Recreation Specialist

JOB LOCATION

30 Del Mar Cir Aurora, Colorado 80011-8256

City of Aurora, Colorado

It is an exciting time to work for the City of Aurora, we're growing and looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals to join our team of talented and valued employees. Excellent organizations have a set of principles, or core values, that are used to implement their mission and vision. Those values represent the touchstone for the organization, guiding the decisions of the individuals and the organization. At the City of Aurora, we demonstrate our excellence by modeling the CORE 4 Values of: Integrity, Respect, Professionalism, and Customer Service, and we welcome all who share these values to apply.
 
Why Work for Aurora?

• Make a difference in the lives of real people every day
• Diverse community
• Competitive total compensation package
• Well-Funded General Employees Retirement Plan
• Light rail station minutes away
• On-site fitness center and overall employee well-being programs Internal educational programs to assist with career advancement
• Access to innovation workspaces

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Ready to make a real impact in the fitness world? The City of Aurora Recreation Division is seeking a dynamic Recreation Specialist – Fitness to oversee a variety of programming and operations.

If you believe the human body, especially the active adult version, needs careful, knowledgeable handling to keep breaking personal records, you are our ideal candidate. We need a leader with up-to-date knowledge of fitness programming and trends who thrives on helping people optimize their performance, rather than just maintaining the status quo.

This job is essentially running the show. You will provide direct supervision of approximately 20 variable-hour fitness instructors. This requires strong managerial skills to recruit, schedule, and verify their ongoing certifications. You are responsible for programming new drop-in and fee-based classes, and you will be required to teach a minimum of 3 to 5 classes/sessions per week to stay connected to the participants. If you are ready to implement programming and motivate staff to achieve measurable goals, we need you on our team.

Hiring salary $50,968 - $63,710/year 

Salary to be commensurate with experience .

The deadline to submit applications is Sunday, November 2, 2025. Please note, the City of Aurora will conduct ongoing screenings of applications on a first-come, first-served basis; as soon as we determine to have a qualified pool of applicants, this position may close quickly and without notice. 

PRIMARY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

 Supervision

• Direct supervision of approximately 20 temporary fitness instructors
• Recruit, interview, select, train, evaluate, schedule instructors
• Provide daily guidance and problem solving
• 1st and 2nd approvals of temporary e-time and statement to pays – bi-monthly
• Verify and track instructor certifications – ongoing as they expire

Program Operations

• Teach, substitute, develop, program and implement drop-in classes
• Maintain weekly schedules for fitness classes
• Develop, program and implement fee based classes
• Coordinate Personal Training, Massage and Reflexology
• Program maintenance includes: schedule and book classes in the registration system, set fees in compliance with COA's policies, follow budget guidelines, track registrations and attendance, cancelations and profit/loss for  classes
• Perform annual fee evaluations
• Identify trends and program new activities
• Respond to customer concerns and suggestions, either face to face, by telephone or email
• Promote programs using flyers or other forms of marketing materials
• Evaluate classes using survey monkey for outcome measures
• Coordinate with participants and trainer to set up fitness assessments 
• Collaborate and maintain working relationships with community partners for program development

Weight Room

• Research and recommends purchase of weight room equipment and other fitness supplies
• Maintain fitness equipment, flat screens and schedules quarterly maintenance
• Maintain and conduct weight room orientations
• Work the weight room floor, interact with customers, and provide guidance for participants as needed
• Coordinate supply order of gym wipes and cups

 
Other Duties

• Assist with front desk coverage and opening and closing of facility when needed
• Manage emergency situations such as 911 calls, employee accidents, ADA issues
• Maintain certification of CPR/AED/First Aid

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS & WORKING CONDITIONS

An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that demonstrates the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in sports medicine, kinesiology, exercise science, or related field

Experience:

• At least two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in recreation administration, athletic training, sports management, or other related discipline
• Knowledge:
• Knowledge of recreation program development and administration
• Up-to-date knowledge of fitness programming and trends
• Knowledge of personal computers and related software applications
• Knowledge of fitness and gym equipment, best practice for its operation, and related safety precautions

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal and managerial skills
• Strong customer service skills
• Ability to teach multiple formats of fitness classes
• Mentoring and training transfer

Abilities:

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and citizens
• Ability to respond to customer inquiries and complaints in a timely manner
• Communicate effectively and professionally in writing
• Coordinate, schedule, and instruct recreation programs
• Motivate staff, create a positive work environment, and hold staff accountable for achieving measurable goals and developing their skills

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor from accredited institution
• CPR/AED certification

WORKING CONDITIONS

Frequent - 2.6 hours to 5.5 hours per shift

Essential Personnel:

• When a local announcement of emergency or disaster is declared by the City, all City of Aurora employees may be required to work as essential personnel.

Physical Demands:

• Medium work that involves moving no more than 50 pounds at a time
• Frequent lifting, carrying, walking and standing
• May require frequent pushing, pulling, bending and stooping.
• Teaching of fitness classes as scheduled.

Work Environment:

• Works primarily indoors but may work outdoors assisting with a program or outreach events in varying weather conditions

Equipment Used:

• Uses standard office equipment including personal computer and common office software such as email, internet, Word, Excel and menu driven databases as a part of the Library automated systems
• This position may require the incumbent to use personal equipment (e.g. vehicle, cell phone, tools, etc.) in the course of their employment.
• Knowledge of fitness equipment and accessories.

For Veterans preference:  Please show all of your employment history, including military service and related documentation (DD214) on the application.
           
The City of Aurora is an equal opportunity employer.  We are required by state and federal agencies to keep certain statistical records on applicants.  It will not be used in any way to discriminate against you because of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, disability or military status, gender identity, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification as defined by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
                                         
Despite the changes in Colorado law, the City of Aurora maintains a drug-free workplace.  A positive test of marijuana is grounds for disqualification and ineligibility for employment with the city for one year or termination once hired.
 

Drug Testing, Thorough Criminal Background Check, and Employment References:
As a condition of employment, all applicants selected for employment with the City of Aurora must undergo a thorough criminal background check. 

Applicants selected for safety-sensitive positions are required to complete and pass a drug screening as a condition of employment. Safety sensitive positions include Civil Service positions within Police and Fire Departments and positions where their job responsibilities have direct and substantial responsibility that would impact the health and safety of others.  

Employment references will be conducted on finalists for City of Aurora vacancies.

The city of Aurora -- a great place to live! Aurora, Colorado, is a booming city of 380,000 residents located along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. It is truly a great place to live, work and play! Who We Are DIVERSE POPULATION People from around the world call Aurora their home and help create our culturally rich environment. Whether you prefer the city life or a more rural setting, you’ll feel right at home in our city. AWARD-WINNING CITY It’s safe to say that amazing things happen when we work together. Our 911 dispatch center is the only dispatch center in the country that has been recognized twice by Congress and our water treatment plants are consistently winning awards for water quality. PUBLIC SAFETY FOCUSED Visit our public safety page to see how our Police and Fire Departments put safety first and learn what it takes to join the team. CORE4 Values In everything we do, we do it with integrity, respect, professionalism, and with a focus on customer service. Our Core 4 values drive the city of Aurora forward and encourage all employees to adhere to these ideals.