EXPECTED HIRING RANGE: $88,193 - $102,829
REPORTS TO: Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation
GENERAL PURPOSE:
The Parks and Recreation Project Manager plans, coordinates, and delivers a diverse portfolio of capital improvement projects that enhance parks, open spaces, recreation facilities, and trail systems. This position oversees projects through all phases of development, including planning, scoping, design, permitting, construction, and closeout, while ensuring alignment with organizational goals, budgets, schedules, and community needs. The role works collaboratively with consultants, contractors, regulatory agencies, community groups, residents, stakeholders, and internal departments to provide safe, sustainable, and accessible recreational infrastructure. The position also supports long-range planning efforts, capital improvement programming, and the stewardship of public assets to improve quality of life and outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors.
Wheat Ridge is located on the ancestral homelands of Native peoples who lived on and stewarded this land long before its incorporation. During the 1859 Gold Rush, the City was a rest stop for miners and later named for its golden wheat fields. As unsuccessful miners turned to farming, the area thrived with orchards, vegetable fields, and later, greenhouses, earning the title “Carnation City.” Incorporated in 1969, Wheat Ridge now offers a central location with easy access to Denver and the Rocky Mountains. It operates as a home-rule city with a council-manager government, where the elected council sets policy, and the manager oversees daily operations and budgeting.
CORE VALUES: The City of Wheat Ridge is committed to excellence and ACTION!:
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Accountability: Employees take responsibility for their actions, decisions, and recommendations and are accountable to each other and the community
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Change: Adapts to changing organizational needs, conditions, and work responsibilities.
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Teamwork: Employees value teamwork as a collaborative effort, with each person contributing unique skills, knowledge, and training to achieve common goals.
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Integrity: Employees uphold the highest ethical standards, recognize the importance of public and customer trust and adhere to the values of the organization.
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Opportunity: Employees are empowered to grow professionally, develop best practices, and seek challenges to advance the City.
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NOW!: Employees are proactive, timely, and efficient in responding to the needs of the organization and the community – NOW!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Plan, prioritize, develop, manage, and deliver capital improvement projects for parks, open spaces, recreation facilities, trails, and related public infrastructure from concept through project closeout.
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Coordinate the preparation of, or develop, studies, plans, scopes of work, and specifications; coordinate required advertising for bids; review construction bids and make necessary recommendations based on lowest and best bids, competency of vendors and consultants and selection criteria.
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Collaborate with City procurement professionals on scope of work documents, contracts, solicitations including requests for quotes, requests for proposals, and requests for qualifications, vendor negotiations, and other related work.
- Develop and maintain project schedules, budgets, cost estimates, and funding plans to ensure projects are completed on time and within approved budgets. Coordinate and ensure timely completion of multiple project activities on several projects, concurrently.
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Manage construction project contracts by monitoring and controlling contract expenditures, work quality, and schedules; complete all required paperwork, including change orders, pay estimates, inspections, retainage releases, warranty work, etc.
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Conduct site visits and inspections to monitor project progress, verify quality of work, and address field conditions or construction-related issues.
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Maintain comprehensive project documentation, records, contracts, permits, correspondence, and regulatory compliance files.
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Develop and implement project management standards, procedures, and best practices to improve project delivery and organizational effectiveness.
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Serve as a technical resource and subject matter expert on capital project planning, design, construction, and asset development within the parks and recreation system.
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Manage planning and contract activities for construction and/or projects with outside agencies and in-house operations; identify schedules and prepare and monitor budget; coordinate and supervise the on-site work, both outside and in-house operations; oversee assigned projects to ensure contractor compliance with time and budget parameters for the project.
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Identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies to address schedule delays, budget impacts, permitting challenges, and construction issues.
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Prepare various studies, reports, correspondence, and communications on assigned projects; respond to public or other inquiries relative to policies and procedures on specific projects and other information; evaluate issues and options and make recommendations.
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Collaborate with team members from the Parks and Recreation Department, other city departments such as Public Works, Community Development, and Procurement, and other internal and external project stakeholders to deliver effective and valuable projects.
- Lead and assist with public engagement efforts, including presentations, community meetings, stakeholder coordination, and responses to public inquiries regarding capital projects.
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Assist with the pursuit of grant funding and subsequent reporting on grant awards.
- Promote sustainable design practices, resiliency strategies, resource conservation, and environmentally responsible project development.
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Aid in developing long term capital improvement plans and budgets and replacement schedules.
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Collaborate with staff to ensure capital projects align with planning documents, strategic initiatives, recreation programming needs, and long-term asset management goals.
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Review private project development plans for compliance with codes, regulations, standards, and adequacy of applications for permits, and compliance with approved plans, particularly when there is proximity and/or impact to park and recreation amenities
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Maintain regular contact with consultants, developers, construction project engineers, count, state, and federal agencies, professional and technical groups and the general public regarding activities and services. Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communications with staff at all levels, the public, and representatives from government, industry, and other agencies.
- Keep current with new trends and technology pertaining to the parks and recreation industry and public amenities.
- May be required to respond to emergency situations and occasionally work outside of regular business hours, such as occasional evening City Council meetings or project ribbon cutting events on a weekend.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Project Management, Engineering, Planning, Public Administration, Parks and Recreation Administration, or a related field.
At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in capital project management, construction management, engineering, landscape architecture, public works, parks and recreation development, or a related field, including experience managing capital improvement projects from planning through construction.
Knowledge of:
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Principles and practices of project management, capital project delivery, and construction administration.
- Planning, design, construction, and maintenance considerations for parks, trails, open spaces, recreation facilities, playgrounds, and athletic complexes.
- Capital Improvement Program (CIP) development and administration.
- Public-sector budgeting, financial management, and cost estimating practices.
- Contract administration, procurement procedures, and public bidding requirements.
- Construction methods, materials, scheduling, quality control, and inspection practices.
- Applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, codes, and permitting requirements.
- Environmental review processes, accessibility requirements, and sustainability principles.
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Public engagement, stakeholder facilitation, and community outreach practices.
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Principles of asset management and long-range infrastructure planning.
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Microsoft Office Suite and project management software applications.
Valid driver's license at the time of appointment and throughout employment.
Additional preferred qualifications:
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At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in capital project management, construction management, engineering, landscape architecture, public works, parks and recreation development, or a related field, including experience managing capital improvement projects from planning through construction
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Master’s degree in Construction Management, Project Management, Engineering, Planning, Public Administration, Parks and Recreation Administration, or a related field.
- Experience managing parks, trails, open space, recreation facility, or public infrastructure capital projects for a municipal, county, state, or special district agency.
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Experience administering public-sector procurement, contracting, and construction projects.
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Experience managing projects funded through grants, bonds, impact fees, or other public funding sources.
Professional certifications such as:
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Project Management Professional (PMP)
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Certified Construction Manager (CCM)
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Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP)
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Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE)
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Professional Engineer (PE)
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Registered Landscape Architect (RLA)
HOURS OF WORK, LOCATION, AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
This is a full-time, exempt, 40-hour per week position. This position typically works business hours, but occasionally will have night and weekend time commitments for public events and meetings with community groups. The office location will be at 7490 W. 45th Ave Wheat Ridge, CO, 80033.
Job duties will primarily require working in a standard office environment. Travel by automobile is required to attend professional meetings, coordinate the division’s projects, meet with other City departments and outside agencies, check work sites, meet with citizens, etc. Due to the nature of some activities, the full range of physical movements may be required in this position, i.e. walking, running, jumping, lifting up to 25 pounds, and climbing. This position will be exposed to project and construction sites that will require a broader range of physical involvement.
The City of Wheat Ridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and inclusivity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, marital status or any other applicable characteristics protected by law, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification. The City of Wheat Ridge will consider reasonable accommodations for employment to qualified applicants upon request to the Human Resources Office.
This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position.
The individual selected for this position will need to pass a criminal background and MVR check.
