Program Manager - Recreation

City of Atlanta, GA

$80K — $90K *
Hospitality & Recreation
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
  • 7 years of relevant professional experience, with at least 5 years in program/project management.
  • Proven experience as a Program Manager or similar managerial role.
  • Experience in developing comprehensive project plans and collaborating with diverse teams.
  • Ability to identify and mitigate project risks.

Responsibilities

  • Perform process analysis and recommend strategies for improved efficiency and service quality.
  • Facilitate design and implementation of new process models.
  • Manage process teams to achieve program objectives.
  • Conduct operational assessments and performance evaluations.
  • Oversee project management activities, ensuring timeline and budget adherence.
  • Communicate program strategy and changes to organizational leadership.
  • Monitor project status and report to stakeholders.

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional development and training.
  • Flexible working environment with potential for remote work.
  • Health and wellness initiatives promoting work-life balance.
  • Participation in community engagement and outreach programs.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Parks & Recreation

Program Manager

Posting Expires: October 5, 2026

Salary Range: $80,594 - $90,000 annually

General Description and Classification Standards:

Direct the process for verifying, analyzing, and implementing process improvement and process re-engineering opportunities in the department.

The Program Manager is responsible for organizing and coordinating critical programs, including but not limited to, program operations, training, project activities, and overseeing the progress of these operations. This position provides strategic guidance to program staff. The ideal candidate will be an excellent leader and will have experience in managing staff of different disciplines to produce results in a timely manner. The candidate will also be able to develop efficient strategies and tactics. The goal is to ensure that all programs deliver the desirable outcome to the organization.

Supervision Received:

Works under very general supervision, independently or as a team member in carrying out assignments. Depending on organizational structure, may work independently with responsibility for an assigned function or program.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: These are typical responsibilities for this position and should not be construed as exclusive or all inclusive.
  • Performs process analysis and re-engineering to recommend strategies to improve efficiency, lower costs, and improve quality of service delivery.
  • Facilitate the design and implementation of new/improved process models and organizational structures.
  • Manages and lead process teams to achieve desired results.
  • Assist in development of new process capabilities.
  • Conduct operational assessments, audits, and performance evaluations.
  • Perform project management, analyses of analytics and other data driven reviews, and measure changes to ensure milestones are met and deliverables achieved.
  • Interacts with organizational leadership to communicate various program strategy, direction, and changes.
  • Conducts strategic planning for programs, procurement, contract development and monitoring; develops annual plans and modifications for programs.
  • Maintains the efficiency of the project management process, such as planning, scheduling, budget, and risk assessment. Identifies and mitigates potential risks.
  • Manages teams engaged in multiple projects, project leaders, and/or support staff as needed. Creates a structure/environment in which team members can work together as an efficient team.
  • Interfaces with and manages vendors and contractors for assigned programs.
  • Identifies and utilizes critical software and resources for the purpose of staff training and coordinates training activities for staff.
  • Monitors, measures, and reports on project status to leadership and appropriate stakeholders. Accountable for strategic goals, including but not limited to, efficiency and functionality of project completions, timeline adherence, budget, and resource management.
  • May perform other duties as assigned.


The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. COA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities: This is a partial listing of necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job successfully, it is not an exhaustive list.
  • Knowledge: Excellent knowledge of performance evaluation and change management principles; excellent knowledge of MS Office; working knowledge of program/project management software (Basecamp, MS Project, etc.) is a strong advantage; thorough understanding of project/program management techniques and methods.
  • Knowledge of project management best practices, including knowledge of waterfall and agile methodologies;
  • Skills: Outstanding leadership and organizational skills; excellent communication skills.
  • Abilities: Excellent problem-solving ability.


Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience -
  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
  • Seven [7] years of relevant professional experience; at least 5 years of program/project management experience.
  • Proven experience as a Program Manager or other managerial position.
  • Experience developing project plans, including a project plan that includes the charter, scope, project management approach, management plans, statement of work, cost estimates, and schedule; working with cross-functional teams and staff of all levels;
  • Experience with identifying and mitigating risk;
  • Experience in the indirect management of team members, including assisting in the development, training, and assignment of work/projects to other members of a team.


Licensures and Certifications -

Preferred Requirements -
  • Sig Sigma Black belt.
  • Master's degree in Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
  • 10 years of relevant professional experience


Work Environment:

Work is performed in a professional office setting with regular computer use and occasional field or site visits, meetings, and trainings as required.

Lifting Requirements:

Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

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