Program Manager (Health & Wellness)

Reports To: Senior Program Manager

New/Replacement Position: New

Location: Remote

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary: $70,202 - $84,226

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, healthy, and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. NRPA advances this vision by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals as a catalyst for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being.

With more than 60,000 members,?NRPA champions and supports the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates through professional development, grants and programs, research, publications, conferences, advocacy and more.?

For more information, visit?www.nrpa.org.

For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication,?Parks & Recreation, visit?www.parksandrecreation.org.

This position is a full-time, benefits-eligible position funded through December 2025 (with future term contingent on grant funding). The Program Manager position is an instrumental part of advancing the organization’s strategic priorities focused on building healthy communities, ensuring equitable access, and climate resilience. The Program Manager is responsible for assisting with and coordinating key project(s) within NRPA’s health and wellness portfolio. This position will have a passion for the subject matter and other key strategic priorities, including parks and recreation, community-based youth sports and coaching, physical activity and play, youth development, social and emotional learning, and advancing community health and well-being.

This position is responsible for managing grant-funded projects and NRPA initiatives that are focused on
increasing equitable access to youth sports in parks and recreation. NRPA believes that all youth, regardless of their background, should have equitable access to opportunities for physical activity and sports. This position will help advance a key strategic priority of NRPA’s youth sports portfolio to train park and recreation professionals and youth sports coaches in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies to create positive youth sports experiences and advance positive youth development outcomes. The Program Manager is responsible for grants administration, supporting and providing training and technical assistance, grant communications, resource development, partnership building, program data collection, and grant reporting. This position will work collaboratively with members of NRPA’s health team, other Programs and Partnerships Department members, and NRPA staff.

Project Management

• Manage grant-funded programs in the NRPA Health and Wellness portfolio centered on physical activity, increasing equitable access to community-based youth sports, coach training and youth development. Core responsibilities include:
• Lead grant management activities, including supporting the grant application process, collecting grant agreements, managing grantee communications, ensuring grantees are meeting program requirements, and providing general/program support to grantees.
• Lead key project activities including the development of training and technical assistance for grantees and members, which may include virtual and/or in-person training opportunities and site visits; coordinating with coach training partners; supporting in-person partner convenings; and the development and dissemination of content and key resources focused on key coaching practices and increasing equitable access to sports.
• Partner with NRPA’s evaluation team to conduct evaluation activities including electronic surveys, assessments, metrics collection, and support data entry and analysis.
• Keep abreast of trends and opportunities in parks and recreation related to community-based youth sports, physical activity and play, youth development, training for youth sports coaches, health equity, and advancing community health and well-being.
• Develop and manage partnerships with local, state, national and federal organizations to implement project deliverables and enhance NRPA’s Health and Wellness portfolio.
• Attend and present at local, state, and national conferences/meetings to represent NRPA and share challenges, successes and lessons learned with allied professionals.
• Expand knowledge in key subject matter, and build relationships with professionals in the field plus organizations working in the community-based youth sports space.

Communications Support

• Contribute content and thought leadership to health and wellness team and organization, including coordinating, writing and deploying of regular communications:
• Serves as a resource with grantees, members, donors, partners and colleagues on subject matter.
• Create communications for the program in consultation with NRPA’s Marketing & Engagement team, which includes collecting stories from grantee projects to share broadly through blogs, magazine articles, podcasts, or other communications channels.
• Identify compelling content and guest authors/contributors that can support NRPA’s communications channels in alignment with NRPA’s strategic priorities.
• Develop and support PowerPoint presentations, brochures, webinars, and marketing materials for project promotion and broad dissemination.
• Provide regular updates to NRPA website on programs.

Budget Management

• Exhibit strong fiscal management and responsibility to include:
• Adherence to all NRPA accounting policies and specific grant conditions and requirements.
• Reviewing grantee budgets, processing grantee payments, and maintaining accurate and organized data for grantees and overall project budget.
• Demonstrate an interest in learning about budget management and fiscal responsibility.

Customer Service

• Exhibit superior customer service with grantees, members, donors, partners, and colleagues.

NRPA Annual Conference

• Support planning efforts for NRPA’s Annual Conference by participating in conference education planning (submitting sessions during the call for proposals, planning pre-conference workshops, recruiting speakers and subject matter experts, reviewing proposals, participating in conference review committee, etc.); participating in conference task forces (DEI, member area, etc.); promoting conference to grantees and partners; coordinating grantee meetings and networking events; or providing other support as needed.
• Provide onsite or remote support at NRPA’s Annual Conference by serving as a volunteer for events and activities (receptions, ceremonies, networking events, room hosting, etc.); supporting NRPA’s membership area; presenting, facilitating, or supporting education and pre-conference sessions; hosting grantee or partner meetings; or providing other onsite support as needed.

• Typically requires a minimum of 5-7 years in related field; 3-5 position specific experience preferred; Association or P&R experience preferred.
• Passion for parks and recreation, community-based youth sports, physical activity and play, coaching, youth development, social justice, and advancing community health and well-being.
• Must possess excellent organizational, time and project management skills; demonstrate strong attention to detail; ability to work effectively and efficiently in a remote work environment.
• Must possess excellent communication (oral, written) to effectively and communicate with individuals at all levels, including members, partners and donors.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating meetings, trainings, and professional development opportunities.
• Demonstrates an understanding and passion for learning more about diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, ability to represent these concepts in internal and external relationships, and ensures these concepts are reflected in the programs and activities they are responsible for.
• Excels in dynamic, fast-paced, remote-work environment.
• Self-directed and detail-oriented with a collaborative and professional team spirit to contribute to a collegial, team-oriented environment.
• Travel up to 25 days per year to local, state-wide or national conferences, meetings, grantee site visits, etc.
• Committed to working collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external colleagues and inspired to be a contributing member of an inclusive work culture.