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Job Description
Description
Do you have experience serving individuals with all-ability levels?
Do you enjoy collaborating with community partners and building relationships to build trust and a welcoming environment?
This is a fantastic opportunity for a Therapeutic Recreation or Accessibility professional to get involved in a top-notch recreation program and play a key role in shaping inclusive and accessible offering from the ground up. This role offers the chance to grow and expand the City’s commitment to inclusive recreation in impactful and lasting ways.
The City of Palo Alto Community Services Department is hiring for the newly expanded full-time role of Therapeutic Recreation & Accessibility Coordinator. This position requires a motivated and energetic candidate with strong organization and communication skills. This position will be primarily responsible for development, oversight, and leadership of streamlining processes and services that support specialized recreation programs for individuals of all ages, with a special focus on those with disabilities and unique recreation needs in a community setting. As a fairly new position, this role will have the unique and exciting opportunity to evaluate the City’s existing programming and services and develop a comprehensive plan that will outline the City's strategy for providing inclusion services moving forward. This position will also serve as the Community Services Department's key staff representative for all-inclusive recreation needs in the department, coordinating with partner organizations, and with community members.
The ideal candidate will be a friendly, highly organized, community-focused, and solutions-oriented professional who has demonstrated success in developing relevant and successful inclusive and adaptive recreation services. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in recreation or a related field and might also possess certification in Therapeutic Recreation. They will also have 2-3 years of experience in the recreation or human services field serving individuals with disabilities.
Benefits Highlights- CalPERS Pension- Lifetime retirement income with up to 100% of your highest salary.
- Fully Paid Medical, Dental & Vision- Coverage for you and eligible dependents.
- Six Weeks Paid Parental Leave.
- Up to $10,000/year in Childcare Assistance.
- Generous Time Off- Up to 200 hours of vacation plus 13 paid holidays.
- Commuter Perks- Unlimited Bay Area transit with Clipper BayPass, including Caltrain, BART, VTA, MUNI, and more
Visit our Careers Page to learn more and view Memorandum Of Agreements between the City and its employee groups.
Work Schedule: 9/80 M-F ( This position is primarily on-site and may require occasional travel to various Community Services Department locations throughout the City as needed.)
This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
Compensation (SEIU): Comprehensive compensation plan, to learn more click HERE.
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Lead comprehensive evaluation of existing department and city inclusive recreation programming and develop a comprehensive plan that will outline the City’s strategy for providing inclusion services moving forward.
- Establish and foster positive relationships with community partners and service providers for people with disabilities in Palo Alto and the surrounding area.
- Create a positive, welcoming, and safe environment with an emphasis on building and maintaining rapport with program participants, families, staff, and volunteers.
- Lead the planning, implementation, and evaluation of adaptive and inclusive services and programs for individuals of all ages with disabilities.
- Provide guidance, supervision, and performance feedback to additional staff and/or volunteers involved in programs as needed.
- Promote specialized recreation initiatives through crafting and disseminating promotional materials, drafting program descriptions, and identifying target audiences for outreach efforts.
- Offer administrative and logistical support to class and/or contracted instructors, including equipment procurement, material reproduction, on-site assistance with registration and evaluation processes, and orientation to facilities and emergency procedures.
- Develop and provide training and resources for Community Services Department staff on best practices and strategies for working with individuals with disabilities, including seasonal summer camp.
- Encourage positive interactions among participants through group facilitation and provide necessary assistance to facilitate independence and successful learning for each individual.
- Maintain detailed and proper documentation and discretion of confidential information.
- Collaborate with Community Services Department coordinators and programmers to evaluate activities to meet the needs of program participants.
- As assigned, will serve as liaison to community groups and organizations, parents, and/or school officials regarding activities within their assigned program areas.
- May utilize specialized software applications to assist with department-related programs. Attend required staff meetings and trainings.
- As needed, assist in development of the budget; monitor program budget, identify and analyze trends. Provide regular and specialized reporting.
- Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.
- Follow procedures and policies as set by the City of Palo Alto to ensure the safe operation of programs.
- Responsible for maintaining safe practices and conditions in a municipal recreation environment.
Desired Qualifications:- Bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Social Work/Human Services or a related field or equivalent experience. Any combination of work experience and education equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in Recreation or closely related field will be considered.
- Minimum of one to two years of experience in leadership, with a focus on specialized community recreation such as inclusive, adaptive and/or therapeutic recreation.
- Understanding of the basic foundations of therapeutic recreation including the philosophy of community recreation and inclusion and the physical, cognitive, and social-economic needs of individuals with varying disabilities.
- Strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.
- Current CPR/AED and First Aid Training or ability to obtain within six months of employment.
- Valid California Driver’s License and an insurable driving record.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills and abilities, which would typically be acquired through:
For recreation positions:- College degree in recreation, liberal arts or a related field, or equivalent experience. For special events position:
- College degree in marketing, PR or communications or equivalent experience in the special events industry.
- At least one year of lead or supervisory experience
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position typically may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
Recruitment Timeline:
First Review of Applications: Week of August 25th
Interviews: First-round interviews are expected to take place the week of September 15th; Final interviews will take place the week of September 22nd.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 8/24/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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