Job no: 516522
Work type: Staff Full-Time
Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
Categories: Executive/Director/Management, Recreation/Event
Department:04020000 - SL-RECREATIONAL SPORTS

Classification Title:

Director, Recreational Sports

Job Description:

The Opportunity

This position serves as the senior leader for the Department of Recreational Sports within the Division of Student Affairs (DSA), at the University of Florida (UF). The director provides visionary leadership, strategic direction, and is responsible for developing a facility master plan while providing oversight for current facilities, programs, and a budget of over $8 million.

As a member of the DSA leadership team, the director is responsible for ensuring that students have access to a comprehensive collegiate recreation experience and helping to lead the campus community’s commitment to an active lifestyle, health and wellbeing.

The role and responsibilities of the Director of Recreational Sports are as follows:

Administration:

• Formulate and administer a yearly budget in excess of $8 million for Recreational Sports (RecSports)
• Responsible for hiring, training, supervising, and managing a staff that includes over 40 full time employees and over 700 student employees
• Supervise the planning and evaluation processes for RecSports
• Develop, implement, and interpret policies and procedures related to the successful management of facilities and programs
• Ensure a robust assessment and evaluation process focused on inclusion, quality improvement, and forward-thinking recreational opportunities
• Ensure up to date, comprehensive emergency action plans for all facilities and programs.
• Fosters an inclusive culture and diverse workforce

Facilities: including two recreation and fitness centers; the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Education; two lake front parks at Lake Wauburg; Florida Pool; numerous outdoor sports complexes

• Direct campus recreation facilities to serve the university community
• Oversee all physical operations pertaining to the department
• Ensure the safety and security of facilities including emergency action planning and crisis response
• Plan improvement and major renovations for campus recreation facilities
• Ensure appropriate systems are in place to manage the facilities and programs in a manner that protects the interest of UF
• Direct the use of all resources to serve the UF community

Programs including an intramural sports program with over 2,000 teams; 51 sport clubs; outdoor adventure; aquatics; fitness (personal training, small group training, massage therapy, nutrition services) and group exercise (165 classes/week).

• Educate students on healthy living, the benefits of physical activity, and community building through sport by providing a comprehensive array of programs
• Ensure programs are accessible to students of different backgrounds and abilities
• Develop opportunities for students to engage in RecSports
• Contribute to student learning through the student employment program
• Develop a comprehensive assessment plan to demonstrate student learning, development, and engagement

Partnerships:

• Develop and maintain collaborative partnerships that encourage innovation
• maintain effective relationships with other entities on campus to educate and enhance healthy living
• Maintain close working relationship with the Recreational Sports Board of Directors, campus student leaders, and student groups
• Seek opportunities to research the impact of recreation, leisure, sport, etc. on students mental and physical health
• Participates in various professional associations that promote the advancement of recreation and wellness.

Division of Student Life Support & other duties as assigned:

• Represent UF on appropriate committees at conferences on the national, state, and university-level; participate in division-wide responsibilities such as emergency dean, divisional programs, mentoring programs, and selection committees.
• Provide feedback to the appropriate entity regarding the safety of programs, equipment, and facilities
• conduct daily observations and/or use said equipment and facilities
• operate a state vehicle as needed.

The Department of Recreational Sports

The Department of Recreational Sports offers experiences that enrich the lives of the University of Florida community through excellence in facilities, fitness, sport, adventure and play. We are committed to advancing student success, developing leaders, and encouraging lifelong wellness.

Our department encompasses four indoor facilities, two lakefront parks, and multiple outdoor field complexes while providing comprehensive and diverse programs for students. As a member of the DSA leadership team, the incumbent is responsible for ensuring a comprehensive recreational experience is available to the UF community and for partnering with other units on student wellness and healthy living.

The Division of Student Life

With a long history of service and support of students, UF Division of Student Life is the lead contact for everything supporting student life. From the day a student is accepted to graduation and beyond, we are there to see all UF Students engage, transform, and thrive.

The division is comprised of more than 600 full time team members and over 1200 student employees who support 24 departments including the Recreational Sports, Dean of Students Office, J. Wayne Reitz Union, Counseling and Wellness Center, Housing and Residence Life, Career Connections Center, Student Activities and Involvement, and Multicultural and Diversity Affairs.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Division of Student Life has a mission to facilitate a developmental journey towards greater understanding and empowerment around diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. The Division is committed to attracting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce and values diversity of thoughts, background, and experience. We welcome nominations of and applications from individuals who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s vision and mission.

The University of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status in also aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotion, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits and training.

The University of Florida

The University of Florida (UF), the flagship university for the state of Florida, ranked No. 6 among the nation's top public research universities by U.S News and World Report, is accepting inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Director for Recreational Sports.

Located in Gainesville since 1906, UF has 16 colleges, a major academic health center, a championship winning athletic program, a top-ranked undergraduate online program and, in keeping with its land-grant mission, one of the nation’s most comprehensive agriculture and natural resources programs. All are based at the University’s 2,000-acre campus, joining its historic red-brick core with advanced facilities and preserved natural areas and connecting to adjacent innovation, commercial and residential districts.

UF has 55,000 students, 30,000 employees, 5,500 faculty members, a $5 billion annual budget and more than 140 mission-focused units across the state of Florida. It is the Sunshine State’s only member of the Association of American Universities comprising the nation’s 60 leading public and private research universities. More than 51,000 students have applied as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year — a new record.

Several qualities distinguish UF among today’s leading public research universities. The first is its highly comprehensive breadth on a single campus, facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration among, for example, faculty within the adjacent colleges of journalism, engineering, and medicine. The second is its unwavering support from the state of Florida, which has endorsed UF’s drive to become one of the nation’s very best public research universities — supporting those efforts since 2013 with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding to grow its faculty ranks by 500 members. UF’s third exceptional quality is its dynamism. Like Florida, the nation’s third-largest state and among the fastest-growing, UF is undergoing rapid transformation as it pursues the overarching aspiration to be "a premier university that the state, nation and world look to for leadership.”

The City of Gainesville

Gainesville (http://cityofgainesville.org) is home to Florida's largest and oldest university, and so is one of the state's centers of education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and UF Health Shands Hospital are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties. Gainesville is also the largest city in Alachua County and is the county seat, with approximately 269,000 residents county-wide. It serves as the cultural, educational, and commercial center for the north central Florida region. The city provides a full range of municipal services, including cultural and nature services and necessary administrative services to support these activities. Additionally, the city owns a regional transit system, a regional airport, and a 72-par championship golf course.

Known for its preservation of historic buildings and the beauty of its natural surroundings, Gainesville's numerous parks, museums and lakes provide entertainment to thousands of visitors. Because of its beautiful landscape and urban "forest," Gainesville is one of the most attractive cities in Florida. The city is in a central location to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, providing easy access within a day’s drive to beaches, nature preserves, and water-based activities. Explore Gainesville in 60 Seconds.

Expected Salary:

$120,000 - $150,000

Minimum Requirements:

Master's degree in an appropriate area and six years of relevant experience; or a bachelor's degree in an appropriate area and eight years of relevant experience. Appropriate college coursework or vocational/technical training may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree with a major in higher education, sports management, business administration, exercise science, or equivalent.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of full-time experience in all phases of collegiate recreation programs, facility management, and holistic health and wellness.
• Knowledge of trends within collegiate recreation and health initiatives on a college campus.
• Experience with management of a variety of programming initiatives such as population specific programming, online programming, and/or other programs that enhance student success.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships and work cooperatively with staff, students, vendors, and other UF departments
• Ability to make data-informed decisions and use research to guide planning
• Ability to hire and train student and professional staff
• Ability to analyze complex problems and to develop and implement solutions
• Ability to positively contribute to the body of knowledge within the field of campus recreation
• Strong interpersonal skills in the areas of leadership, supervision and customer service.
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong administrative skills such as strategic planning and organization

Special Instructions to Applicants:

The application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) on September 26, 2021.

Inquiries and nominations can be sent to Leah Egezeino, Talent Consultant at legezeino@ufl.edu.

This is a time-limited position.

If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US.

The “government in the sunshine” laws of Florida require that all documents relating to the search process, including letters of application/nomination and reference, be available for public inspection upon request.

This requisition has been reposted.Health Assessment Required:

Health assessments are not required for this position.

Advertised: 01 Sep 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 26 Sep 2021 Eastern Daylight Time