Public Works Chief: Citywide Infrastructure & Team Leader

City of Bloomington Illinois; Bloomington (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Bloomington Illinois seeks a strategic Public Works Director to oversee Streets, Sewers, Solid Waste, Fleet, and related services in line with City Manager goals. You will lead operational excellence, workforce performance, budgeting, safety, and labor relations, directing managers to deliver reliable, cost-effective public services for residents and businesses.

Strong collaboration with City leadership and departments, proactive risk management, and a commitment to continuous

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, management, public works administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible municipal public works or related experience.
• At least 5 years of supervisory/management experience, preferably across multiple functions.
• Experience managing labor relations, collective bargaining, grievances, or disciplinary matters in a unionized environment.
• Municipal/public-sector management experience is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Directs Public Works operations to ensure safe, efficient, reliable, and responsive service delivery.
• Establishes priorities, service standards, performance measures, and resource requirements; monitors results.
• Evaluates staffing, workloads, equipment, schedules, and adjusts priorities to maintain essential services.
• Administers and interprets collective bargaining agreements with HR and City administration.
• Oversees department budgeting, expenditures, and asset-management strategies for infrastructure and vehicles.
• Advises City leadership on operations, service levels, budgets, projects, and risk.
• Provides leadership during emergencies and coordinates resources to restore operations.

Skills

Municipal Public Works operations

Public-sector management

Labor relations

Performance management

Budgeting

Emergency response

Strategic leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration or related field

5+ years supervisory/management experience

Municipal/public sector management experience preferred

Tools

Work-order systems

Asset-management systems

Geographic information systems (GIS)

Office software suite

Job description

The City of Bloomington Illinois seeks a strategic Public Works Director to oversee Streets, Sewers, Solid Waste, Fleet, and related services in line with City Manager goals. You will lead operational excellence, workforce performance, budgeting, safety, and labor relations, directing managers to deliver reliable, cost-effective public services for residents and businesses.

Strong collaboration with City leadership and departments, proactive risk management, and a commitment to continuous