Assistant Director - Utility Services

City of Lancaster (CA); Lancaster (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Lancaster (CA) seeks an experienced executive to provide strategic and operational leadership for the Utility Services Division. You will drive long-range planning, asset management, and infrastructure investment while ensuring regulatory compliance and fiscal stewardship.

The role requires directing teams across sewer, drainage, solid waste, and recycled water programs, with focus on service reliability, cost efficiency, and resilience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in a related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in public works, utilities, infrastructure operations, engineering, or a closely related field.
• Five years of management or supervisory experience involving personnel, budgets, programs, or major operational functions.
• Knowledge of utility asset management, lifecycle planning, risk-based prioritization, and capital planning.

Responsibilities

• Assumes full management responsibility for sewer sanitation division programs, services, and activities including collections, mechanical, lift stations, and pipelines; drainage management; solid waste management; street sweeping; and recycled water system operations and maintenance.
• Directs division operations to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, policies, procedures, service standards, and safety requirements; evaluates performance and resolves issues.
• Acts as field operations lead during storm events to coordinate preparation, response, and recovery with department SOPs and EOC support.
• Sets strategic priorities, levels of service, and KPIs aligned with City goals; evaluates performance and identifies gaps to improve service delivery and cost effectiveness.
• Serves on the Department's executive leadership team and participates in strategic planning, resource allocation, and policy development; leads cross-divisional initiatives.
• Represents the City and Department to elected officials, agencies, and the public; attends community meetings to maintain good relations.
• Leads asset management strategy development for utility infrastructure, including inventories, condition assessment, lifecycle planning, maintenance, and replacement forecasting.
• Develops long-range infrastructure investment strategies and collaborates with engineering, finance, and operations to prioritize capital programs.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Budgeting

Regulatory Compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Job description

General Summary:

Responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for the Utility Services Division, including long-range planning, asset management, infrastructure investment and replacement strategies, regulatory compliance, fiscal stewardship, emergency response, and delivery of reliable and cost-effective utility services. Assists the Director in establishing Department-wide goals, policies, priorities, and performance expectations and provides executive leadership on behalf of the Director as assigned. Responsible for the leadership and supervision of assigned staff.

Note: Level is determined by scope of work, span of control, and impact on the organization.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assumes full management responsibility for all sewer sanitation division programs, services, and activities, including collections, mechanical, lift stations and pipelines; drainage management district programs, services, and activities including floodplain management, basins, channels, pump stations, and pipelines; solid waste management, street sweeping, and department environmental programs; and recycled water system operations and maintenance, services and programs.
• Directs division operations to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, procedures, service standards, and safety requirements; evaluates operational performance and takes appropriate action to resolve service, compliance, and operational issues.
• For storm events, acts as the field operations lead before, during, and after to coordinate preparation, response, and recovery activities in line with department standard operating procedures and, as appropriate, in support of the City Emergency Operations Center.
• Works with the Director to establish strategic priorities, levels of service, and key performance indicators aligned with goals established by the City Manager and City Council; evaluates organizational and operational performance, identifies trends and service gaps, and develops strategies to improve service delivery, reliability, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
• Serves as a member of the Department's executive leadership team and participates in Department-wide strategic planning, organizational development, succession planning, resource allocation, policy development, and establishment of departmental priorities; provides executive leadership for Department-wide initiatives and special projects, including those crossing divisional or departmental boundaries.
• Represents and acts on behalf of the Director on assigned matters and during the Director's absence; exercises appropriate authority and judgment in addressing Department-wide operational, administrative, personnel, fiscal, and policy matters.
• Leads the development and implementation of asset management strategies for assigned utility infrastructure, including asset inventories, condition assessment, risk and criticality analysis, lifecycle planning, preventive and predictive maintenance, and long-term rehabilitation and replacement forecasting.
• Develops long-range infrastructure investment strategies and works collaboratively with engineering, finance, and operations staff to prioritize capital improvement, rehabilitation, and replacement programs based on asset condition, consequence of failure, regulatory requirements, service levels, operational risk, available funding, and lifecycle cost.
• Identifies and evaluates operational, infrastructure, regulatory, financial, and organizational risks affecting assigned services; develops mitigation, resiliency, business continuity, and emergency preparedness strategies to maintain critical services and reduce the City's exposure to service disruptions and infrastructure failures.
• Monitors legal, regulatory, technological, societal, and other developments affecting operations and evaluates and implements appropriate technologies, equipment, management systems, data analytics, automation, training, and business process improvements to enhance asset reliability, workforce effectiveness, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and customer service.
• Develops and administers assigned operating and capital budgets; prepares cost and fee estimates, monitors and approves expenditures, and develops long-range resource forecasts addressing lifecycle costs, staffing, equipment, infrastructure investment, and other requirements necessary to support the financial sustainability of utility services.
• Assists in evaluating utility rates, fees, assessments, reserves, and other funding strategies necessary to support sustainable operations, regulatory compliance, and long-term infrastructure investment.
• Ensures the effective administration of division programs and activities, including the preparation of reports, policies, procedures, studies, correspondence, and other written materials; interpretation and application of applicable rules and standards; and presentation of information to executive management, elected officials, other agencies, and the public.
• Represents the City and Department effectively in contacts with elected and foreign officials, representatives of other agencies, and the public, occasionally in situations where relations may be difficult or strained; attends community meetings and works to maintain a favorable rapport with the surrounding community.
• Provides leadership and direction to assigned staff to establish a high-performance, accountable, customer-service-oriented work environment aligned with City and Department goals, objectives, and service standards.
• Oversees employee performance management, coaching, training, professional development, succession planning, recognition, and corrective action in accordance with City personnel policies and practices.
• Promotes a safe, fair, inclusive, and professional work environment and ensures compliance with applicable workplace safety and equal employment opportunity requirements.

The duties listed above are not intended to be all-inclusive. An employee may also perform other related duties as assigned by their immediate supervisor. This position is considered exempt.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a related field.
• Seven (7) years of increasingly responsible experience in public works, utilities, infrastructure operations, engineering, or a closely related field, including five (5) years of management or supervisory experience involving responsibility for personnel, budgets, programs, infrastructure, or major operational functions.
• Experience working in a municipal, special district, or comparable public-sector environment.
• Knowledge of utility asset management, infrastructure lifecycle planning, condition assessment, risk-based prioritization, capital planning, and infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement.
• Knowledge of organizational leadership, strategic and succession planning, performance management, budgeting, long-range financial planning, and organizational development.
• Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulatory codes, ordinances, and procedures relevant to assigned areas of responsibility.
• Equivalent combination of education and work experience may be considered.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience managing multiple public works or utility operational functions and developing long-range infrastructure or asset management programs is highly desirable.
• Professional certifications or advanced education related to public administration, engineering, utilities, asset management, emergency management, or organizational leadership are also desirable.

Core Competencies:

• Problem Solving – Analytically and logically evaluating information
• Learning Agility – Seeking learning opportunities and applying the lessons to work
• Handling Stress – Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
• Professional Integrity & Ethics – Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
• Safety Focus – Showing Vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
• Customer Focus – Attending to the Needs and expectations of customers
• Informing – Proactively obtaining and sharing information
• Teamwork – Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
• Valuing Diversity – Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
• Allocating Resources – Prioritizing the use of fiscal and material resources to maximize organizational effectiveness

Guiding Principles

1. Put people first.
2. Be visionary.
3. Be an ambassador for Lancaster.
4. Be Fiscally Responsible.
5. Be Creative.
6. Always Improving.
7. Be Adaptable and Resilient.

Essential Physical Requirements:

• Ascend/Descend stairs/ladders/balance (moderate)
• Position self to bend or twist (frequent)
• To move, transport, position items up to 15 lbs. (frequent)
• Exposed to outdoor weather conditions (infrequent)
• Operate Equipment (none)
• Stationary or squatting position (frequent)

Environmental Factors:

• Work under time pressure (moderate to frequent)
• Interruptions (frequent)

Essential Cognitive Functions:

• Analyze (continuous)
• Computations (frequent)
• Generate Written Work Product (moderate)
• Independent Problem Solving (continuous)
• Interruptions (frequent)
• Maintain Positive Public Relations (continuous)
• Organize (frequent)

Disaster Service Worker:

Pursuant to California Government Code Section 3100-3109, all public employees are declared disaster service workers subject to disaster service activities as may be assigned to them in the event of fire, flood, earthquake, or other natural or man-made disaster.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

The City of Lancaster will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the City of Lancaster is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting www.dfeh.ca.gov/fair-chance-act/.