Park Activation Specialist

Position:        Park Activation Specialist
Type:               Full Time
Reports to:     Director – Community Engagement
Supervises:    No direct reports
 
POSITION SUMMARY: The Park Activation Specialist serves as a community connector and is integral to Forest Park Forever’s mission delivery to ensure Forest Park is welcoming to all. This position is interdisciplinary, community- and people-focused, providing strategic guidance and engagement to ensure Park spaces and amenities are activated and usership is representative of the St. Louis community.
 
Forest Park Forever currently has an immediate opportunity for the Park Activation Specialist to develop a strategy to program and activate the Park’s newest active recreation space – the Nicholas J Booker Basketball Courts – known as “The Nick”. Working with community partners and the City of St. Louis Park and Recreation Department teams, the Park Activation Specialist will strategically program The Nick to become a preferred location for skills clinics, tournaments, community use and/or open play.
 
FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

• Represent Forest Park Forever in the community and develop new relationships and maintain existing relationships with primary focus in key strategic geographic locations.
• Build sustainable and strategic partnerships with community organizations, neighborhood groups, businesses and not-for-profit organizations to connect constituents to existing and future Park amenities and programming.
• Facilitate and serve as a liaison with community stakeholders to create meaningful programming and activities in key Forest Park focus areas.
• Program development, management and execution to activate spaces such as the basketball courts, sports fields, the east-end of the Park and other attractions, with a lens toward inclusion and diversity.
• Manage a scheduling system / calendar of activities and programming and work in tandem with City of St. Louis Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department to permit areas, as needed.
• Manage, train and supervise program-oriented volunteers, initially, and potentially part-time paid staff members in the future.
• Develop amenities, ideas and activities to support broad activation of spaces.
• Establish connections to Forest Park stakeholders to cross-promote engagement and visits to the Park, facilities and institutions.
• Maintain a database of community stakeholder connections.
• Develop program reporting systems, surveying, evaluation and assessment processes.
• Identify barriers to Park access and utilization and recommend solutions to reduce or eliminate barriers.
• Serve as a connector and conduit to Forest Park Forever’s Education, Visitor and Volunteer Services teams.
• Work in tandem with Forest Park Forever’s Communications and Marketing Team to promote programming, events and activities.

• Experience in community outreach, constituent relationship building, outdoor recreation, program development or related field.
• Bachelor’s degree, preferred. Equivalent job experience will be considered.
• Proven experience building and fostering relationships with external and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to represent the organization well to a wide range and cross-cultural and socio-economic audiences.
• Experience developing, implementing and facilitating programs, activities and events that connect to a diverse and broad audience that reflects the St. Louis community.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with strong attention to detail.
• Experience with community event planning, execution and follow through.
• Must be flexible to prioritize tasks, responsibilities and activities to achieve goals and meet deadlines.
• Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills and ability to communicate effectively across all mediums and platforms to a broad range of audiences.
• Ability to listen and collaboratively problem-solve.
• Ability to work independently and engage in a team – working collaboratively with diverse staff, community members, volunteers and stakeholders.
• Database management, reporting and data entry experience.
• Experience creating and presenting reports to document and communicate program impacts and mission delivery.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook & Office suite (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, Outlook) required. Familiarity with data analysis, project management (for example Basecamp) and database software, a plus. Candidate must have the ability to learn other computer software programs as required by assigned tasks.
• Nonprofit experience and a passion for parks and community green spaces, a plus.

• Valid driver’s license.

• Occasionally works in an indoor office and uses a computer.
• Frequently works outdoors with the ability to move across the Park, visit sites and oversee programming.
• Ability to flex working hours to accommodate morning, evening and weekend activities. Preferred primary schedule: Tuesday – Saturday.
• Constantly communicates critical information to varying audiences.
• Constantly operates computers and other office equipment.
• Frequently moves materials weighing up to 50 pounds and moves them a reasonable distance.