Public Works Director City of Florence

Fremont Economic Development Corporation; Florence (CO); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Supplemental insurance

Job summary

The City of Florence is seeking an executive-level Public Works Director to lead Streets, Facilities, Park and Engineering and to drive strategic planning and organizational development for the department.

The role requires providing high-level guidance to the City Manager and City Council, overseeing budgets, contracts, safety programs, and staff performance while ensuring compliance with laws and delivering excellent customer service to the community.

Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of the modern principles and practices of public works administration.
• Ability to develop and implement strategic goals and plans for public works.
• Knowledge of civil engineering concepts, contract management, and project oversight.
• Strong supervisory and leadership capabilities for a multi-unit department.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills, including public speaking.

Responsibilities

• Plans, develops, coordinates, and organizes operation of all Public Works within the City.
• Provides high-level strategic advice to the City Manager and Council; creates short- and long-range plans.
• Supervises staff; hires, trains, coaches, and evaluates performance.
• Prepares, analyzes, and manages department budget; oversees equipment and capital plans.
• Directs contract administration and bidding for Public Works projects.
• Organizes safety programs and ensures regulatory compliance.
• Represents the City in meetings with agencies and public groups; ensures responsive customer service.
• Attends trainings and meetings as required; may work evenings/weekends/holidays.

Skills

Public works administration

Strategic planning

Leadership

Budgeting

Customer service

Communication

Project management

Job description

Benefits: Full-time benefits include health, dental, vision, retirement, and supplemental insurance.

General:

Under general direction this executive-level position is responsible for strategic planning, organizational development, and community engagement for the City of Florence Public Works department. This includes providing leadership for all areas of the department including Streets, Facilities, Park and Engineering.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The essential duties and responsibilities listed below are central to the job or are the reason the position exists, and the employee must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. This list is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Plans, develops, coordinates, and organizes effective operation of all Public Works within the City ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
• Provides high-level strategic analysis and advice to the City Manager and City Council on matters concerning the Public Works Department and the community. Evaluates public works needs and formulates short- and long-range plans to meet needs in all areas of responsibility including without limitation, flood control, general maintenance, snow removal, tree removal, street, and bridge maintenance (inclusive of curbs, gutters, and sidewalks), traffic and other public works projects and programs.
• Participates in the City Manager’s strategic and operational planning efforts; participates in Department Head meetings; assists other departments as the need arises.
• Supervises and manages all assigned staff to include, hiring, training, coaching, and evaluating performance.
• Manages the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures. Conducts and attends departmental staff meetings.
• Prepares and analyzes department budget. Manages operations within budget guidelines based on strategic goals, and monitors actual revenues, costs, and expenses relative to budget. With assistance from the Finance Director, develops and manages equipment replacement plansand capital improvement plans.
• Oversees and directs contract administration and management for all Public Works projects. Issues work ordersand/or solicits bids when appropriate for purchases made for the PublicWorks Department. Obtains approval from the City Manager for major purchases.
• Responsible for organizing and staffing safety programs for Public Works staff; encourages safety compliance in all phases of work. Assists with conducting safety education training for the Department. Identifies and reports all safety/hazard situations.
• Represents the City in various capacities, including preparing and presenting agenda items to City Council. Works with other government agencies such as CDOT, Corps of Engineers, Fremont County Sanitation District, Canon City, etc. Meets with citizen groups and neighborhood/homeowner associations to address department-related issues.
• Provides excellent customer service to external and internal customers including but not limited to effectively listening and communicating, providing accurate information, offering solutions, assisting in resolution, and ensuring timely follow up as needed.
• Attends or completes training, seminars, and meetings as required.
• Required to work evenings, weekends or holidays as needed.
• Performs related duties as established by law or ordinance or as reasonably directed by the City.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

The essential duties listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. The below list is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all knowledge, skills and abilities that are required.

• Thorough knowledge of the modern principles and practices of public works administration.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of program development and administration and ability to develop and implement strategic goals and plans.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of civil engineering, including the planning, design, construction, contract management and inspection of municipal public works projects.
• Considerable knowledge of and skill in supervisory, management and leadership methods and practices for employees in several units of a large department
• Knowledge of applicable local, state, and federal regulations related to department functions.
• Knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions of departmental activities including street operations and maintenance work.
• Knowledge of budgeting practices and effective fiscal management.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing excellent customer service. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Ability to build effective relationships as needed with employees, government officials, contractors, vendors, other public agencies and private groups, and the public.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills including public speaking ability; political astuteness.
• Ability to demonstrate high integrity, resourcefulness, and sound and consistent judgment in the execution of all duties. Ability to lead by example, to exercise discretion, and to make independent decisions.
• Ability to interpret legal descriptions and plans.
• Ability to review and understand complex engineering plans, reports, and documentation.
• Ability to analyze situations objectively and to determine proper courses of action within established framework of policies, procedures, and goals.

Certificates and Licenses:

• Valid Driver’s License and satisfactory driving record required.

Education:

• Four to six years of progressive and varied experience in public works administration which insures the referenced knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Four to six years of experience in general supervision and administration.
• Any acceptable combination of education, training and experience that provides the listed knowledge, abilities and skills may be substituted.

Physical Activities:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.This position works in an office setting with occasional local travel. This position requires light physical exertion and the normal range of motion, dexterity, and vision.