MANAGER COMMUNITY RECREATION

• Job ID: 57926
• Job Category: Sports & Recreation
• Division & Section: Parks, Forestry & Recreation, PFR CR Community Recreation
• Work Location: NORTH YORK CIVIC CENTRE, 5100 Yonge St, Toronto, M2N 5V7
• Job Type & Duration: Full-time, Permanent
• Salary: $123,833-$170,184, PSG #TM1721, Wage grade 8
• Shift Information: Mon-Fri, 35 hours per week
• Affiliation: Non-Union
• Number of Positions Open: 1
• Posting Period: 22-Sep-2025 to 13-Oct-2025
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Role Overview

An exciting opportunity to help lead Toronto’s Community Recreation service delivery awaits qualified applicants looking for a rewarding and challenging career to deliver one of the largest publicly-funded recreational and leisure services in North America. As Manager Community Recreation, you will report to the Director, Community Recreation, and provide senior-level strategic oversight to lead the delivery of recreational programs and services within a geographic area of the city or a centralized business unit. As a member of the Community Recreation Leadership Team, you will participate in recreation leadership governance matters, participate in service planning and strategic goal setting for the Community Recreation branch.

Strategic Planning and Policy Development

As Manager Community Recreation, you will develop, review and implement detailed plans and recommend policies/procedures and guidelines regarding program specific requirements to ensure compliance with Council, corporate and divisional directives. You will assess current practices and makes recommendations to improve operational efficiencies, working to establish high performing teams, creates opportunities for professional development and supports staffs' career objectives through effective performance management also establishing performance goals where improvement may be required, ensuring Employee Relations is consulted as appropriate.

Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

A highly skilled and articulate communicator, you'll represent the Branch at a variety of project, community consultation, partnership and Committee meetings as you cultivate effective and collaborative working relationships with the division's management team, staff from other divisions and external stakeholders, and serve as divisional lead on assigned projects and initiatives.

Team Leadership and Performance Management

With several years of senior manager experience, you will manage, motivate and train your unit's staff, ensuring effective teamwork, high standards of work quality and organizational performance, continuous learning and encourages innovation in others. You will supervise the day to day operation of all assigned staff including the scheduling, assigning and reviewing of work. You will authorize and control vacation and overtime requests, while you monitor and evaluate staff performance, approve salary increments and recommend disciplinary action when necessary. You will ensure qualified, trained and sufficient staff to deliver planned services through annual and seasonal recruitment, hiring and retention plans.

Operational and Business Management

Given your operational and business knowledge and experience, you will develop, recommend and administer the annual budget for your assigned business unit, and ensure that the unit's expenditures are controlled and maintained within approved budget limitations, while ensuring compliance with fiscal policies in the areas of cash handling, purchasing, resource allocation, pricing, fee structure, permitting, implementation and compliance. You will establish the operational direction for the district/business unit by establishing goals, objectives and priorities, through a work plan that is aligned with the overall strategic planning initiatives of the Branch and Division. You will develop, review, implement and evaluate annual and seasonal service plans including but not limited to instructional programming, community development, volunteerism, leisure programming that meet or exceed public demand for service, optimizes resources and aligns with approved service levels, striving for innovation, modernization and transformation.

Community Engagement and Equity

Using your extensive community engagement experience, you will provide community-based leadership in the development, coordination and management of relationships with a variety of community stakeholders including user groups, community agencies, organizations, sectoral interest groups, residents associations, business partners, school boards, and other stakeholders. You will lead and oversee work in support of equity deserving populations' access to services, recommending strategic approaches to removing participation barriers, where they exist.

Political Acuity and Government Relations

Applying your political acuity, you will represent the Division at Community Councils, Standing Committees and, as required, at City Council. You will build strong and cooperative relationships with elected officials, ensuring timely responses to inquiries from Councillors and the Mayor's office. You will consult and meet with Councillors, outside agencies (e.g., Police Services), community groups, environmental groups, other levels of government and other stakeholders on community issues (e.g. crisis response).

You've acquired excellent senior-level management skills, and you'll leverage these as you provide guidance and develop reports, briefing materials, policy documents, and presentations to senior management and a variety of committees, lead on-going strategic planning and the development of local, functional and city-wide service direction, and provide leadership and strategic advice to coordinate events, activities and milestones across the branch.

Operational Expertise

Using your operational expertise, you will facilitate any necessary contract management in collaboration with Purchasing & Materials Management for various services and products including but not limited to RFQ/RFP, valuations of bids, recommend of vendor, contract monitoring, communication with vendor, renewals, and problem solving with staff. Further, you will work in coordination with other branches and divisions including but not limited to Facility Operations, Parks Technical Services, Corporate Real Estate Management, Capital, Social Development Finance & Administration, Shelter Support & Housing Administration, etc. to deliver projects and address operational issues. 

Legislative and Regulator Compliance

You will ensure the operation meets all required legislative requirements, policy, protocols and best practices; recommending any modifications, training and process changes as required. You will act as a Supervisor under the definitions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and ensures that adequate training, safety equipment and safe work procedures are in place in order to develop a strong culture of Health and Safety and minimize any Health and Safety issues, as well as ensuring the quality of work and service meets corporate and divisional standards and employees are trained to perform work in compliance with all legislative regulations that apply, such as Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Ontario Building Code, Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Fire Code, Electrical Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), Ontario Pool Regulations etc.

Key Qualifications:

As a well-positioned applicant, you possess the following key qualifications:

1. Post-secondary education in a discipline pertinent to the job function, combined with relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Extensive experience in the supervision of staff, including the ability to motivate and develop a high performing work team.
3. Considerable management experience gained through progressively more responsible positions in the functions of administration, operations, service planning, service delivery, policy development, project planning and management and community development.
4. Considerable management work experience in the recreation and / or social services sectors.
5. Experience in financial reporting processes including budget preparation and control, expenditure forecasting, preparation and interpretation of financial reports, and reporting on key performance indicators, managing costs, driving efficiencies and revenues within a municipal or related sector environment.
6. Highly developed human relations, financial management, communication, negotiation, analysis and conflict resolution skills.
7. Knowledge of and the ability to work with project management principles and large-scale work planning.
8. Knowledge of emerging social policy issues at all levels of government and their impact on policy and programming related to children, families and equity-deserving communities.
9. Understanding of recreation-based trends and use of business intelligence to inform service delivery and resource allocation.
10. Ability to establish and achieve short and long term goals, including the ability to work within ambitious timelines and budgets.
11. Ability to deal with the culture of Council, navigate the formal and informal political process and network with politicians, community representative, the media and the private sector.
12. Ability to build a collegial network and strong working relationships with internal and external partners is a critical component of this position.
13. Excellent writing skills, including the ability to prepare detailed reports and make presentations.
14. Proficiency in all communication mediums including use of digital channels, written, reports, business cases, presentations and briefings).
15. Working knowledge of health and safety, Human Rights, Employment Equity and labour relations legislation, collective agreements and corporate standards and practices.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The City is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to creating a workplace culture of inclusiveness that reflects the diverse residents that we serve. Learn more about the City’s commitment to employment equity.

Accommodation

The City of Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request. Learn more about the City’s Hiring Policies and Accommodation Process.