Outdoor & Community Programming Specialist

**This posting is for 1 permanent full-time position
As the Outdoor & Community Programming Specialist, you will ensure high quality outdoor recreation and community initiatives, events, and programs for Strathcona County residents. The Specialist will be assigned a balanced portfolio of the County and/or Community led initiatives, events, and programs. This position will be responsible to lead, support, build community capacity, maximize resources, and ensure safety for their assigned portfolio. In addition, this role will initiate and foster relationships with community leagues/groups, associations, agricultural societies, non-profit organizations, volunteers, funding partners, internal departments, and branches.

**Responsibilities**:

- Lead delivery of County-led outdoor recreation and rural community-initiatives. This includes the identification, research, design, deliver, evaluation and improvement for each initiative, event, and program. Examples include Pitch-In, Graffiti Management Program, Everybody Gets to Play program/initiatives such as Playdays, Memorial program, Mayor's annual Golf Classic, Park shelter booking system, etc.
- Support local community leagues/groups, associations, agricultural societies, and non-profit organizations with their delivery of recreation and community initiatives, events, and programs. Examples include: Josephburg Country Classic, Trail days, Tractor Pull, dog luring, Christmas in the Heartland, Country Christmas, charitable fundraisers and races, block parties, etc.
- Assist with the execution of Strathcona County's major annual events including Canada Day, Celebration of Lights, Arbor Day, New Year's Eve, National Day for Truth, and Reconciliation, etc.
- Guide, consult and mentor community leagues/groups, associations, agricultural societies, and non
- profit organizations to build their skills/capacity for initiative, event, and program delivery. This includes support for grants, emergency management plans, permits, protocol, logistics, etc.
- Determine performance indicators, success measures, and administer statistical reports for initiatives, events, and programs.
- Procure, coordinate, and manage contract services for County led initiatives, events, and programs.
- Ensure contractors delivering County led initiatives, events, and programs have the skills, abilities; and certifications required to perform duties. This includes facility/area specific emergency procedures, training, privacy legislation, permits, and OH&S policies.
- Anticipate, understand, communicate, diffuse, and resolve inquiries and concerns in a timely and courteous manner. This includes implementing service recovery practices and anticipating/diffusing politically sensitive issues.
- Collaborate with operational teams and peer departments to develop, design, deliver and evaluate outdoor recreation and agricultural initiatives, events, and programs.
- Implement and facilitate public relations strategies and promotional campaigns for issue management. Provide strategies to ensure community awareness and participation.
- Supervise volunteers ensuring provision of tools and resources required for outdoor recreation and agricultural initiatives, events, and program delivery.

**Qualifications and Skills**
- Minimum three to five years' experience in a leadership capacity within related work areas (programming, event planning, facilities, community development, policy development and public engagement)
- University Degree in Recreation, Administration, Physical Education, Business or related area
- Experienced in Microsoft Office(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Excellent customer service, public relations, interpersonal, relationship building, facilitation and influential leadership skills necessary to deal effectively with individuals, groups, businesses, community groups/association/leagues, non-profit organizations, and all levels of government.
- Experience with service tracking systems (County Connect) would be considered an asset.

**Conditions of Employment**
- Valid Alberta Class 5 Driver’s licence and submission of a 5-year Driver’s Abstract with less than 7 demerits
- Ability to perform physical labour as part of the job duties and stand/walk for extended periods of time

**Who We Are**:
Strathcona County is a specialized municipality located in the heart of Alberta. Our vision is to become Canada’s most livable community, where our workplace culture and identity are supported by our people plan and values of integrity, respect, safety, fairness, and cooperation.

**Why Join Strathcona County**:(depending on position)
- Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

- Extended health and dental coverage
- Health and wellness spending account
- Life and disability insurance and critical illness programs
- Retirement and pension programs
- Paid and unpaid leave programs
- Earned day off program
- Employee and family assistance program
- Commitment to