Asst. County Administrative Officer

County of Tuolumne; Sonora (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Tuolumne is seeking an Assistant County Administrative Officer to assist the County Administrator in fiscal and budget planning, directing county operations, and implementing Board directives. This role works with 16 department heads and supports strategic, financial, and organizational initiatives to serve the community.

The ideal candidate has strong public administration, budgeting, and leadership skills, with experience working with elected officials and community stakeholders to

Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from a four‑year college or university with major coursework in public or business administration, political science, public policy, finance, or related field.
• Two years executive‑level experience in planning, organization, and implementation of programs and services.
• Experience working with elected officials, governing boards, department heads and community stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and coordination across the municipal organization.
• Translate policy direction into programs and services and operational plans.
• Develop, present and administer a large municipal budget and financial plan.
• Collaborate with department heads, elected officials and community partners.

Skills

Public administration

Budgeting

Financial management

Strategic planning

Personnel management

Policy implementation

Leadership

Intergovernmental relations

Education

BA/BS in public or business administration, political science, public policy or finance

Master’s degree desirable

Tools

Budgeting software

Job description

The County of Tuolumne is seeking a highly qualified professional for the Assistant County Administrative Officer position responsible for assisting the County Administrator in fiscal and budget planning, directing and managing County operations and implementing the directives of the Board of Supervisor.

The County Administrative Office is responsible to the Board of Supervisors for the proper and efficient administration of all County Offices and Departments under the jurisdiction of the County of Tuolumne. We are tasked with ensuring that Board policies and directives are carried out in the most efficient, cost effective, and service oriented manner.

Working with 16 Department Heads, the County Administrative Office oversees the development, preparation and management of the $340M annual budget. Our department staff play a key role in leading the County and collaborating in all levels of the organization with broad impacts to both departments and the community we serve.

About the Position

The Assistant County Administrator serves as a key member of the County’s executive leadership team and plays an important role in supporting the County Administrator in the effective and efficient operation of County government. Working under the direction of the County Administrator and in coordination with the Board of Supervisors, the Assistant County Administrator provides leadership and oversight across a broad range of County functions, including organizational management, financial administration, personnel, policy implementation, strategic planning, and intergovernmental/community relations.

The Assistant County Administrator translates the Board of Supervisors’ policy direction and organizational priorities into effective programs, services, and operational strategies. The position works collaboratively with department heads, employees, elected officials, community partners, and regional, state, and federal agencies to ensure County resources are managed responsibly and public services are delivered effectively. The successful candidate will bring sound judgment, strong management skills, political and organizational awareness, and the ability to build trust and consensus across diverse stakeholders.

This position is both strategic and operational. The Assistant County Administrator will help identify emerging issues, evaluate organizational needs, develop recommendations, and lead initiatives that strengthen the County’s financial position, organizational effectiveness, and ability to serve the community. The position will also serve as a trusted advisor to the County Administrator and Board of Supervisors and may assume responsibility for specific departments, programs, or countywide initiatives as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate

Our new Assistant County Administrator will be an experienced and collaborative public-sector leader who understands the unique opportunities and challenges of managing county government. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in public administration, organizational leadership, budgeting and financial management, strategic planning, personnel management, and policy implementation. Experience working directly with elected officials, governing boards, department heads, and community stakeholders is highly desirable.

The ideal candidate is a thoughtful, approachable, and decisive leader who can balance long-term strategic thinking with the day‑to‑day demands of County government. They will be comfortable working in a complex political and organizational environment and will demonstrate sound judgment, professionalism, integrity, and discretion.

Our ideal candidate will be:

• A collaborative leaderwho builds strong relationships and works effectively across departments, agencies, and stakeholder groups.
• A strategic thinker who can anticipate emerging issues, identify opportunities, and translate broad goals into achievable strategies and measurable results.
• A strong financial manager who understands budgeting, fiscal sustainability, resource allocation, and long-term financial planning.
• An effective communicator who can clearly explain complex issues to the Board of Supervisors, employees, community members, and other stakeholders.
• A trusted advisor who provides candid, objective, and well-informed recommendations while respecting the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and executive leadership.
• A people-focused manager who develops employees, supports organizational excellence, and promotes accountability, teamwork, and professional growth.
• A change-oriented leader who can guide the organization through evolving community needs, financial pressures, regulatory requirements, and changing expectations for public services.
• A community-minded public servant who is committed to transparency, responsiveness, fiscal responsibility, and delivering high‑quality services to residents.

Strategic Priorities and Organizational Mission

The County is committed to providing responsive, effective, and responsible public services while protecting the long-term financial and organizational health of the community. The Assistant County Administrator will play a central role in advancing the County’s mission and supporting the Board of Supervisors’ strategic priorities.

The position will help the organization focus on delivering measurable results, strengthening financial sustainability, developing and retaining a high‑quality workforce, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring that County services continue to meet the changing needs of the community.

Key areas of focus may include:

• Maintaining long-term fiscal stability and responsible stewardship of public resources;
• Supporting effective implementation of the Board of Supervisors’ goals and priorities;
• Strengthening organizational efficiency, accountability, and cross‑department collaboration;
• Recruiting, developing, and retaining a highly capable County workforce;
• Evaluating programs and services to ensure they are effective, sustainable, and responsive to community needs;
• Building strong partnerships with cities, special districts, regional organizations, state and federal agencies, and community stakeholders; and
• Planning strategically for the County’s future while maintaining a strong focus on current service delivery.

The successful Assistant County Administrator will help ensure that these priorities move beyond strategic plans and become tangible improvements in the way the County operates and serves its residents.

Opportunities

• Strengthen fiscal sustainability and budget accountability. The ACA has an opportunity to help move the organization from annual budget balancing toward a sustainable multi‑year financial situation. Tuolumne County already provides detailed governmental, enterprise, and internal service fund reporting through its budget portal. Expectations should include rigorous departmental budget monitoring, realistic revenue and expenditure projections, appropriate cost allocation, improved grant management, and clearly identifying structural versus one‑time solutions.
• Turn Board priorities into operational results. The Board's 2026 priorities include public safety and fire, roads and infrastructure, workforce stability, grant management, revenue development. The ACA should help convert those priorities into departmental work plans with responsible parties, timelines, resources, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Improve organizational efficiency and customer service. The Board specifically identifies eliminating or updating outdated policies, streamlining processes, using new technology, and obtaining customer feedback as priorities. The ACA can lead cross‑departmental efforts to identify processes that are unnecessarily slow, duplicative, expensive, or frustrating to employees and residents.
• Strengthen the organization as an employer. Recruitment and retention are explicit Board priorities. The ACA should work with CAO, HR and department leadership on compensation, succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, workload, organizational structure, and accountability.

Challenges

• The fiscal environment will likely be the most immediate challenge. There will always be pressure to preserve programs and staffing while maintaining a structurally balanced budget. The ACA will need to distinguish between programs the County values and programs it can sustainably afford.
• A second challenge is balancing accountability with relationships. Department heads and elected officials appropriately have significant independence and expertise. The ACA must be willing to ask difficult questions without creating an environment where the Administration Office is viewed simply as a compliance or budget‑cutting function.
• Another challenge is organizational capacity. Board priorities compete with everyday operational demands. Adding initiatives without determining what work should stop or be deprioritized can overwhelm departments. One of the ACA's most important responsibilities should therefore be helping establish realistic priorities and sequencing.
• Finally, there is the challenge of managing change while maintaining trust. Improvements to budgeting, organizational structure, grants, customer service, staffing, or performance measurement. Successful implementation will require communication and employee involvement rather than simply issuing directives.

Knowledge of:

• Standard and highly complex principles and practices of municipal administration, departments, organization and economic development functions and services.
• Current social, political, and economic trends and operating problems of municipal government.
• Computer software programs applicable to work performed.
• Pertinent Federal, State and local laws, codes and regulations.
• Principles of effective public relations and interrelationships with community groups and agencies, private businesses and firms, and other levels of government.
• Principles and practices of governmental budget preparation and administration.
• Principles of public/human resources administration.

Ability to:

• Providing effective leadership and coordinating the activities of the municipal organization.
• Analyzing, interpreting, summarizing and presenting administrative and technical information and data in an effective manner.
• Effectively utilizing computers in the course of work.
• Selecting, supervising, and evaluating professional staff.
• Interpreting and applying applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Developing, preparing and administering a large municipal budget.
• Communicating clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be: Equivalent to graduation from a four‑year college or university with major coursework in public or business administration, political science, public policy, finance, or related field and two (2) years executive‑level experience in a related administrative/managerial capacity involving responsibility for planning, organization, and implementation of programs and services for an organization. An equivalent to a Master’s Degree in Public or Business Administration is highly desirable.

Licenses and Certificates:

• Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California driver's license by time of appointment.