Review Vacancy
AgencyParks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Office of
TitlePark Manager 2 - Poughkeepsie
Occupational CategoryAdministrative or General Management
Bargaining UnitM/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)
Salary RangeFrom $78333 to $96764 Annually
Duties Description Background on Walkway Over the Hudson:
In October 2009, the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opened as a legacy project of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial. The park provides access to the Hudson River's breathtaking landscape for pedestrians, hikers, joggers and bicyclists. The bridge deck stands 212 feet above the river's surface and is 6,768 feet (1.28 miles) long, making it the longest, elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.
The Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge was built in the late 19th century to link New York and New England to an extensive, nationwide railway network. For decades, it was a major rail corridor for both freight and passengers.
After a fire in 1974, the bridge was abandoned and sat for decades as an orphaned relic. The park was made possible due to the unwavering commitment of the community, who, through a non-profit organization called Walkway Over the Hudson, forged a public-private partnership involving the State of New York, the federal government, neighboring municipalities, private corporations and other not for profit groups. The amazing result of this partnership is Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, one of the Hudson Valley's top attractions. The park attracts over 400,000 visitors annually.
Duties:
The Park Manager 2 will serve as first-in-command overseeing all areas of this park in Taconic Region. Their duties will include but are not limited to the following:
• Supervise permanent and seasonal employees.
• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise and evaluate staff, assign work, providing clear directions and guidelines.
• Inspect work to ensure it is completed within allotted time frames and in accordance with codes, regulations, and safety standards.
• Work with staff to ensure all tasks are completed safely and efficiently.
• Work closely with the Friends Group, Friends of the Walkway Over the Hudson, as well as other local organizations and municipalities.
• Oversee the maintenance and upkeep of the Clinton House State Historic Site in Poughkeepsie.
• Work with regional and agency staff on park development plans, help to manage and develop facility budgets, regulate the use of park facilities, handle special group requests, and facility capacity and conditions.
• Prepare a variety of administrative and financial reports, develop and organize special events.
• Promote the park and its programs with the public and with community.
• Investigate complaints and resolve them or forward findings to regional management.
• Develop, implement and coordinate emergency preparedness and response procedures for patrons and employees and document all emergencies.
• Inspect all park facilities for compliance with health and safety standards.
• Ensure safety of patrons and employees; investigate accidents and take corrective action.
• Ensure the park rules and regulations are followed by staff and patrons.
This position will have a variable work schedule that will include holidays and weekends and will include occasional night shifts for events. The staff will include 5 permanent staff besides the Park Manager 2, one Park Manager 1 G-18, one Park Supervisor G—11, three Park Worker 3’s G-9 and over 10 seasonal employees.
Minimum Qualifications If Civil Service Eligible list(s) exist, they will be canvassed. Candidates must be reachable on the current eligible list(s) to be considered for appointment. You may also apply if you are eligible for appointment or reinstatement by one of the following qualifications:
If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.
NY HELPS or 55-b/c Qualifications:
This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).*
To be considered for appointment through NY HELPS, or 55-b/c, candidates must meet the open-competitive minimum qualifications for this position. The qualifications are:
Seven years of experience working in a park, recreational facility, or campus in any two of these functional areas: administration (business, personnel, finance); capital or operational planning; recreational programming; public relations or visitor services; maintenance; or environmental education or interpretation. Two years must have been at a managerial level.
An associate degree** in a related field can substitute for two years of specialized experience; a bachelor’s degree** in a related field can substitute for four years of experience; a master’s degree** in a related field can substitute for five years of experience; and a doctorate** in a related field can substitute for six years of experience.
**Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education (https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home). If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. This information can be found at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. Candidates are responsible for the evaluation fee.
If you are a veteran or an individual with a disability and would like to apply for the Department of Civil Service’s 55-b/c Program, please visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/rp55/ for more information.
Subsequent 55-b/c Qualifications:
A subsequent 55-b/c appointment may be considered if you have at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service and have a current Civil Service 55-b/c letter of eligibility.
Reassignment Qualifications:
Current NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Employees only, with at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Park Manager 2; if you have less than one year, you must be reachable on the current Park Manager 2 eligible list for this location.
52.7 Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) Qualifications:
As required by the New York State Department of Civil Service, we are posting for this position to determine if there are any qualified OPRHP employees interested in a permanent appointment to the position. To be eligible for NCP, candidates must be in the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation promotion field and have at least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Park Manager 1. If 3 or fewer qualified NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation eligible promotional employees respond to this posting, Civil Service may approve the permanent appointment of one of the qualified employees without further examination.
Nominations for promotion by non-competitive examination will not be approved if the nominee failed the two most recent examinations for promotion to the title for which they are nominated.
Non-competitive refers to not competing in an examination; the appointment will be competitive.
52.6 Transfer Qualifications:
At least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Grade 19 or higher. The service must be in a title that Civil Service has deemed transfer eligible to the position.
Note: The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.
For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.
70.1 Transfer Qualifications:
At least one year of permanent or contingent-permanent qualifying service as a Historic Site Manager B, SG 21. Only the title listed is eligible for 70.1 transfer.
For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.
Additional Comments Operational Needs:
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license that allows the candidate to legally operate a motor vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment.
• Be able to represent Parks well with partnering organizations, local municipalities, elected officials and within the community.
• Must have the ability to operate a chainsaw and must complete OPRHP sawyer training or equivalent within the probationary period and maintain it as a term and condition of employment. This training will be provided by OPRHP.
• Ability to plow snow, or be willing and able to learn.
• Work hours may vary depending on needs of the facility.
• Must be available to work nights, weekends and holidays as needed.
If you have previous or current employment at a NYS agency, to be considered for this position, a review of your state history is needed. Please provide the last four digits of your social security number in your email response or on your resume. If you are not comfortable providing this information in your response, a representative from our office may contact you.
Benefits:
The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation offers a generous benefits package that includes but is not limited to:
Paid Time Off:
• M/C: 39 days - 13 Vacation days, 8 Sick days, and 5 Personal Leave days, 13 Holidays.
• M/C: Eligible for unlimited days of professional leave to participate in professional development, but at the supervisor’s discretion.
Health Care Benefits:
• Eligible employees and dependents can pick from a variety of affordable health insurance programs.
• Family dental and vision benefits at no additional cost.
Additional Benefits:
• New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) Membership
• NYS Deferred Compensation
• Access to NY 529 and NY ABLE College Savings Programs, as well as U.S. Savings Bonds
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Paid Parental / Family Leave
To learn more about our benefits, visit: https://parks.ny.gov/employment/benefits.aspx.
*NY HELPS PROGRAM:
For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a permanent non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply.
At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.
Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program are restricted for promotional appointment until their position is covered-in to the competitive class by the New York State Civil Service Commission (CSC), or they otherwise obtain permanent competitive status. The CSC has covered-in employees who were appointed via NY HELPS on a permanent or contingent permanent basis between June 26, 2024 and June 11, 2025. You may wish to apply if you received a permanent NY HELPS appointment to a qualifying title within these timeframes and are interested in this opportunity. Your eligibility for promotion will be reviewed by Human Resources. Employees with a permanent NY HELPS appointment occurring effective June 12, 2025 or later will be addressed with a subsequent cover-in.
Additional location pay is available for the following counties: Bronx, Kings, Nassau, NYC-Manhattan, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, and Putnam.
This position may require a background check and/or medical exam prior to appointment.
Note: For all transfers noted, a comprehensive list of titles approved for transfer is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.
Email Address employment@parks.ny.gov
Address
Street NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
625 Broadway
Notes on ApplyingAll candidates must submit a written resume and cover letter which clearly demonstrates how they meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Please submit your resume and cover letter as a Word or PDF attachment. We are unable to open documents from Google Docs, Google Drive, OneDrive, Apple Pages, and/or “the cloud.”
Your application must be received by February 13, 2026 and submitted via email to employment@parks.ny.gov. You must include “Vacancy ID 208551 – Park Manager 2 – Poughkeepsie” in the subject line of your email. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for the position.
It is the responsibility of each applicant to accurately describe their experience and demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications. Failure to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualifications, and operating needs may result in your resume not being considered for this position.
Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to ensuring equal opportunity for persons with disabilities and workplace diversity.
New York State (NYS) is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. NYS Law prohibits discrimination because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, domestic violence victim status, carrier status, gender identity or prior conviction records, or prior arrests, youthful offender adjudications or sealed records unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.
Executive Order 31 commits New York State government to becoming a model employer for people with disabilities, increasing the participation of people with disabilities in state service and ensuring equal access to opportunities. OPRHP encourages people with disabilities to apply. If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Equal Opportunity Unit at ReasonableAccommodation@parks.ny.gov or (518) 486-7754.