Public Works Director

American Water Works Association; Bloomington (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Bloomington is seeking a seasoned Public Works Director to lead and coordinate a broad range of city infrastructure and services. You will guide Streets, Sewers, Solid Waste, Fleet, and related operations in alignment with the City Manager’s policies and objectives.

You will oversee budgeting, staffing, labor relations, safety, and performance measurement, ensuring reliable service delivery and continuous improvement across departments.

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 or management experience, preferably with multiple operational functions.
• Experience managing employee performance, labor relations, collective bargaining agreements, grievances, disciplinary matters in a unionized environment.
• Municipal or public-sector management experience preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

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 and takes corrective action.
• Evaluates staffing, workloads, equipment, schedules, and other resources and adjusts priorities to maintain essential services.
• Identifies and resolves operational and organizational issues and promotes continuous improvement.
• Uses operational data, work-order systems, performance measures, and other management tools to evaluate performance and support decisions.
• Ensures services align with community needs, City priorities, available resources, and established service levels.
• Administers and interprets collective bargaining agreements in coordination with Human Resources and City administration.
• Addresses grievances, workplace conflicts, contract issues, performance concerns, disciplinary matters, and other employee and labor issues.
• Ensures consistent application of City policies, labor agreements, work rules, performance standards, and disciplinary practices.
• Makes or recommends disciplinary decisions, including final formal disciplinary decisions in consultation with Human Resources.
• Maintains productive labor-management relationships while protecting the City's operational needs, management rights, and contractual obligations.
• Supports recruitment, retention, workforce development, succession planning, and continuity of operations.
• Establishes an organizational structure that promotes accountability, effective communication, and efficient decision-making.
• Develops and administers the department's operating budget and monitors expenditures, staffing costs, overtime, equipment, contracts, and other financial matters.
• Oversee Public Works functions, major maintenance activities, capital improvements, and asset-management strategies for infrastructure, vehicles, equipment, and other operational assets.
• Ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, City policies, codes, standards, contracts, and operating requirements.
• Coordinates with City departments, governmental agencies, contractors, consultants, private entities, and community stakeholders on Public Works matters.
• Evaluates the operational impact of proposed developments, projects, policies, and initiatives and recommends appropriate service levels, staffing, costs, and risk-management strategies.
• Advises and reports to the City Manager on departmental performance, significant operational and labor issues, financial conditions, risks, and recommended actions.
• Provides leadership during significant weather events, infrastructure failures, service disruptions, emergencies, and other incidents affecting Public Works operations.
• Coordinates personnel, equipment, contractors, and other resources to maintain essential services and restore operations.
• Represents the City on Public Works matters before governmental agencies, community organizations, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Responds to significant service concerns and operational incidents and ensures appropriate follow-up and resolution, including outside normal business hours when necessary.
• Directs preparation of required regulatory and operational reports.
• Directs and holds accountable Public Works managers, superintendents, supervisors, and other assigned personnel for departmental results.
• Establishes expectations for performance, employee management, safety, service delivery, and compliance with City policies and labor agreements.
• Evaluates managers and supervisors and takes appropriate action when expectations are not met.
• Ensures supervisors effectively address employee performance, attendance, conduct, safety, and workplace issues.
• Coaches and develop managers and supervisors in leadership, employee relations, conflict resolution, labor relations, and performance management.
• Delegates authority appropriately while maintaining accountability for departmental results.
• Interviews and select personnel in coordination with Human Resources and oversees onboarding, training, and professional development.
• Promotes employee engagement, professional conduct, and safe work practices designed to minimize injuries, property damage, service disruptions, and financial loss.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Labor relations

Public works operations

Emergency management

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration or related field

Job description

For additional information on the City and Public Works department, click here.

Directs and coordinates the overall operations of the Public Works Department, including Streets, Sewers, Solid Waste, Fleet and related functions, in support of policies and objectives established by the City Manager.

Provides operational and administrative leadership focused on reliable service delivery, workforce management, labor relations, fiscal stewardship, safety, accountability, problem solving, and continuous improvement. Establishes priorities, allocates resources, evaluates operational conditions and risks, and directs managers and supervisors to ensure effective and responsive services.

Leads complex personnel, labor, and operational matters, including collective bargaining agreements, grievances, employee performance, workplace conflicts, and disciplinary matters, in coordination with Human Resources and bargaining-unit representatives.

Serves as the City's primary Public Works subject matter expert and advises the City Manager, Mayor, City Council, and other departments regarding operations, service levels, workforce needs, infrastructure, budgets, projects, and operational risks.

This list may not include all tasks and/or knowledge which may be expected of the employee, nor does it cover all specific duties which may be required. Other duties may be assigned.

Operational Leadership

• Directs Public Works operations to ensure safe, efficient, reliable, and responsive service delivery.
• Establishes priorities, service standards, performance measures, and resource requirements; monitors results and takes corrective action as needed.
• Evaluates staffing, workloads, equipment, schedules, and other resources and adjusts priorities to maintain essential services.
• Identifies and resolves operational and organizational issues and promotes continuous improvement.
• Uses operational data, work-order systems, performance measures, and other management tools to evaluate performance and support decisions.
• Ensures services align with community needs, City priorities, available resources, and established service levels.

Workforce and Labor Relations

• Administers and interprets collective bargaining agreements in coordination with Human Resources and City administration.
• Addresses grievances, workplace conflicts, contract issues, performance concerns, disciplinary matters, and other employee and labor issues with Human Resources, managers, supervisors, and bargaining-unit representatives.
• Ensures consistent application of City policies, labor agreements, work rules, performance standards, and disciplinary practices.
• Makes or recommends disciplinary decisions, including final formal disciplinary decisions in consultation with Human Resources.
• Maintains productive labor-management relationships while protecting the City's operational needs, management rights, and contractual obligations.
• Supports recruitment, retention, workforce development, succession planning, and continuity of operations.

Department Administration and Management

• Establishes an organizational structure that promotes accountability, effective communication, and efficient decision-making.
• Develops and administers the department's operating budget and monitors expenditures, staffing costs, overtime, equipment, contracts, and other financial matters.
• Oversee Public Works functions, major maintenance activities, capital improvements, and asset-management strategies for infrastructure, vehicles, equipment, and other operational assets.
• Ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, City policies, codes, standards, contracts, and operating requirements.
• Coordinates with City departments, governmental agencies, contractors, consultants, private entities, and community stakeholders on Public Works matters.
• Evaluates the operational impact of proposed developments, projects, policies, and initiatives and recommends appropriate service levels, staffing, costs, and risk-management strategies.
• Advises and reports to the City Manager on departmental performance, significant operational and labor issues, financial conditions, risks, and recommended actions.

Emergency and Community Response

• Provides leadership during significant weather events, infrastructure failures, service disruptions, emergencies, and other incidents affecting Public Works operations.
• Coordinates personnel, equipment, contractors, and other resources to maintain essential services and restore operations.
• Represents the City on Public Works matters before governmental agencies, community organizations, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Responds to significant service concerns and operational incidents and ensures appropriate follow-up and resolution, including outside normal business hours when necessary.
• Directs preparation of required regulatory and operational reports.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directs and holds accountable Public Works managers, superintendents, supervisors, and other assigned personnel for departmental results.
• Establishes expectations for performance, employee management, safety, service delivery, and compliance with City policies and labor agreements.
• Evaluates managers and supervisors and takes appropriate action when expectations are not met.
• Ensures supervisors effectively address employee performance, attendance, conduct, safety, and workplace issues.
• Coaches and develop managers and supervisors in leadership, employee relations, conflict resolution, labor relations, and performance management.
• Delegates authority appropriately while maintaining accountability for departmental results.
• Interviews and select personnel in coordination with Human Resources and oversees onboarding, training, and professional development.
• Promotes employee engagement, professional conduct, and safe work practices designed to minimize injuries, property damage, service disruptions, and financial loss.

Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, management, public works administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in municipal public works, municipal operations, utilities, transportation, fleet, solid waste, infrastructure, or a closely related field.
• At least 5 years of supervisory or management experience, preferably involving multiple operational functions and a significant workforce.
• Demonstrated experience managing employee performance, labor relations, collective bargaining agreements, grievances, disciplinary matters, or other personnel issues in a unionized environment.
• Municipal or other public-sector management experience is strongly preferred.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

Certificates & Licenses:

• Required: Valid driver's license.
• Preferred: Professional certification or specialized training in public administration, management, labor relations, or a related field.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license preferred but not required.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions:

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

Work is performed primarily in an office environment with regular travel to City facilities, Public Works operational locations, meetings, construction sites, and other municipal facilities. The position requires attendance at meetings outside normal business hours and availability to respond to significant operational incidents and emergencies. Incidental field work may involve exposure to dust, moisture, traffic, noise, construction activity, and varying weather and temperature conditions.