Manager, Recreation Services

**Company Biography1**:
As one of the fastest growing cities in Alberta, the City of Airdrie is a recognized leader in building a vibrant and sustainable community through innovation.

At the City of Airdrie, incredible opportunities happen every day in a flexible work environment that is tailored to each department. Our inclusive culture and values create a workplace where we welcome aspiring, driven and creative individuals to help us accomplish our business and community goals. We are supportive of one another, and we have fun while we serve our community. We are passionate about improving the lives of our residents through care and respect; that is the foundation of our organization. At the City of Airdrie, we learn, grow and accomplish great things together. We’re proud to foster a workplace culture built on dedication, teamwork, and genuine care. Our commitment to creating a positive environment is reflected in our employee feedback from the 2025 Employee Engagement Survey, with 92.8% of employees saying they enjoy their work, and 92.6% feeling equipped with the resources they need to stay safe on the job.

If you have a passion for building a better community and are ready to join the excitement, we’d love to hear from you

**The Opportunity**:
The Recreation Services Manager is accountable for the active living strategy of the City of Airdrie by overseeing the planning, execution, and evaluation of recreation programming, services and facilities. With a focus both on the day-to-day operations and long-term strategy, the Recreation Manager ensures programming and services best meet the broadest needs of Airdrie residents today while forecasting how amenities and programs should evolve based on changes in participation patterns tomorrow.

This position manages all elements of recreation operations through setting, monitoring and evaluating department goals and continuous improvement initiatives to meet current and future operational needs. This position oversees a number of active living departments, all facility rentals within Airdrie, collaborates with senior leadership across the organization, and provides facility oversight of Genesis Place, Ron Ebbesen Arena, Plainsmen Arena, and the planned SW Recreation Centre.

Primary areas of responsibility will be:

- Provide strong leadership to direct reports, provide coaching and mentoring through ongoing feedback and empowering employees to achieve outcomes; Encourage collaborative and inclusive relationships.
- Act as a people and culture leader, demonstrating and aligning decisions and behaviours with our mission, corporate values, and culture.
- Scan and assess trends in the external and internal environment to guide the development of active living strategies for future programs and services.
- Lead translation of Council’s vision into strategies to meet desired goals of service relative to spontaneous use, programming, and facility rentals across all indoor and outdoor recreation assets.
- Provide support to leaders and staff acting as a trusted advisor providing guidance on talent management, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness.
- Champion a culture of inclusivity across all recreation facilities and service types, whereby the services and programs offered are a reflection of the demographics, desires and needs expressed by Airdrie’s citizens.
- Provide direction and oversight for facility operating and capital budgets; understanding potential risks and liabilities related to operations; knowledge of revenue sources and user fee models for public service facilities and service standards to deliver on approved strategic plans and within desired service delivery model.
- Operate facilities in a manner that is compliant with the legislated and recognized industry standards for public recreation facilities. Manage physical assets and equipment responsibility and proactively with established preventive and predictive maintenance strategies.
- Ensure the recreation staffing models are efficient and effective - balance between service outcomes, community impacts and operating cost.
- Lead negotiations with local and neighboring public jurisdictions (Rocky View County, Rocky View Schools, Francosud School Board, Calgary Catholic School Board, City of Calgary, etc.) to establish agreements for reciprocal use and cost allocation (capital/operating) agreements.
- Leads the long-term recreation facility development strategy; identifying what recreation amenities and facilities will be required to accommodate community needs as Airdrie’s population grows.
- Is familiar with and complies with safety policies, guidelines, procedures and all relevant health and safety legislation as it relates to recreation operations.
- Develop business cases as needed to determine and inform decisions. Responsible for delivering presentations to and participating in various committees and Council.
- Develops and maintains strong, positive relationships with c