Riverfront Park and Challenge Course Coordinator

Description & Details:

The Riverfront Park and Challenge Course Coordinator supports the mission of USF Recreation by providing leadership for site-based experiential programs and outdoor facilities that enhance student engagement, leadership development, and wellbeing. This position oversees the daily operations, programming, and risk management of the Challenge Course Program and USF Riverfront Park.

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Outdoor Recreation, the Coordinator manages student staffing, budgets, equipment, and facilities to ensure safe, inclusive, and high-quality experiences. The role combines operational oversight with experiential education, contributing to the department’s broader goals related to student learning, engagement, and recreation access.

Challenge Course Program Oversight

• Oversee all aspects of the Challenge Course Program, including curriculum development, program delivery, marketing, assessment, and evaluation. Coordinate scheduling and use of the challenge course for classes, student organizations, campus partners, and external groups as appropriate.
• Recruit, hire, train, schedule, and evaluate 20–30 student employees serving as facilitators and support staff.
• Oversee maintenance, inspection, and updating of Challenge Course structures and elements.

Riverfront Park & Boathouse Operations

• Oversee daily operations of Riverfront Park, supporting student programming, recreation access, academic classes, and outdoor engagement. Manage risk assessment, emergency action plans, and safety protocols for all site-based experiential and outdoor operations.
• Oversee operations of the Boathouse, facilitating equipment rentals, special events, and river access. Recruit, hire, train, schedule, and evaluate approximately 30 student OPS employees.
• Coordinate facility scheduling, equipment inventory, check-out systems, and operational procedures.

Fiscal Management & Administration

• Manage operating budgets for the Challenge Course and Riverfront Park, including payroll, equipment, and supplies. Work with the Assistant Director of Outdoor Recreation to identify equipment purchases, repairs, and facility improvements that enhance the student experience.
• Monitor expenditures and revenues, prepare reports, and support long-term planning for capital needs.

Collaboration & Departmental Support

• Serve as a liaison to campus partners utilizing challenge course and riverfront facilities.
• Participate in departmental committees, planning efforts, and professional development activities to support departmental programs, events, and initiatives.

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• This position requires a Bachelor's degree, with at least one year of related experience
• Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
• SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
  • Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
  • Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
  • Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
  • Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
  • Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Recreation, Higher Education, Experiential Education, or a related field preferred.
• Experience supervising student staff and managing site-based or experiential programs in a collegiate or recreation setting
• Preferred certifications may include:
  • ACCT Challenge Course Practitioner Lvl 2 or Challenge Course Manager
  • First Aid/CPR/AED
  • American Canoe Association Instructor (Canoe, Kayak, or Paddleboard)