Rides & Attractions manager
About the Department
The City of San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley, is one of the nation's best managed cities and one of the top ten cities in which to live, work, and do business. Moreover, San José is the center of cultural, government and economic activity for the region. The employees of the City of San José have embraced the following values: Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Collaboration, Respect and Celebration.
The City's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department is seeking an individual whose values align with the values of the City's employees.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (HHPZ) is a 16 acre amusement park and AZA accredited zoo located in San Jose, California. HHPZ is open year-round catering to families with children. It operates seven amusement park rides, showcases various endangered species, and operates one of the oldest classical puppet theaters in California as well as many other playgrounds and attractions emphasizing play and imagination in a natural conservation setting.
Position and Duties
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo is seeking an experienced, proactive, and personable Manager to lead year-round and seasonal personnel in the Rides and Attractions program.
The Rides & Attractions Manager position is a full-time benefited temporary unclassified position. The Temporary Employee class is to be used to hire employees for special projects, seasonal, short-term, or experimental work to supplement the regular Civil Service workforce. Each temporary appointment will be for a specified period of time to be determined by the start and end dates of the assigned project. Appointments are limited by City Charter to a maximum term of two (2) calendar years.
Duration of this temporary assignment is through July 31, 2014. The salary for this position is $30.00 hourly.
The position has a limit of 40 hours per week or 2080 hours per year. Shifts work is scheduled as needed throughout the year. The candidate hired to this position is expected to be available for weekends, holidays, evenings and specials events. The site operates daily from March through October. The site is closed Monday and Tuesday from November through February.
Key Responsibilities:
Typical duties:
- Manage the day-to-day operation of the Rides & Attractions program at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo.
- Oversight of operational procedures and policies including ride operations manuals, emergency and evacuation procedures, tag out/lock out procedures, certification sheets and training aids to ensure compliance with five different ride manufacturers, state guidelines (CAL DOSH) and ASTM F-24 industry standards.
- Coordinate and prepare budgets, workload, and personnel and equipment requirements.
- Participate in Duty Park Manager program.
- Ensures that the Happy Hollow standards and policies are being followed.
- Mediates and resolves guest concerns and/or complaints.
- Ensures compliance with California Department of Safety and Health (CAL DOSH) mandated (scheduled & un-announced) rides safety inspections, annual qualified safety inspection (QSI), record audit of rides maintenance and training.
- Ensures all completion and accurate records of mechanical preventative, corrective, and modification maintenance.
- Ensures that the physical ride areas are maintained to ensure safety and cleanliness of rides, queues, ride areas, platforms, and control booths.<
- Receives and reviews various records and reports including schedules, budget reviews, credit card statements, ridership reports, guest comments, incident/accident reports, downtime reports, ride discrepancy reports, etc.
- Monitors safety incidents to determine trends and takes immediate corrective action.
- Coordinates, oversees and participates in ride training; trains and certifies supervising staff and trainers; recognizes and implements needed revisions to operational procedures.
- Communicates and establish positive relationships with internal and external support staff regarding the services necessary for the delivery of the Rides and Attractions Program.
- Seek out ways to improve the quality of the guest experience through increasing staff training, emphasizing park cleanliness, and developing ideas for adding value to Happy Hollow.
- Contribute to staff performance appraisals to ensure timely performance feedback to staff as well as compliance with city requirements.Provide assistance in the recruitment of new staff.
Desirable Qualifications
- Knowledge of and experience with the elements of amusement park operations including ride operations.
- Knowledge of rides program standards and their applications.
- Strong orientation to safety, attention to detail, and alertness
- Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision.
- Experience training staff and developing training programs
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of employees and the public.
- Strong interpersonal skills; ability to communicate and work effectively with a diverse team, community, vendors, and the public
- Knowledge of and ability to mediate and resolve problems and concerns of a difficult nature.
- Ability to express oneself and communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
- Experience with computer windows operating system and applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Outlook
Minimum Qualifications
Education: Completion of high school or equivalent General Educational Development (G.E.D) Certificate, or California Proficiency Certificate.
Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will not prepare or file a labor condition application with the Dept. of Labor. State law requires all employees to provide medical verification of negative tuberculosis test results within the last two years.
Background Check: Candidates will be required to undergo a background check, including a criminal history records check, before being considered for a position.
Selection Process
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the resume. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be forwarded to the interview phase of the selection process.
If you would like to apply for this assignment, please provide a current resume with a cover letter that expresses your interest and outlines your applicable knowledge, skills, and experiences. All correspondence should be e-mailed or mail to the following address no later than 5:00pm on June 29, 2012
