Police Chief

National Police; Menlo Park, Northern (CA, KY); On-site; USD 234,000 - 316,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Menlo Park seeks a forward-thinking Police Chief with a proven track record in local policing and executive leadership to lead MPPD and build trust with residents, businesses, and partners.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate integrity, community engagement, and the ability to translate priorities into action through strategic planning, budgeting, and personnel development while upholding exceptional service delivery.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of local policing experience with executive or command-level leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, public or business administration, organizational leadership, or related field.
• Master's degree or completion of executive leadership programs desirable.
• POST management/executive certificate or ability to satisfy POST requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develop a strategic plan and vision for the future of the department.
• Translate priorities into action with budgeting and resource management.
• Support leadership development and succession planning.
• Strengthen recruitment, selection, and Field Training Program.
• Sustain data-driven burglary prevention and regional coordination.
• Advance technology governance, transparency, and accountability.
• Enhance quarterly public reporting for transparency and community trust.
• Strengthen community engagement and prevention partnerships.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Budget management

Community engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in criminal justice

Master's degree desirable

POST Executive Certificate

Job description

Salary: $234,123.00-$316,067.00 Annually

Closing Date: 9/20/2026

Position Summary:

The City of Menlo Park seeks a forward-thinking, passionate, and experienced policing professional to serve as its next Police Chief. Their leadership style will convey the importance of investing in people and being visible and present with their organization and community, building trust through compassion, open two-way communication, consistency, and follow-through. This successful candidate will be an optimistic, team-oriented, and people-focused leader who fosters confidence and credibility among employees, residents, businesses, and community partners.

The ideal candidate will reinforce a positive workplace culture by engaging and empowering others and establishing clear expectations around performance and conduct. They will approach challenges with professionalism, welcome and respect diverse viewpoints, and create an environment that supports continuous learning, teamwork, inclusion, and a commitment to exceptional service delivery.

This individual will demonstrate integrity and sound judgment in complex, dynamic, and sensitive situations. As a straightforward communicator, they will possess the ability to have difficult conversations and proactively recognize great work as well as identify areas for improvement. Despite rank, MPPD’s Chief finds way to remain relatable and close to their roots in the profession.

Essential Functions:

• Develop a strategic plan and vision for the future of MPPD, which may include completing a staffing, deployment, and workload assessment to evaluate staffing needs, organizational structure, and alignment of resources with priorities.
• Translate priorities into action through short- and long-term planning and effective management of the department’s budget and resources.
• Support leadership development, succession planning, and knowledge transfer.
• Strengthen recruitment, selection, and the Field Training Program.
• Sustain data-driven burglary prevention and regional coordination.
• Advance technology governance, transparency, and accountability.
• Enhance quarterly public reporting for transparency and community trust.
• Strengthen community engagement and prevention partnerships.

Requirements:

• Highly qualified candidates will have at least 10 years of progressively responsible local level policing experience, including substantial executive or command-level leadership experience in a municipal law enforcement agency or comparable public safety organization and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public or business administration, organizational leadership, or related field is required.
• Experience should demonstrate increasing responsibility in executive or organizational leadership, personnel development, fiscal stewardship, strategic planning, and community engagement.
• A master’s degree or advanced professional education in a similar field and/or completion of one or more nationally recognized executive leadership programs are highly desirable.
• Possession of a Management and/or Executive Certificate issued by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), or the ability to satisfy California POST requirements for appointment.