Parks & Recreation Assistant Director - Wellness, Community Recreation, and Cultural Arts

Parks & Recreation Assistant Director - Wellness, Community Recreation, and Cultural Arts

Salary

$152,467.00 Annually

Location

Nashville, TN

Job Type

Full-Time Civil Service

Job Number

27090E

Division

Parks

Department

PAR Comm Ctr Drop-in Activitie

Opening Date

10/13/2026

Closing Date

11/3/2026 11:59 PM Central

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Description

The Parks & Recreation Assistant Director - Wellness, Community Recreation, and Cultural Arts is a full-time Civil Service position in the Metro Parks and Recreation department. The primary duties of this position include providing executive leadership, strategic direction, and administrative oversight for the Wellness, Community Recreation, and Cultural Arts division. This position plans, directs, coordinates, and evaluates community recreation facilities, wellness initiatives, cultural arts facilities and programs, and related services to ensure equitable, efficient, high-quality service delivery consistent with departmental policies, priorities, and community needs. This position works varying shifts as needed, which may include occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, emergency response, and special events.

Metro's Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of facilities and programs throughout Davidson County. Currently, the department oversees nearly 16,000 acres of open space, including 189 parks and 110 miles of greenway. Metro Parks offers after school programs for children, activities for seniors (55+), cultural arts classes, dog parks, fitness classes, nature programs, sports leagues, ice hockey, art galleries, and much more. It is the mission of Metro Parks and Recreation to sustainably and equitably provide everyone in Davidson County with an inviting network of parks and greenways that offer health, wellness and quality of life through recreation, conservation and community.

This fast-paced, diverse, and multi-faceted environment might be just the place for you!

Typical Duties

• Establish division priorities, performance expectations, operating standards, and service delivery goals in alignment with departmental plans and policies.
• Promote staff morale, teamwork, professional development, accountability, and collaboration within the division and across the department.
• Supervise, plan, and direct operations of multiple community recreation and cultural arts facilities, including visual, performing, and community-based arts activities and services.
• Support development, implementation, and evaluation of wellness, recreation, and cultural arts programming responsive to community needs.
• Coordinate facility scheduling, reservations, programs, events, and use to support public access and effective use of departmental resources.
• Oversee recruitment, hiring, training development, assignment, and performance management of employees within the division.
• Oversee division budgets, financial expenditures, revenues, purchasing, contracts, and related administrative functions.
• Make purchasing decisions, prepare requisitions, and prepare invitations to bid or other procurement documents as appropriate, and ensure cash handling procedures are followed, revenues are properly entered into the POS, and appropriate internal controls and spot audits are conducted.
• Interpret and enforce departmental policies, Civil Service Rules and Policies, operating procedures, and applicable Metro requirements.
• Develop, maintain, monitor, and update operating manuals, procedures, and standards for division facilities and programs.
• Evaluate facilities, programs, and operations to ensure efficiency, consistency, quality, accessibility, safety, and alignment with departmental priorities.
• Provide statistical, operational, and analytical reports to the Director as needed.
• Oversee Safety, Scheduling, and Operational Response, including inspecting facilities and equipment for unsafe conditions, determining operating schedules, monitoring injury cases, and coordinating use of facilities with public safety organizations and appropriate Metro staff during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Receive, review, and resolve complaints and operational concerns and elevate significant matters as appropriate.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to advance recreation, wellness, and cultural arts objectives.
• Assist with planning and implementation of capital improvements, facility renovations, equipment needs, and operational transitions affecting the division.
• Ensure appropriate management representation for the department at internal and external meetings, events, and discussions as assigned by the Director.
• Attend offsite meetings and travel to department facilities, program sites, and partner locations to support employees, assess operations, and represent the department as needed

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelors Degree in Recreation Management, Sports Management, Public Administration, Business administration, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university, and six (6) years of increasingly responsible management experience in recreation, wellness, cultural arts, community services, or similar programs and/or facilities.

No Substitution

License Required: A Valid Drivers License

Candidates with accreditations earned in a foreign institute are encouraged to apply.

Note: Per Metro Ordinance No. SO94-1078. All employees of the Metropolitan Government shall be residents of the State of Tennessee or become residents of the state within six (6) months of employment as a prerequisite to employment with the Metropolitan Government.

Preferred Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience managing multiple recreation, wellness, cultural arts, community services, or similar programs and/or facilities.
• Experience supervising managers or supervisors.
• Experience managing budgets, purchasing, contracts, and/or administrative operations for a large organization.
• Experience working with community organizations, governmental agencies, boards, or other external partners.
• Experience in public sector, parks and recreation, community recreation, wellness, or cultural arts administration.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply. Metro Nashville is committed to selecting the most qualified candidate for each of our roles.

Metro Nashville Government respects the religious beliefs and practices of all employees and will make, on request, an accommodation for such observances when a reasonable accommodation is available that does not create an undue hardship on business operations.

Requests for ADA or other protected accommodations for the recruitment process should be directed to Human Resources at 615-862-6640.

Full-time, Civil Service positions -

10 Vacation Days per year (increasing after 5 years of service)

1 Sick Day per month

12 Paid Holidays per year

Public Safety - Sworn and Civilian positions -

20 vacation days per year

3 Personal days per year

1 Sick Day per month

12 paid holidays per year

Part-time, Non Civil Service positions - Visit HR and Benefits webpages for more information.

Full-time, Non Civil Service positions - contact hiring department for benefits information

Seasonal/Temporary positions - no benefits offered.

01

What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• No diploma
• High School Diploma or Equivalent
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree
• Doctoral Degree

02

What level and and field of study did you receive your degree(s) in? If no degree please type "N/A"

03

Indicate your increasingly responsible management experience in recreation, wellness, cultural arts, community services, or similar programs and/or facilities.

• No Experience
• 1 year or less
• 2 - 3 years
• 4 - 5 Years
• 6 or more years

04

Please describe your increasingly responsible management experience in recreation, wellness, cultural arts, community services, or similar programs and/or facilities. If no experience, please type "N/A"

05

Please describe your experience managing multiple recreation, wellness, cultural arts, community services, or similar programs and/or facilities. If no experience, please type "N/A"

06

Please describe your experience working with community organizations, governmental agencies, boards, or other external partners. If no experience, please type "N/A"

07

Please describe your experience managing budgets, purchasing, contracts, and/or administrative operations for a large organization. If no experience, please type "N/A"

08

Do you have a valid Driver License?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County

Address Human Resources Division

700 President Ronald Reagan Way, Suite 201

Nashville, Tennessee, 37210

Phone (615) 862-6640

Website https://www.nashville.gov/departments/human-resources/employment-opportunities