Summer Recreation Leaders 1, 2, 3

Application Review Dates: May 6-8, 2026This job posting will remain open until May 3, 2026 11:59PM.
Make an impact:
Joinour team of amazing recreational staff teaching and leading sports programs and providing community events for Salem’s youth and their families.If you enjoy sports, working with youth, and are looking for part-time Summer employment, the City of Salem has opportunities for you to join our team!The Seasonal Recreation I-III positions are within a series of classification that include: Program Aide (I), Recreation Assistant (II), and Recreation Lead (III). Upon hire, you will be placed at the assigned level based on the job duties assigned to you and your knowledge, skills, and abilities toward fulfilling those duties.

Learn and grow:
Recreation staff are responsible for leading recreation programs and serve the community while delivering a memorable experience for participants. Recreation staff gain knowledge and experience in working with the public, refereeing youth sports, teaching sports skills, strengthening customer service skills, and working as a team.

This seasonal opportunity is primarily a summer position, Monday-Thursday, some Fridays and Saturdays. In the fall, opportunities may be available, mostly on the weekends. The days and hours of work may be flexible for some of the programming, while being less flexible for other programs, and may work for someone with a desire to earn a supplemental income. We are lucky to have a history of employees return year after year as they advance in the position, develop leadership skills, and experience for future careers. We pride ourselves on having the best recreation staff in town!

What you will do:
This position has staff working in parks around Salem. Recreation staff assist with leading sports and general recreation programming, assist with implementation of programs, program operation, and evaluation. Recreation Leaders work with youth, ages 3 and up, teaching, leading, and conducting activities such as basketball, tennis, pickleball, track and field meets, and/or flag football, backyard games, and arts and crafts. Recreation staff motivate participants and volunteers, as well as communicate and enforce program policies and procedures. The position requires attendance at staff meetings and trainings.


Additional information on job responsibilities:

• Ability to learn basic sports skills for activities such as basketball, soccer, flag football, pickleball.
• Ability to follow through on tasks and meet deadlines for communicating and reporting information to a supervisor and turning in timecards.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

• Paid sick time in accordance with City policies.
• A fun team environment and an opportunity to provide positive youth programming to the community.
• Recreation Leader 1 (Program Aide) Salary: $16.48/hour
• Recreation Leader 2 (Recreation Assistant) Salary: $17.45/hour
• Recreation Leader 3 (Recreation Lead) Salary: $18.49/hour

What are the minimum qualifications?

• Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug test (including marijuana).
• Must be 16 years of age or older at time of hire.
• Program Aide (I): One year or season of experience in recreation, education, sports, or related field, or equivalent combination of experience and training working with youth and/or adults in a recreational setting.
• Recreation Assistant (II): One year or more of customer service or related seasonal experience demonstrating program support or coordination in recreation, education, sports, or extracurricular activities using specialized skills, experience and training while working with youth and adults in a recreational setting.
• Recreation Lead (III): Two years of or more of customer service or related experience demonstrating leadership roles in recreation, education, sports, or extracurricular activities using advanced or technical skills, experience and training while working with youth and adults in a recreational setting.
• Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to give detailed information in your application that includes your experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as requested in the supplemental questions and job advertisement.

What you will bring along:

• Successful candidates should be organized, work effectively with others, follow verbal and written direction, and enjoy being part of a team.
• Experience in and/or a love of sports is ideal. Assignment to the various recreational positions will be based on the candidate's skills and level of experience.

About us:
Salem is the second largest city in Oregon and the capital city. Centrally located in the Willamette Valley, Salem is 49 square miles in size and extends acrosstwo counties, Marion and Polk. The community has well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings with wide diversity and a family-friendly ambiance. The city is home to nearly 180,000 residents. For a full community profile detailing demographics and housing statistics, visit the City of Salem website.

The City of Salem organization has eight primary departments: Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community Planning and Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City of Salem employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members and works collaboratively with five labor unions.

Where can I find out more about the position?
Go to the menu option for Class Specifications and search for Program Aid, Recreation AssistantorRecreation Lead.

How can I apply?
The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

To apply, click on the green “Apply” button to complete your application. Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to include how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification in your application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

You may subscribe for automatic notification of job openings at the City through theJob Interest Cards – sign up today!

If you would like more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs.

This announcement is not an implied contract and may be modified or revoked without notice.