Job Opportunities in United States

What You'll Be Doing

Looking for a career that sparks your interests, utilizes your unique skills and makes a direct connection and impact in the local community? Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space seeks a Park Technician of Education for Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail. We’re looking for a dynamic individual with proven skills in program development and delivery, who exhibits essential customer service, knowledge of park operations and has a passion for parks to join our quality-driven team.

As a frontline staff member with frequently shifting job roles and responsibilities, the ideal candidate will demonstrate adaptability and excel at interpersonal communication and public relations. Park staff strives to provide a safe, enjoyable park experience through its programming, visitor services, daily operational tasks, facility maintenance and resource stewardship.

Harris Lake County Park is a 680-acre park that provides a variety of picnic opportunities, over 10 miles of mountain bike trail, a 5-mile hiking trail, a 20-basket disc golf course, playground, fishing areas, geocaching program, environmental education, cultural and recreational programs and an abundance of natural resource management.

The American Tobacco Trail is a 6.5-mile multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) granite-screened trail that is a part of a 22-mile rail-trail spanning through Chatham and Durham Counties. There are 3 parking areas that we maintain, along with plant beds and 2 restroom facilities. We offer environmental, cultural and recreational programs for the public.

Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail offer our community popular services such as outdoor recreation, cultural history and environmental education, and nature exploration. As a member of our team, you’ll assist in delivering these services while regularly interacting with our community and supporting daily operations and maintenance of our facilities.

As a Park Technician of Education, you will:
Creatively assist with all aspects of park programming - developing, coordinating, implementing and evaluating
Oversee educational garden and natural play area maintenance
Serve as the park’s volunteer coordinator, which includes recruiting, training and scheduling volunteers
Perform front desk operations and serve as a main point of contact for visitors
Provide excellent customer service while ensuring our park facilities are welcoming, open, clean and safe for the community to enjoy
Supervise and mentor our temporary staff, while successfully completing job task
Commit to culturally competent visitor engagement, able to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic environment to meet the needs of all visitors
Support our Communications Team to effectively use print, digital and social media to promote our services by creating social media content and developing marketing materials to share our story and engage the public
Support natural resource stewardship, including prescribed burns and wildlife monitoring projects
Assist with EVERYTHING else that it takes to operate a park including such opening/closing facilities, janitorial duties, reservation and registration management and more

This position is based at Harris Lake County Park and offers exciting and unique opportunities at Harris Lake County Park, the American Tobacco Trail and Feltonville Community Park.

About Our Team

Wake County is one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation and the most populous county in the state, with more than 1.1 million residents. The County has received national and international rankings and accolades from publications such as Money, Fortune and Time magazines as one of the best places to live, work and play – and it’s no surprise. As part of the Community Services Department, the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Division (we like to call ourselves PROS) is a talented team devoted to ensuring our parks are accessible and welcoming. Our Mission: PROS preserves open space, promotes stewardship, and provides equitable and inclusive education and outdoor recreation for a diverse and growing community. PROS connects people to the things we love most – history, nature and outdoor recreation. As a member of our team, you’ll regularly interact with our community, deliver services that are highly valued by residents and support operations of our parks and facilities. We offer preservation, education and recreation opportunities across our nine parks and three nature preserves 361 days a year. Our parks have never been more popular! We serve nearly 2 million visitors annually and are actively planning and designing new facilities. Our community loves our parks (and so do we!). See for yourself at wake.gov/parks. Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail have a talented and energetic team dedicated to high standards of service for our community. We serve our population with passion and pride and strive for excellence in everything we do! Although our team is technically divided into “operations & maintenance” and “educational programming,” we work together as a TEAM every day in some capacity. Managing our natural resources, event preparation, cleaning and maintaining our buildings, grounds and trail maintenance, kiosk and display creation, opening and closing the parks and other operational tasks are just some examples of this teamwork.

The Basics (Required Education and Experience)
High school diploma or GED
One year of experience working in a park setting, providing educational programming, maintaining facilities or landscaping
Valid Driver's License and "safe" driving record
CPR certification within one year of employment
Equivalent education and experience are accepted
Please include ALL prior work experience on your application and resume.
Beyond the Basics (Preferred Education and Experience)
Bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation, public history, forestry, natural resource or related education field
Two years of experience related to this position description including park programming, supervisory, computer skills such as Active Net and Office365
Skill with using a variety of technological applications (i.e. Online Registration Software and Microsoft Office Suite)
Experience with developing marketing materials, using social media platforms and engaging audiences
Ability to conduct outreach and engagement with culturally diverse audiences
Skills in fishing and leading fishing programs
Experience teaching recreational, cultural or environmental programs
How Will We Know You're 'The One'?
Excellent communication skills. You have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain positive, productive relationships with staff, colleagues, volunteers and partner organizations
Ability to foster a work culture in which different ideas and opinions are encouraged and expected
Ability to encourage others to be innovative and create and try new things
You believe that different backgrounds and experiences strengthen the organization and produce better results
Ability to be resilient, adaptable and self-motivated to get the job done as efficiently as possible.
Versatility and adaptability are important in any situation
Proven flexibility with assigned schedule and job tasks
Knowledge of resources, information, trends, developments in park programming
Ability to model the behavior you want to see in your team members
You are not afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty
Knowledge and understanding of parks (including cultural programming) and have a solid interest in outdoor recreation and education
Self-motivated and driven to perform daily duties of the position
Excellent decision making and the ability to prioritize tasks
About This Position

Location: Harris Park Office/Maintenance Facility New Hill, NC 27562

Employment Type: Regular

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week including mornings, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays

Hiring Range: 22.13 - 28.73

Market Range: 22.13 - 28.73

Please include ALL prior work experience on your application and resume.

Posting Closing Date: 7:00 pm on 9/25/2024