Parks Community Liaison

As one of the fastest growing cities in Alberta, the City of Airdrie is a recognized leader in building a vibrant and sustainable community through innovation.

At the City of Airdrie, incredible opportunities happen every day in a flexible work environment that is tailored to each department. Our inclusive culture and values create a workplace where we welcome aspiring, driven and creative individuals to help us accomplish our business and community goals. We are supportive of one another, and we have fun while we serve our community. We are passionate about improving the lives of our residents through care and respect; that is the foundation of our organization. At the City of Airdrie, we learn, grow and accomplish great things together.
If you have a passion for building a better community and are ready to join the excitement, we’d love to hear from you!

The Opportunity:
The Parks Community Liaison is responsible for working with residents, user groups, community associations and internal and external stakeholders on a wide variety of Parks initiatives and projects. This can include items such as user agreements and fees, beautification projects, and requests to improve existing or add new amenities to parks public spaces. This position will act as the first point of contact for these groups to help them navigate the process associated with these projects and initiatives from start to project completion, and coordinate work activities with the other members of the Parks Operations team.

Primary accountabilities include:
• Act as liaison for working with residents, user groups, community associations and internal and external stakeholders on community-based parks initiatives and projects from original concept through to final completion in accordance with project management standards
• Assist user groups and community associations with maintenance and development related concerns and respond to phone and email inquiries
• Act as liaison and main point of contact between all special events organizations related to Parks Operations
• In collaboration with the Parks Team Leader, negotiate contracts, lease agreements and memoranda of understanding with various users groups and stakeholders
• Work with the Parks Operations team and internal/external stakeholders to ensure community voices are heard and reflected in day-to-day operations and future projects & initiatives
• Lead engagement processes on strategic park and open space initiatives for Parks Operations and ensure these initiatives reflect the stated objectives of the City’s Guiding Documents and are undertaken with a focus on community diversity, equity and inclusion
• Support engagement efforts in respect to park rehabilitations at several neighbourhood park locations

You Bring:
• Degree or diploma in Recreation, Horticulture, Tourism, Communications, Community Engagement, or related field
• Valid Class 5 driver’s licence
• Minimum of 2 years of experience developing and applying community engagement tools and strategies in a recreation, horticulture, community engagement or other related context
• Experience managing projects and working with project teams
• Experience applying strategic and conceptual thinking to effectively communicate and engage on complex and contentious issues and achieve the desired outcome(s)
• Experience in parks operations and infrastructure is a definite asset
• Municipal government experience would be an asset
• Knowledge of Airdrie would be an asset
• Strong ability to interact with diverse communities tactfully and professionally
• Ability to lead meetings, host public gatherings, speak in front of audiences and use various techniques to communicate ideas
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build professional rapport and work collaboratively with stakeholders
• Exceptional time management skills
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple projects and competing priorities
• High degree of professionalism, initiative, independence and confidentiality

We Offer:
Along with a competitive compensation program and City paid health and dental premiums, this position also includes:
• Excellent health, dental, paramedical and benefits plan
• First-in-class pension plan
• Career development and tuition reimbursement
• Employee discounts, annual Genesis Place pass, social events and health & wellness initiatives

Continuous learning through training and development is encouraged as are flexible work arrangements, when possible. We recognize that our people work best when they feel engaged in their environment and appreciated for their efforts and our overall benefits package reflects that.

Additional Information:
This full time (40 hour per week) position includes a comprehensive benefits and pension package.

How to Apply
Candidates are invited to apply online at www.airdrie.ca.
https://www.airdrie.ca/index.cfm?serviceID=1827