Homewood-Flossmoor (H-F) Park District, Illinois (population served ~30,000)

Located in the south suburbs of Chicago, the H-F Park District has served the communities of Homewood and Flossmoor for over 50 years. Residents choose Homewood-Flossmoor for the beautiful tree-lined streets, old world charm, warm and inclusive neighborhoods, blue ribbon schools and the three-time NRPA Gold Medal winning park district. Homewood and Flossmoor residents have easy access to all the Chicago amenities with a short drive or quick train ride into the city.

The H-F Park District Board of Commissioners is seeking to hire an Executive Director with a proven track record to lead its highly regarded state and nationally recognized park district. The successful candidate is an experienced, collaborative leader who communicates effectively, possesses solid business acumen, demonstrates strong financial skills, and can effectively lead and manage people and change.

The new Executive Director should have experience leading an organization of similar complexity, and/or possess a wide range of experience across the various types of services, programs and facilities the H-F Park District provides. The breadth of services the H-F Park District provides to its community is a differentiator in the eyes of community residents. The H-F Park District owns and manages 30 park sites with stewardship of more than 365 acres of land, including 14 outdoor tennis courts, 4 outdoor Pickleball courts, 9 soccer fields, 17 ball-diamonds, 9 shelters, a dog park and a skate park. Additionally, the H-F Park District offers a variety of recreational facilities and programs to address the wide-ranging and diverse needs of the community, including the H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, Coyote Run Golf Course and Wiley’s Grill, The H-F Ice Arena, Irwin Community Center, Goldberg Administration Center, Lions Club Pool, H-F Sports Complex, The Clubhouse at Dolphin Lake, and Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center.

The ideal candidate will be able to combine vision, creativity, and innovation in the oversight and continuous improvement of the H-F Park District. The successful candidate will possess the interpersonal skills and judgment necessary to create trust and influence a positive and inclusive culture when building relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, including employees, an elected board, intergovernmental groups and community organizations, advisory boards, and community residents. The successful candidate will be a team builder who can effectively delegate and empower employees to do their best to serve residents every day.

Reporting to the 5-person elected Board of Commissioners, the Executive Director will carry out policies and programs adopted by the Board and is responsible for overseeing recreation programming, personnel management, facility development, parks operations and business operations. The H-F Park District has an operating budget of approximately $13,000,000 with property tax revenue making up 36% of the total budgeted revenue. The H-F Park District employs 48 full-time employees (8 current direct reports to the Executive Director) and approximately 400 part-time, seasonal and temporary workers.

H-F Park District employees and residents alike take great pride in the H-F Park District and all it offers to the community, which is why we proudly say that the H-F Park District is “Where you want to be.”

Education: Graduate from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation, Leisure Studies, Facility Management, Public Administration, Business, Finance or a related field. Master’s degree is a plus.

Experience:

• Should possess at least 8-10 years of increasingly responsible administrative and directly related experience at a parks and recreation agency, park district, municipal department or related field with experience overseeing the management of a large team of employees

• Educational or experiential background in public administration, business or finance is preferred

Licenses and Certifications: Must have valid Illinois driver’s license (or ability to regularly travel among facilities); Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) or Certified Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE) designation is preferred.

Salary Range and Benefits: The hiring salary range for this position is $145,000-$190,000. The actual salary will be determined by the selected candidate’s qualifications and commensurate experience. Additionally, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District offers an extensive benefit plan, including IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund) defined benefit pension plan, competitive health, dental, vision and life insurance, 457 savings plan and flexible spending plan, an automobile allowance and a variety of other recreational benefits.

Apply online at www.GovHRjobs.com with resume, cover letter, and contact information for 4-5 professional references by February 17, 2023. Questions regarding the recruitment may be directed to Steve Scholten or Chuck Balling, Vice Presidents and Executive Recruiters, GovHR USA. Tel: (847)-380-3240 x130.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District is an Equal Opportunity Employer