The Recreation Supervisor I/II – Special Events Position:

With over 300 acres of park land for you to recreate in, San Marcos really lives up to its nickname “San Parkos”. With our 44 parks, 2 aquatic facilities and 3 recreation centers San Marcos is the perfect destination/location for community gatherings, outdoor sports, or a family picnic. The City’s extensive and growing 73 mile trail network is great for hiking, biking, running and equestrian use. The Parks & Recreation Department holds itself to an extremely high standard of providing the best recreation, programs and events in all of North County. From free, family friendly seasonal celebrations, to revenue driving events to city-wide extravaganzas and recognition ceremonies, the Recreation Supervisor plays a pivotal role in shaping memorable community experiences for residents of all ages.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in recreation administration, event management, hospitality, or a closely related field coupled with three years of responsible experience in recreation-related programs or large-scale community events, preferably full-time in a municipal setting.  Additionally, this candidate will need to have strong internal and external customer service skills while interacting with colleagues throughout the City and in all interactions with members of the community.

The Recreation Supervisor should have a strong working knowledge of planning, coordinating, and executing events of various sizes, including logistics, vendor management, permitting, staging, budgeting, and volunteer coordination. Our ideal candidate likes to mentor and grow part time staff, pays attention to the details, is a creative problem solver and is a team player who is motivated, adaptable and able to work independently. Successful candidates will possess an ability to work effectively in a busy environment within the “fun” department while maintaining a positive professional attitude.  

This role requires a consistent on-site presence throughout the year, providing leadership in event production timelines, coordinating with Sherrif, Fire, Public Works, and vendors, and attention to detail to ensure programming continually meets the needs of San Marcos’ growing community. In addition to event execution, this position is actively responsible for working with Communications to provide ongoing marketing efforts, community outreach, and interdepartmental collaboration.

While no two days are the same and there is not a typical day in the role of the Recreation Supervisor, the position could likely be called on for the following areas of responsibility at a moment's notice:

• Lead coordination and execution of City-wide events such as concerts, festivals, movies, ribbon cuttings, employee engagement events and seasonal activations.
• Serve as the primary liaison for event vendors, sponsors, performers, and community partners.
• Input event logistics and registration data into Active.net and prepare staff and volunteer schedules.
• Conduct post-event evaluations and prepare recommendations to the Parks & Recreation Director.
• Prepare agendas and serve as staff liaison for Commissions or Boards that support Department events. Works with Communications to develop promotional materials, scripts, and talking points for high-profile events.
• Train, and schedule event staff, volunteers, and contract support.
• Dive into new projects involving park signage, promotional videos, department wide team trainings... the possibilities are endless! 

This position might be perfect for you if:

You have a background in events, marketing, or public programming and are ready to take the next step in your professional career by joining an organization that values your experiences and is committed to your professional development. You have innate leadership skills and love being part of a team. You have a passion for recreation and are excited about bringing innovative processes to event design. You are a people person and know how to appeal to your audience. You can wear multiple hats and like to make people’s lives better through Parks & Recreation. You want to challenge yourself and seek out new opportunities. You want to be a part of something bigger than yourself and you know you can make a difference while at the City of San Marcos.

 The recruitment process: 

Full position information and minimum requirements are outlined in the technical job description, available for review here. Qualified applications and submitted answers to the supplemental questions will be reviewed for knowledge, skills and abilities that best fit the needs of the position and department. Invited applicants will receive an email regarding next steps after the application period has ended.  

Hiring the most well rounded and uniquely qualified candidate is important for our team. As such, we use a variety of screening tools in our recruitment process, including screening for minimum and highly desired qualifications, an external and internal panel interview as well as an MBTI assessment.

• Applications must be submitted by 5:00pm on Monday, November 24, 2025
• Qualified candidates will be contacted by Human Resources to schedule an interview
• 1st Interview – Tuesday, December 2nd
• 2nd Interview – Tuesday, December 9th

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:
Techniques for providing high-level customer service by effectively dealing with the?public, vendors, contractors,?and City staff; exercise good judgment, flexibility, creativity, and sensitivity in response to changing situations and needs; organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical deadlines; establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner; make accurate business arithmetic and statistical computations; accurately process payment transactions; .Principles and practices of public recreation administration, including the philosophy and concepts of recreation; recreational activities of a wide variety and scope suitable to all ages; principles, practices and methods of planning, organizing and promoting recreational programs and activities; modern principles and practices of supervision; organization and management of volunteers; effective communication skills, both written and oral; principles and practices of conflict resolution; obtain necessary licenses and/or certifications for specialized recreational programs (such as the nutrition and ranger programs, etc.); work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner; demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the community; various office equipment and machines, including a computer utilizing various software programs which include Microsoft 365 and recreational registration software.