Executive Director of Administration (Ord. Title: Executive 2, Exempt)

City-of-Seattle; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 152,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits package

Job summary

The Seattle Police Department seeks an Executive Director of Administration to lead a $22 million operations division and a staff of 50+ professionals. This senior role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and shapes financial management, procurement, contracts, reporting, and compliance across the department.

The candidate will guide strategic planning, budgeting, vendor oversight, audits, and process improvements while ensuring alignment with City policies and public safety priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, organizational management or related field.
• Five+ years of progressive management experience in public administration including procurement, financial management, grant management, and facilities operations.
• Experience with represented employees and/or labor relations groups.
• Five+ years of supervising administrative staff and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Monitor department budgets and initiate purchasing contracts with major vendors.
• Conduct spending audits and develop business plans.
• Analyze financial data and ensure legal and policy compliance.
• Supervise unit managers and improve management systems for efficiency and accountability.

Skills

Public administration

Budget management

Vendor negotiation

Contract oversight

Leadership

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration

Graduate degree in Public Administration / MBA

Tools

ERP systems

HRIS / PeopleSoft Financial

Office productivity suites

Job description

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is pleased to announce an opportunity for the position of Executive Director, Administration (Ord. Title: Executive 2, Exempt). SPD is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the state of Washington, with an annual budget of over $488 million. The Department consists of more than 1,100 uniformed members and approximately 500 professional employees. Employees are represented by multiple bargaining units.

The Executive Director of Administration is a senior leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. With a division budget of approximately $22 million, the Director leads a division consisting of four managers who directly supervise over 50 staff to manage the department’s core administrative functions, ensuring that essential systems, services, and operations run efficiently and effectively.

About the Department:

The Seattle Police Department is comprised of approximately 1,600 dedicated law enforcement professionals all committed to creating and fostering a work environment that is collaborative, innovative, and leading the way in law enforcement principles and practices. Ours is a culture that encourages top performers to adhere to a standard of excellence in the identification of and resolution to complex challenges. At SPD we acknowledge and honor the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals and pledge ourselves to creating and maintaining an environment that respects diverse traditions, heritages, and experiences.

The Executive Director of Administration combines managerial leadership with broad administrative responsibilities. The role oversees several key operational areas, including Fiscal (Purchasing and Contracting, property and fleet management, research grants and corporate support, crime records, and our Data Center). The Director provides operational oversight and strategic direction for administrative service units, ensuring effective coordination across functions. Core position responsibilities include monitoring department budgets, initiating purchasing contracts with major vendors, conducting spending audits, developing business plans, analyzing financial data, ensuring legal and policy compliance, supervising unit managers, and improving management systems to strengthen efficiency and accountability.

As a key member of the department’s Leadership Team, the Director of Administration provides strategic guidance, develops policy recommendations, and ensures the effective implementation of administrative plans. The Director represents the Seattle Police Department in high-level City forums, including meetings with City departments and citywide work groups. In addition, the position collaborates closely with the Department of Finance and Administrative Services, Information Technology Department; and City-wide Accounting on major program, operational, and policy matters, ensuring alignment with citywide standards and organizational goals.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, organizational management or another discipline related to human resources management or a combination of education, training, and experience which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work described above.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible management experience in public administration including procurement, financial management; grant management; facility operations within an organization of comparable scope and complexity.
• Experience working with represented employees and/or with labor relations groups.
• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience supervising administrative staff and cross functional teams.

The successful candidate will also possess the following qualifications and skills.

• Proficiency in financial reporting, accounting principles, thorough knowledge of internal control concepts; financial and programmatic audits, and resource allocation.
• Capacity to align administrative procedures and operational protocols with broader organizational skills.
• Familiarity with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, HR information systems (HRIS), Peoplesoft financial management system and reporting, budgeting tools, records management and retention, crime reporting and office productivity suites.
• Proven track record in budget management, vendor negotiation, contract oversight, and process improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to provide effective leadership in programs, methods, and procedures to ensure employee well-being, improve work effectiveness, control costs, ensure ethical practices, and meet policy and operational needs.
• Open, honest, and accessible management style.
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution abilities to collaborate with stakeholders, department heads, and external vendors.
• Experience working with public safety or paramilitary organizations.
• Familiarity with relevant Revised Code of Washington laws, Washington Administrative Code regulations and Federal Labor Laws.
• A graduate degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Management, or another discipline related to public administration is desired.

Position Requirements:

• Must pass a Seattle Police Department background investigation.
• Must have a valid Driver’s license.
• Must perform work on-site.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits.

The full salary range for this position is $66.88 - $110.35 per hour.

The Seattle Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer that Values Diversity in the Workforce

This is a full-time (1.0 FTE) regular position with full benefits, is FLSA exempt (not eligible for overtime), and falls under the discretionary pay band (for additional information, please visit Personnel Rule 3.2 - Accountability Pay for Executives Pay Program). This is a Civil Service position and FLSA exempt (not eligible for overtime).