camps, activities, facility scheduling, registrations, and community-based services.
5. Improve School-Connected Recreation Center Operations- Strengthen coordination with Alexandria City Public Schools regarding shared-use facilities, building access, scheduling, maintenance responsibilities, security, and service delivery.
6. Build a High-Performing Workforce- Establish clear supervisory expectations, strengthen employee training and development, improve workforce planning, and build a culture of accountability and professional growth.
7. Implement an Exceptional Customer Service Initiative- Develop consistent customer service expectations, registration support procedures, employee training, feedback systems, and service quality measures across facilities.
8. Establish Facility Utilization and Performance Dashboards- Implement consistent tracking of attendance, program participation, registrations, facility utilization, operational reliability, and financial performance to support data-informed decisions and continuous improvement.
What You Should BringEach member of our team is accountable for the outstanding delivery of services. You will bring your expertise on parks and recreation, change management, employee engagement, and leading a high performing organizational culture; you will have a demonstrated ability to work with employees throughout the department and City of Alexandria; your personal mission and values align with those of the organization and can analyze, synthesize, and make data-informed professional recommendations. You will deliver work products that meet the high standards of excellence determined by residents and visitors.
Minimum & Additional Requirements Four (4) year college degree in recreations or related field; four (4) years of related professional experience in the recreational field, which shall have included demonstrated supervisory experience and experience in planning, coordinating, and marketing revenue and/or non-revenue producing programs.
Preferred QualificationsPreferred: Master's degree in Recreation Administration, Parks and Recreation Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field; and at least five years of progressively responsible leadership experience in recreation center and aquatic facility operations. Demonstrated expertise in multi-facility management, staff leadership, financial oversight, operational excellence, customer service, and community partnerships. Professional certifications such as
Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP), Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE), Certified Pool Operator (CPO), or Aquatic Facilit 
