Manager, Recreation Services

Manager, Recreation Services

Competition No: 2026-093

Duration: Regular Full Time

Salary: $147,176 - 151,267 - 155,376 - 159,430 - 163,539/year

Last Updated: 7/21/26

THE OPPORTUNITY
Burnaby is investing in the next generation of public recreation at a scale the City has never seen before. Two flagship facilities are under construction and nearing completion: Cameron Community Centre and Library, a major redevelopment that will be the largest community centre in Burnaby, and Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre — one of the most complex aquatic and arena facilities in BC, featuring a 10-lane 50-metre competition pool, a combined leisure and 25-metre lane pool with water features, a diving tower, family hot tub, sauna and steam room, and an NHL-sized arena. Burnaby Lake has been specifically designed to meet the requirements for hosting aquatic sports championships. Cameron Community Centre and Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre represent an exciting change in what Burnaby offers its community. 

The opportunity — and the mandate — is to co-lead the building of a world-class aquatics service alongside an experienced aquatics manager, bringing dedicated leadership to the planning and opening of these two facilities and the expanded network they represent.  This is a role in its own right — and the City is hiring accordingly.

You will be visible in ways that matter. Council will have questions. Aquatic user groups will have expectations. Your team will look to you to set the tone for what excellence looks like at these facilities. We are not looking for someone who can manage that — we are looking for someone who is energized by it. What we’re looking for goes beyond technical expertise: it’s confidence, warmth, judgment, and the kind of leadership that makes people want to follow.

ABOUT THE ROLE
Reporting to the Director of Recreation and working collaboratively within the Recreation management team and others across the City, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for the aquatic expansion at Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre and Cameron Community Centre through their facility openings. Your mandate is to deliver successful facility openings and build a strong foundation for ongoing operations. Following the openings, you will assume leadership of the City's aquatics network, overseeing service delivery and operations across Burnaby's indoor and outdoor pool portfolio.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading aquatics at Cameron Community Centre and Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre — from pre-opening planning and  commissioning through to day-to-day operational leadership across a multi-pool portfolio of extraordinary scale and profile
• Building, mentoring, and retaining a high-performing aquatics team, including supervisors, Aquatic Leaders, Lifeguard-      Instructors, and auxiliary staff
• Designing and overseeing delivery of a comprehensive aquatic program portfolio — competitive, recreational, instructional,  and therapeutic — that serves Burnaby’s diverse and growing community
• Establishing and maintaining the highest standards of aquatic safety, regulatory compliance, and risk management
• Managing the aquatics operating budget with accountability, rigour, and strategic foresight
• Building strong relationships with competitive user groups, swim clubs, community partners, and external stakeholders —  including those with an interest in provincial and national championship events
• Representing aquatics with confidence and credibility to senior City leadership, Council, and the community
• Contributing actively as a member of the Recreation management team, collaborating with peers to support divisional    priorities and shared goals.

WHO YOU ARE
You have run a serious, high-volume aquatics operation — including a 50-metre or competition-grade pool — and you know what it takes to do it well. You are a leader who others follow not just because of your title, but because of how you show up: with energy, clarity, and care for your team and the people you serve.

You are quick-thinking.  When a question comes from Council, a challenge emerges on the pool deck, or a community group brings a concern, you are ready — composed, well-informed, and credible. You can read a room, hold your ground with grace, and bring people with you.

You are a builder and developer of people. You are known for growing the careers of those around you, for investing in your team, and for creating environments where talented people want to stay and thrive. Your leadership style has warmth and presence in equal measure — you inspire confidence, and you inspire people.

You bring:

• Demonstrated senior leadership experience in aquatics management, including direct accountability for a 50-metre or  comparable high-volume, multi-pool facility
• A proven track record as a developer of people: you grow supervisors, invest in frontline staff, and build teams that deliver
• Strong operational depth — budget management, scheduling, multi-program service delivery, and complex operational  planning
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; you are equally effective presenting to elected officials as you are on    the pool deck with your team
• Experience leading through significant organizational change — facility openings, program expansion, or large-scale  staffing ramps
• The ability to work collaboratively within a management team and to build relationships across a department and City with  ease
• A natural ability to represent your facility and your organization externally with polish, presence, and credibility
• A deep commitment to community, equity, and accessible public recreation

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in Recreation Administration, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or a related field; an equivalent combination of  education and progressively responsible experience will be considered
• Valid BC Class 5 driver’s licence

WHY BURNABY
The City of Burnaby is one of BC’s Top Employers and a recognized employer of choice in Lower Mainland. You will join a Recreation management team that is cohesive, experienced, and genuinely collaborative — people who support each other and take pride in what they deliver together.

What we offer:

• A salary of $147,176 – $163,539 annually — competitive in the region — plus a comprehensive benefits package and  Municipal Pension Plan
• The rare opportunity to build a world-class aquatics service at two brand-new flagship facilities — including a 10-lane 50-  metre competition pool built to host aquatic sports championships
• A collaborative management team and an organization that invests in the people who lead it
• Meaningful career growth within one of Lower Mainland’s largest and most dynamic municipal organizations
• The platform to build something significant from the ground up — and the recognition that comes with it

STEP 1	STEP 2	STEP 3	STEP 4	STEP 5
Annual Salary	$147,176	$151,267	$155,376	$159,430	$163,539
Special Benefit	$9,803 Annual Stipend

Please submit your application no later than Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Applications will be reviewed throughout the posting period. 

Copies of relevant professional certificates, degrees, or tickets will be required at the time of the interview. Please contact People and Culture at View phone number on civicjobs.ca if you do not receive a confirmation email within one hour of submitting your application online at . We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those considered for an interview will be contacted

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We respectfully acknowledge that the City of Burnaby is located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm Peoples (Kwikwetlem). Each Nation has distinct histories and distinct traditional territories that fully or partially encompass the city. We encourage you to learn more about the Host Nations whose ancestors have occupied and used these lands, including parts of present-day Burnaby, for thousands of years. We are grateful to be on this territory as we dedicate ourselves to creating an inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects our vibrant community and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds, genders, ages, ethnicities, abilities, sexual orientations, and life experiences.