Summary of Duties

Reporting to the Director, Recreation and Sport, the Manager, Aquatic Programs and Leadership plans, coordinates, and oversees the development and operation of aquatic programs and services for the City of London's indoor, outdoor, and wading pools.  This position acts as a liaison for people or groups with aquatic sport, recreation, or leadership interests in the city, with accountability for the development and implementation of comprehensive aquatic programs and activities that offer the public and high-quality services including education and outreach programs for drowning prevention and water safety, leading to improved quality of life for Londoners.  

Work Performed

• Provide leadership in the administration and planning, development and implementation of policies and programs related to aquatic programs and leadership that contribute to strategic initiatives identified in Council’s Strategic Plan and by the Division.


• Lead the development and implementation of staff training and programs to ensure they are compliant with legislation, municipal policies, procedures, and directives.


• Lead the planning, development and implementation of both structured and unstructured aquatic and leadership programs and activities.


• Lead tracking and research of trends, projections, mapping, and community engagement to deliver programs of interest and personal benefit, across all age groups and populations.


• Oversee and approve the development of marketing plans.


• Develop and maintain communications and relationships with neighbourhood and community groups, service clubs, associations, private and not-for-profit organizations, and elected officials regarding aquatic matters, community projects and initiatives.


• Expedite media requests to Director, Recreation and Sport and Deputy City Manager, Neighbourhood and Community-Wide Services, and provide accurate and timely information as required.


• Facilitate opportunities for enhanced service delivery through shared resources, partnerships, and joint ventures with various partners including, but not limited to, community groups, educational institutions, community organizations, and service groups.


• Supervise Aquatic Programs and Leadership employees including hiring, administration, training, and performance aspects of reporting employees. Respond to and refer sensitive and confidential human resource issues as required.


• Encourage and support employee participation and commitment to divisional and organizational objectives. Actively mentor, provide development opportunities and build team performance with direct reports.


• Provide updates, information and recommendations to the Director, Recreation and Sport on priorities with responsibility to operationalize identified goals and strategies.


• Identify and recommend internal controls in the form of policies, procedures, practices in relation to the general and specific risks of the Corporation; ensure internal controls are implemented, monitored, and reported on specific to the Division.


• Liaise with unions on issues that affect bargaining unit employees as required.


• Promote and foster working relationships with employees and bargaining units and ensure consistent application of the collective agreements.


• Provide representation at mediation and arbitration proceedings as required.


• Engage in opportunities to work across Divisions and Service Areas in support of enterprise-wide collaboration with respect to recreation and sport related planning issues including park development planning, and facility design.


• Demonstrate commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and human rights through interactions with partners, employees and individuals and ensure that policies and protocols reflect this commitment.


• Demonstrate commitment and adherence to Health and Safety legislation and programs, and actively promote a culture of safety with direct reports.


• Support employee commitment to a high level of performance in all areas of customer service, employee safety and delivery of individual goals and objectives.


• Identify, recommend, adapt, and implement innovative and effective work practices and procedures to improve service delivery and the business responsibilities of the team.


• Recommend and develop processes and tools needed to increase efficiencies and improve the effectiveness of services provided by the Division.

• Prepare reports and/or presentations for consideration by the Senior Leadership Team, Ward Councillors or Council Committees on matters related to recreation and sport.


• Represent the Service Area at Standing Committees and Council meetings as required.


• Represent the City of London and Service Area in legal proceedings as required.


• Provide input to the development of the annual operating and capital budget for the Recreation and Sport.


• Manage the budget for the Aquatic Programs and Leadership Team, prepares associated documents (i.e., business plans, business cases and presentation documents) as required. Manage and promote stewardship of financial and organizational resources.


• Adhere to the Procurement of Goods and Services Policy.


• Implement strategies to track performance measures for team deliverables, using appropriate data collection and analytics.


• Respond to emergency situations related to assigned responsibilities and with respect the establishment of reception centres on an on-call basis.


• Undertake special community and Service Area projects as assigned.


• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Experience

• Degree in Sport and Recreation, Sport Administration, Business Administration or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and related professional and lived community experience.


• Five years of related experience in sport/recreation administration or business.


• Hold current, at least one of the following certifications or equivalent: National Lifeguard Service Instructor, Red Cross Water Safety Instructor-Trainer, Royal Lifesaving Society of Canada Instructor- Trainer, Standard First Aid Instructor, Basic Rescuer C.P.R. Instructor.


• Hold or have held certification as a Canadian Red Cross Society Water Safety Instructor, Standard First Aider and National Lifeguard Service Pool Option and demonstrate current equivalent technical knowledge of these award contents.


• Ability to attend meetings and appointments throughout the City of London and to work outside of regular work hours, when required.

Skills and abilities in the following areas are necessary:

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in the above identified areas of accountability with an understanding of the area’s programs and services and how the work of the area aligns with the objectives of the Division.


• Demonstrated analytical and business planning skills to anticipate, recommend and develop current and future programs, amenities, and related policies and procedures.


• Demonstrated positive and proactive leadership capabilities, adept at leading a group of employees, contracted services and consultants; demonstrated commitment to developing high performance teams.


• Demonstrated ability to inspire the people they lead through productive and honest dialogue, with personal integrity and actions.


• Ability to be a trusted advisor and/or advocate in sensitive and/or emotionally charged situations.


• Ability to use metrics and analytics to determine program effectiveness, service gaps, and program and amenity development requirements.


• Proven commitment to the safety of employees with knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and applicable regulations as it relates to the position.


• Ability to understand the importance of service delivery; develop and implement initiatives that support the section’s customers in a timely and effective way.


• Ability to skillfully communicate to a wide and varied audience and influence outcomes.


• Highly developed interpersonal and customer services skills, including conflict resolution and problem solving; demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with diverse populations within the community; experience working collaboratively with organizations, clients, and other stake holders.


• Computer literacy in Microsoft Office and related software and database applications.

Compensation and Other Information

$97,932 to $128,215

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