AccessHR is excited to partner with the Town of High River for the recruitment of a full-time, permanent Manager of Aquatics.

 

Position Description

 

The Town of High River has created a new position, Manager of Aquatics, to lead their Aquatics team. This position reports to the Director of Municipal Services and leads a team of approximately 25 full-time, part-time, and casual lifeguards and aquatics instructors.

 

This opportunity is well suited for a strategic, trusted professional with a passion and appreciation for public service and aquatics. You will spend a large portion of your time developing, coaching, and leading your team. You will also bring a passion for building a customer centric organization focused on community utilization of the facilities.

 

A clear differentiator is that the successful candidate will lead the Aquatics team through a proposed multi-million-dollar expansion project adding a leisure pool, lap pool, waterslide, hot tub, and sauna. You will also develop and execute both short- and long-term strategies and direction for the aquatics program.

 

Ultimately, we are seeking an inspiring, accountable, and collaborative community builder who demonstrates high emotional intelligence and a commitment to service excellence.

 

Key Deliverables

• Leadership: Cultivate a positive culture and work environment that encourages staff to identify innovative approaches to enhance and continuously improve performance and safe service delivery.

• Strategy: Develop short- and long-term aquatics program strategy and direction; foresee industry and community trends and develop response strategies.

• Customer Centricity: Establish and implement a client-centric service delivery model for the aquatics team.

• Safety & Effectiveness: Safety is of paramount importance; provide direction relating to the effective use of staff, facilities, and equipment, ensuring adherence to safety plans & protocols.

• Community Involvement: Liaise and partner with user groups, community organizations, schools, boards, and other agencies to increase utilization of facilities.

• Budgeting: Prepare short- and long-range operational and capital budgets and business plans; ensure expenditures stay in alignment with budget. 

Qualifications

• Leadership: Leads by example, demonstrating integrity, humility, and ethical behavior in both actions and decisions; high emotional intelligence, a “Servant Leader”.

• Aquatics: Extensive experience in recreation, including aquatics; keen interest in all aspects of aquatics activities.

• Exceptional Communicator: Demonstrates outstanding written and verbal communication, influences others, and encourages open dialogue; actively listens and asks, “tell me more” and “help me understand” questions to build full comprehension before offering solutions.

• Change Management: Expertise and experience with leading teams through change; adept at navigating changing organizational priorities.

• Negotiation & Diplomacy: Exemplary interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills.  Builds trust, resolves conflicts, and achieves consensus with both customers and employees.

• Empathetic: Ability to understand diverse perspectives and emotions and provide appropriate solutions and alternatives.

• Team Building: Outstanding team building skills with a commitment to incrementally improving service delivery on a daily basis; ability to coach, engage, and mentor a diverse team of both first-time employees and seasoned professionals.

• Scheduling: Proficient with shift management and scheduling, encompassing full-time, part-time, and casual staff across all days of the week, including weekdays, evenings, and weekends.

• Dare to be Different: Fosters creativity and innovation; ability and willingness to break away from conventional thinking in pursuit of improving on best practices. 

Education & Experience 

• Post-secondary education in recreation or physical education with electives in aquatics, business administration, public administration, or related fields.

• 10+ years’ experience in aquatics or similar field.

• 5+ years’ leadership experience, preferably in aquatics.

Assets

• Municipal government and/or public sector work experience.