Park Manager 3 (NYS HELPS)

Minimum Qualifications

NY HELPS:
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At this time, agencies may recruit and hire employees by making temporary appointments. In June 2024, if a temporary NY HELPS employee is satisfactorily performing in the position, the appointment will be changed from temporary pending Civil Service Commission Action to permanent non-competitive, and the official probationary period will begin.

At a future date (within on year of permanent appointment), it is expected that employees hired under the NY HELPS program will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status without having to complete an examination. Employees will then be afforded with the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotional examination for which they are qualified.

Non-Competitive Minimum Qualifications (NY HELPS):
Park Manager 3: Seven years of experience, including one as a supervisor, in operations, construction, and/or maintenance of a park or recreation facility*.

Substitution: An associate’s degree in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.

Competitive Minimum Qualifications:
Appointment from an Eligible List:

Either 1. eight years of experience working in a park or a recreational facility within a park* including three years of managerial experience;**

Or 2. a bachelor’s or higher level degree in environmental education, environmental management, environmental policy, environmental sustainability, forestry, golf course management, historic preservation, natural resources management, park administration, park management or recreation management AND four years of experience working within a park or recreational facility within a park* including three years of managerial experience.**

*For the purposes of this examination a park or recreational facility within a park is defined as a location that offers at least three of the following elements: ballfields, campgrounds, golf courses, hiking trails, historic structures, marinas, picnic areas, playgrounds, recreation programs, swimming facilities or education, environmental or interpretive programming. You must clearly list this information on your application.

**Managerial experience is defined as directing or administering at least three of the following functional areas within a park or recreational facility within a park: administration (business, personnel, finance); environmental education/interpretation; maintenance; planning; programming; or public relations/visitor services. Your application must clearly describe your managerial experience in three functional areas.

Examples of Non-Qualifying experience include but are not limited to: working at a gym, ski area/resort, and sport stadiums.
Examples of Non-Qualifying degrees for the purposes of these examinations include but not limited to: accounting, anthropology, archaeology, biology, business, history, horticulture, hospitality, physical education, recreation therapy and sports management.

Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. This information can be found at https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. Candidates are responsible for the evaluation fee.

Reassignment:
Current Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation employees with one year of permanent, contingent-permanent, or 55 B/C service as a Park Manager 3.

52.6 Transfer Qualifications:
One year of permanent, contingent-permanent, or 55 B/C service allocated to a Grade 21 or higher eligible for transfer and determined to be administrative by Civil Service.

Note: For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

Duties Description

Under the direction of the Park Operations Manager, the incumbent will serve as first-in-command for this very busy day-use park just 40 miles from New York City. Its main feature is a mammoth-size pool (1.3 million gallons) that can accommodate 3,500 swimmers at a time. FDR State Park also has two lakes (Mohansic Lake and Crom Pond) as well as many woodland picnic and reservable areas. The park has excellent fishing, boating and disc golf opportunities, is a popular location for charity walks and runs, and welcomes over 500,000 patrons per year. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Working in collaboration with the region to coordinate all aspects of park operations, including but not limited to day-use and picnic areas, swimming pool, maintenance, special events, concession management, health & safety, incident management, communication, park promotion and public relations.
• Planning, assigning, and assisting with the creation and completion of projects, and performing various health and safety, security, maintenance, and operational duties.
• Directly supervising, training, and evaluating seasonal and permanent staff to ensure that assigned tasks are completed correctly, safely and in a timely fashion.
• Managing Temporary and Seasonal (T&S), Non-Personal Services, and Enterprise/Retail budgets as well as submitting the annual T&S budget for evaluation.
• Identifying Capital facility needs and working with the region and district on prioritization and implementation.
• Managing natural resource challenges and operations related to Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), invasive species, water quality, and trails.
• Ensuring equipment inventory is completed and preparing monthly reports, including but not limited to monthly fuel usage, vehicle and equipment mileage, tank inspections, and hazardous tree removal.
• Reviewing and responding to patron questions, compliments, and complaints.
• Completing administrative reports and attending meetings as required.
• Advancing FDR State Park participation in agency programs including the Climate Change and Energy Program, the Park System Centennial, Connect Kids, I Love My Park Day, First Day Hikes, and other statewide initiatives. Creating programming for visitors and engaging the park with the communities/region in which it is situated.

Operational Needs

• Must be available to work weekend and evening hours and understand that the schedule and work shift for this position will vary seasonally. Must also be available for emergency call-ins as needed.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to operate a vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment.
• Must possess or obtain Hazardous Tree assessment certification within the probationary period or at the next available offering as a term and condition of employment.
• Must possess or obtain Certified Pool Operator certification within the probationary period or at the next available offering as a term and condition of employment.
• Must have attended or be willing to attend the NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Facility Manager’s Institute at the next available opportunity.
• Must be proficient with MS Outlook, Word and Excel. Experience with Statewide Financial System, Asset Management System, Attendance and Revenue programs is preferred but not required.
• Must have excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Must have the ability to follow directions and communicate in a positive manner with staff and the public.
• Must have the ability to respond to patrons concerns or complaints in an effective and positive manner.

Housing
Mandatory – Park house is located just inside Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park

Benefits
Generous benefits package, worth approximately 65% of salary, including:
Paid Time Off:

• 39 days – 13 Vacation days, 8 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
• Professional leave offered annually at supervisor’s discretion to participate in professional development.

Health Care Benefits:

• Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs.
• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost

Additional Benefits:

• New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Membership
• NYS Deferred Compensation
• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Paid Parental / Family Leave

Learn more about our benefits for permanent state employees, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx

*The posted hiring rate is the sum of the statutory hiring rate for MC Grade 23 ($81,792) and the Downstate Adjustment ($3,400). The posted job rate is the sum of the statutory job rate ($105,255) and the Downstate Adjustment ($3,400).