Director of Public Works

Summary

Description

The City of Lakewood is dedicated to upholding City values to include: Performance Excellence, Leadership, Respect and Collaboration. Best fit candidates will demonstrate innovation, customer service, dedication, passion and engagement. All people, citizens and employees, will be treated with respect, relevance, and importance.

HIRING RANGE: $210,000 – $230,000 annually

Under the general direction of the City Manager, the Director of Public Works provides the highest-level professional leadership, management, and strategic direction to the Public Works Department. The Director of Public Works is responsible for the leadership, management and general oversight of the Public Works Department The director establishes priorities to meet the City Manager’s and City Council’s long-term goals and objectives and is responsible for the department meeting these goals. Leads division managers to ensure completion of complex projects related to Public Works functions. 

Departmental functions include funding, acquisition, design, construction, operation and maintenance for multi-modal transportation, stormwater, city-wide fleet, sanitary sewer, and potable water. Additional functions related to land development include engineering and transportation engineering review, building plan review, building permitting and building inspection. The department also provides certain environmental operations including a recycling center, a household hazardous waste recycling center (in conjunction with other jurisdictions), stormwater quality permit obligations and response to some environmental events.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Responsible for the direction of the entire Public Works department to achieve organizational goals and outcomes and meet the needs of the public.
• Engaged participant of the city leadership team and contributes to discussions and decisions on a wide variety of issues
• Represents the department before City Council
• Actively participates in selected land use cases and special assignments
• Reviews, approves, presents and is responsible for the Public Works Department budget including capital improvement projects
• Works closely with a wide variety of community groups which are affected by department services
• Maintains and enforces standards, policies, and other criteria necessary to ensure the efficient and responsive delivery of services to residents and customers
• Coaches, counsels and supports staff to maximize growth, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Consistently educates and advises staff on organizational goals, priorities, rules, regulations, policies and procedures. 
• Supports creative thinking and problem solving and encourages participatory decision making when appropriate.
• Responsible to the City Manager for alignment of the budget with city initiatives, policies, and strategic objectives along with providing recommended expenditure strategies
• Provide effective oversight and leadership to plan, assign, and effectively direct the work of several employees, divisions, programs in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale.
• Directs the priorities, work plans, staff organization, resource allocation and internal budget of the Public Works department including hiring/termination, training, discipline, and performance evaluation.
• Displays strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop close working relationships, build teams, inspire confidence and trust, work in partnership with peers, handles conflict with diplomacy.

Reporting Relationships
Supervision Received: City Manager
Supervision Exercised: Managers of the following divisions Transportation Engineering, Engineering-Capital Projects and Utilities, Engineering-Development Services, Maintenance Operations, and Fleet Services.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of civil and transportation engineering; construction management and capital projects; federal, state, regional and local partnerships and authority; budgeting and financial management.
• Possess a high degree of ethics and integrity
• Ability to deal fairly, firmly and effectively with employees and employee groups.
• Ability to maintain an effective organizational communications system including, communicating complicated engineering information to a wide variety of non-engineering related audiences.
• Ability to be innovative and creative in management of department in an often changing and challenging environment.
• Ability to address departmental and organizational challenges and opportunities.
• Ability to foster a working environment that ensures superior customer experiences, a high degree of responsiveness, and innovative problem solving.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as a team member including as a member of the city leadership team.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills in dealing with City Council, City Manager, peers and subordinates including the ability to read, understand, interpret and explain policy, statutes, and ordinances.
• Ability to gain superior understanding of the organization’s goals and objectives within a reasonable period.
• Exceptional problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to exercise good professional judgment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Desire to enhance a workplace culture that values creative solutions, collaboration, accountability, and minimal bureaucracy.
• Creativity and the ability to remain flexible in a changing environment.
• Exhibits a record of continuing education and professional development.
• Ability to transport oneself to off-site locations for occasional meetings.

Technological Skills
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Education and Experience
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Engineering, Public Works, or a related field. Master’s degree is highly desirable.
• Experience:  Ten or more years’ of increasingly responsible leadership experience and a solid, practical background in public works required. Must possess a depth and breadth of experience in civil engineering, transportation engineering, fleet management, and infrastructure management.
• Public speaking experience highly desirable.

LIGHT WORK:  Exerting up to 30 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.  If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work

Physical Demands
Bend or position self to move items from higher place to lower place or vice versa
Sit, stand or be stationary
Talk, hear, converse, communicate, or exchange information
Use of hands and/or fingers in a repetitive motion to handle, pinch, grasp, move, feel, and inspect, etc.
Walk, ascend, descend on both even and uneven terrain
Vision to include distance, depth perception, peripheral and color

Environmental Conditions may include
Office settings

Physical Requirements – No Physical Needed
Lift, carry, push, pull, move, or positions from all levels up to 30 lbs. with or without assistance

Pay Range

$200,990.40-$223,329.60

Background and reference checks will be conducted for all regular and some variable/seasonal positions.