Do you believe in the power of recreation to build confidence, connection, and joy? The City of West Sacramento’s Parks & Recreation Department is seeking a compassionate, dependable, and enthusiastic Senior Recreation Leader to support our SPARK Adaptive Recreation Program—a social, community-based program designed for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The SPARK program is all about Social Participation, Active Recreation, and Kindness. This is not a therapeutic program but a structured and inclusive opportunity for participants to engage in games, arts, fitness, and community outings in a supportive, supervised setting. If you're looking to make a meaningful impact while bringing energy and care to your role, this is the opportunity for you.
Position Summary
The Senior Recreation Leader – SPARK Adaptive Recreation provides front-line support to participants, facilitates activities, and helps ensure a safe, respectful, and engaging program environment. Working under the guidance of Recreation Coordinators, this role assists in planning and delivering structured recreation activities and supervising participants in group settings with a staff-to-participant ratio of 1:8.
This position requires reliability, patience, leadership, and an ability to foster positive social experiences while supporting individual needs and abilities.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and supervise recreational activities including arts & crafts, games, light fitness, and community outings.
- Support participants in social engagement, ensuring safety, respect, and inclusion at all times.
- Assist with planning, set-up, and cleanup of program activities and spaces.
- Model appropriate behavior and help manage group dynamics in a kind and respectful manner.
- Communicate regularly with program supervisors about participant needs, incidents, and progress.
- Maintain accurate attendance records, activity reports, and incident logs.
- Help orient and guide volunteers or newer staff.
- Ensure that program supplies are organized and available as needed.
- Serve as a positive role model and help build a sense of community and belonging among participants.
Ideal Candidate Will Have
- Experience working with individuals with developmental or physical disabilities or in adaptive recreation settings.
- Patience, empathy, and a passion for inclusion and community connection.
- Ability to lead small group activities and support participants with varying abilities.
- Teamwork and communication skills, with a proactive approach to solving problems.
- A friendly, flexible, and professional attitude in all situations.
An official City of West Sacramento application form must be filled out in its entirety. The NEOGOV on-line application is considered to be an official City application. It is the applicant's responsibility to explain their qualifications fully and clearly. Incomplete information on the application may be cause for disqualification. In addition, the applicant must submit a resume. Applications and resumes will be screened for qualifications. The most qualified applicants will be placed on an eligibility list. The top scoring candidates will be referred to the department for further consideration and the next step in the selection process.
DEFINITION: The Senior Recreation Leader plans, coordinates, implements and supervises departmental programs, projects and activities at various sites, including but not limited to: parks, school sites, recreational facilities and administrative offices.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED: Receives general direction from the Recreation Supervisor I/II or designee. No direct supervision of staff is exercised.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS: This is a part time, extra help position in the Parks & Recreation Department. The Senior Recreation Leader is distinguished from the Recreation Leader by the performance of more complex and difficult tasks requiring greater independence and judgment in completing assigned programs, projects or activities.
