Manager, Sport & Community Events

The City of Richmond is a diverse and dynamic community in pursuit of our vision
to be the most appealing, livable and well-managed community in Canada.

People l Excellence l Leadership l Team l Innovation

Imagine a career with the City of Richmond , a dynamic environment for growth and continuous improvement, fostered by our collective strengths and creativity. We are a vibrant, diverse cosmopolitan city, supported by a strong economy and recognized as leaders in innovation and service delivery excellence. The City of Richmond is committed to be the most appealing, livable, well-managed community in Canada, a goal that is only made possible by developing our most valuable asset – our people . This is a great opportunity to join our team and shape our community.

Manager, Sport & Community Events

Join our Recreation and Sport Management team with the City of Richmond as a leader in the sport and recreation sector, delivering the department’s vision. Richmond is a leader in the planning and delivery of recreation and sport opportunities, inspiring individuals and communities to be active, connected and healthy for a lifetime. This an opportunity to make a difference, working with the community to make Richmond one of the most appealing and liveable municipalities in Canada.

Reporting to the Director, Recreation and Sport Services, the Manager, Sport & Community Events is accountable for the overall management of outdoor sport and corporate wide community events (direct provision and facilitation of services, facilities or events).

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide leadership and direction on the development and implementation of corporate and departmental strategic plans, projects and initiatives such as the Recreation & Sport Strategy, Sport Hosting Strategy, and city wide Major Events Strategy.
• Lead the implementation of strategic initiatives related to the Recreation and Sport Strategy, Sport Housing Strategy, Volunteer Management Strategy, Community Wellness Strategy, and other Divisional and Corporate priorities.
• Provide leadership for the annual allocation of sport fields and amenities in alignment with Council policies and guidelines, including the development and implementation of Richmond Field Sport Agreements and Sport Field User Fees.
• Manage the use of City and School District outdoor field sport facilities, festivals, and event sites.
• Manage the seasonal West Richmond Pitch and Putt golf course.
• Provide technical expertise into the design of City wide sport facilities including sports fields, and outdoor sport amenities.
• Overall responsibility for caretakers at a variety of City Parks.
• Develop and monitor budgets; recommend sport and outdoor event facility capital development and infrastructure maintenance projects.
• Contributes to relevant capital projects in collaboration with other City departments
• Inform the Director, General Manager, Parks Recreation and Cultural Services Committee and Council of key issues; prepare reports; communicate corporate/divisional policies. 
• Represent the City at meetings or events attended by external agencies such as local, regional, provincial, national and international sport governing bodies, Richmond Sport Council, Pacific Sport, Sport BC, ViaSport etc.
• Work with the Managers of Public Works and Parks and other various managers to develop cross departmental guidelines and procedures, programs and services, recruitment and training and implementation of new work methods.
• Responsible for resolving customer inquiries and problems in a timely manner; anticipate and forecast customer requirements; define quality standards for customer service and create new solutions to meet customer needs.
• Hire, orient, train, develop work plans and job performance expectations, evaluate and coach/mentor staff.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Manage the delivery of sport and outdoor event services held on Richmond’s parks, including providing leadership and direction to the Coordinator Parks Programs and Community Facilities Coordinator – Parks and collaborating with the Manager of Parks Operations and the Manager of Parks Programs to provide resources required to serve the needs of community groups involved in organizing outdoor sport activities, tournaments, festivals and special events.
• Plan and implement strategic initiatives to improve sport delivery in Richmond in alignment with provincial and national initiatives.
• Develop corporate strategies for improving service delivery in areas such as sport services, community festivals and development of major community events and sport tourism initiatives.
• Lead project teams as the project lead for both corporate wide projects, departmental projects and divisional projects.
• Negotiate facility use licence agreements with Richmond field and sport amenity user groups.
• Develop and administer the Parks Sport, Special Events and Administration Office budget; provide input into the annual Parks capital budget for sport and outdoor event facility development.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with various external agencies regarding sport and event hosting services such as Richmond Sport Council, Tourism Richmond, various local, regional, provincial and national sport organizations, Richmond community associations and various organized sports groups. 
• Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to provide technical direction and/or specialty advice on sport facility design standards to architects and City Parks staff involved in designing outdoor sport facilities and events.
• Lead, develop, and supervise a team of staff.
• Deal with a broad range of people using interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy. 
• Resolve complex or contentious sport and event facility scheduling conflicts and facility use incidents.
• Solve customer complaints and problems and enforce Park Use Code of Conduct regulations.
• Exhibit strong decision making skills and judgement for complex and far-reaching issues with results assessed against organization-wide objectives.
• Recommend fees and charges for a variety of facility users and event services.
• Demonstrate project management, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Display excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Successfully pass a Criminal Record Check.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelors Degree in Recreation, Sport/Physical Education, Business or Sport Management with courses in event management, project management, problem solving, community engagement, park planning and decision making, business writing, communication, and public speaking.
• A minimum of 10 years experience is required, including experience working with community sport and event planning organizations, establish operating agreements with community societies and the hosting of large outdoor community events.
• Experience working with sport in a variety of capacities at a local, provincial or national level. Considerable experience in leading community consultation meetings, public speaking, researching and writing reports, presenting reports to senior staff, community groups, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Committee and City Council.
• Extensive knowledge of the technical design and event staging requirements of various outdoor sport tournaments.
• Experience working within a municipal environment is preferred.
• A valid Class 5 Driver’s Licence for the Province of British Columbia.

Working Conditions:
Work is performed mainly in an office environment. Evening and weekend work is regularly required.

This posting will remain open until the position has been filled with applicant reviews happening throughout the posting period; shortlisting to be completed and interviews beginning shortly after the week of August 17th 2026.

The City of Richmond offers a competitive pay and benefits program, attractive incentives and a compressed work day schedule. If you are looking to make a difference, and to share our vision “to be the most appealing, livable, and well-managed community in Canada,” please submit your application by following the instructions below:

The City of Richmond uses an applicant tracking system for candidates wishing to view and apply for available career opportunities. For further information regarding position details and to apply, please visit our website at  .

We are accepting applications until the position is filled.

We thank all applicants in advance for their interest; however, only those under consideration will be contacted. If you are unsuccessful, please accept our appreciation for your interest.