Bainbridge Island, Washington
Arlington, Texas
Rochester, Minnesota
Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Posted: 30-Jun-25
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Type: Full-time
Salary: $129,213 - $161,516/annually
Categories:
Sector:
Required Education:
Internal Number: JR106980
Are you ready to cultivate a greener, grander Aurora and lead a team that keeps our city shining? The City of Aurora is seeking a Deputy Director of Parks, Open Space, and Forestry to oversee an incredible urban forest, over 100 parks, 8,000 acres of open space, and a small army of dedicated staff who maintain it all. This isn't just a job; it's an exciting opportunity to provide strategic leadership, shape our city's natural future, and drive impactful changes from trailheads to treetops. You'll collaborate with executive management, champion conservation initiatives, and engage deeply with our vibrant community. If you're passionate about nurturing nature, fostering high-performance teams, and creating an environment where every tree and trail thrives, we invite you to grow with us. Join us and help us ensure Aurora remains a truly beautiful place to live, work, and play for everyone!
Hiring salary $129,213 - $161,516/annually
Salary to be commensurate with experience.
The deadline to submit applications is Sunday, July 20, 2025. Please note, the City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first-come, first-served basis; as soon as we determine a qualified pool of applicants exists, this position may be closed without notice.
Qualified candidates will be contacted no later than July 29th to participate in phone screens August 1st.
The Deputy Director of Operations- Parks, Open Space, and Forestry will oversee a diverse range of parks, open space, and forestry operations within the city of Aurora. The Parks Operations & Management division maintains over 100 parks, 180 athletic fields, 2 splash pads, and over 100 miles of medians. The Open Space and Forestry division maintains over 8,000 acres of open space, 119 miles of trails, 3 nature centers, 2 reservoirs, and over 70,000 trees spanning residential areas, parks, and open space.
Reporting to the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Open Space, the Deputy Director will supervise two direct reports, the Manager of Parks Operations and the Manager of Open Space and Forestry, along with approximately 140 full-time and 500+ seasonal employees.
This position offers an exciting opportunity to lead and shape the future of Aurora's parks, open space, and forestry services while engaging with the community and driving impactful changes.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Leadership and Team Development: Provide strong leadership to teams of parks, forestry, and open space maintenance professionals, naturalist, and park rangers. Foster a positive work environment, promote professional development opportunities, and encourage teamwork, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Support Department Director in all areas of the department including Acting as Director in their absence, representing the Director at meetings, and serving as a policy advisor to the Department Director, and represent the department at citizen led Open Space Advisory Board.
- Financial Management: Manage the budget and resources allocated to the Park Operations & Maintenance and Open Space & Natural Resources organizations. Monitor revenue, expenditures, seek funding opportunities, and make informed financial decisions to support financially strong operations, infrastructure improvements, and program enhancements. Provide input on Capital budget needs.
- Operations and Maintenance: Oversee the day-to-day operations of parks, urban forest, trails, reservoirs, and open space programming throughout the city. Manage staff, allocate resources, and ensure efficient operations to provide safe, clean, well-functioning, and financially sound amenities for our residents. Support staff to be good stewards of the environment they care for on behalf of the Aurora’s citizens.
- Planning: Develop and execute plans and strategies to achieve long and short-term division and department goals and objectives. Supports?all actions of the department master plan, related strategic plans, and the development of?annual financial plans to achieve those goals?and?advance the department and city priorities.?
- Open Space Programs and Events: Coordinate and promote a diverse range of open space programs and events for residents of all ages. Collaborate with community groups, natural resources organizations, and stakeholders to deliver engaging and inclusive activities that foster wellness, community involvement, and social connections.
- Regulatory Compliance and Safety: Ensure compliance with regulations, safety standards, and legal requirements for park and open space related programs. Develop and implement policies and procedures, conduct regular inspections, and address any potential safety hazards or compliance issues promptly and effectively.
- Cultural Competency and Equity Awareness: Aurora is a diverse community; the Deputy Director of Park and Open Space Operations should possess cultural competency and awareness of equity issues. They should be able to develop management strategies that resonate with diverse populations, promote inclusivity, and address equity considerations in management and engagement efforts.
- Safety and Security: Enforce Park and Open Space hours of operation and rules on behalf of the City. Partner with Aurora Police and Aurora Fire Rescue to ensure safe and sustainable park and open space operations.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field, master’s degree desirable in one of the following: public administration, business administration or a similar field, and at least eight years of demonstrated leadership and management experience and work in an active, highly engaged community. Experience with Park and Open Space operations in the areas of strategic planning, performance-based management objectives, safety and security, programming and partnership development, sustainability efforts involving economic, social, and environment policy development and implementation. Experience with public sector operations is preferred.
Work environment: Works primarily in a clean, comfortable environment. Works in a setting subject to continuous interruptions and background noises.
Machines and equipment used includes but are not limited to the following: Frequently uses standard office equipment including personal computers, telephones, calculators, and copy/fax machines.
Essential personnel: When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the city, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel.
KEY COMPETENCIES:
As a key leadership position within the Department of Parks, Recreation and Open Space, the Deputy Director should have and utilize the following competencies:
- Park, Forestry, Open Space and/or Natural Resources Operational Knowledge: Strong knowledge of park and open space maintenance operations, urban forest management, and/or open space and water resource management are essential. Understanding industry best practices, trends, and emerging technologies in the water and land management is highly valued. Knowledge of urban ranger patrols and public financial structure is preferred.
- Leadership and Communication: Excellent leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse team. Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with staff, stakeholders, board members, City Council members, community groups, and government agencies. Experience in fostering a positive work environment and promoting teamwork and collaboration.
- Political Acumen: Creates consensus through good interpersonal skills and has a strong understanding of political issues; maintains high ethical standards while working subtly and effectively with the organizational structure; avoids missteps by calculating the outcome and consequences of alternative courses of action based on a realistic assessment of the situation, is fully aware of the political landscape and adjusts actions, as necessary, to avoid pitfalls. Actively solicits and fosters the ideas of others, facilitates a positive work environment that supports peak performance and demonstrates an ability to delegate while fostering independent decision-making.
- Community Engagement: Proven track record in community engagement, including seeking input, addressing concerns, and building strong partnerships with diverse stakeholders. Experience in developing and implementing community-focused programs and events that promote inclusivity, diversity, and active participation. ability to perform within all levels of the organization and obtain successful outcomes; interacts with internal and external stakeholders and customers in a manner that supports organization values.
- Problem-solving and Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify challenges, develop innovative solutions, and make informed decisions. Ability to think strategically, set goals, prioritize initiatives, and implement effective strategies to enhance parks and recreation services.
- Effective Communicator: strong communication skills including diplomacy, listening, verbal, written, presentation and public speaking skills. Ability to discuss complex technical and administrative issues, develop feasible alternatives and explain options to Board Members, City Council, associates, and the public.
- Leadership: Actively solicits and fosters the ideas of others, facilitates a positive work environment that supports peak performance and demonstrates an ability to delegate while fostering independent decision-making.
