City Manager
Classified Details
- Classified ID
- 569
- Description
OGDENSBURG CITY MANAGER
DATE POSTED: January 9, 2024
ANNUAL SALARY: $125,000 to $150,000, DOQ.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 22, 2024
The City Manager serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the City and is appointed by the City Council. As the administrative head of the City government, the City Manager directs and supervises all City staff through the City Management Team. The position’s responsibilities include attending all meetings of the City Council, recommending policy measures to the City Council, implementing City Council policy, apprising the City Council on city government operations, its financial condition, and financial projections. The City Manager is responsible for preparing and submitting a tentative budget to the City Council for the next fiscal year.
Position Profile and application procedures:
The Position Profile
Professional Background
The minimum requirements for this position, as stated within the City Charter, requires that the City Manager, “…shall be qualified by at least one year’s special training in public administration and finance, and by at least three years’ experience in a responsible executive position in governmental administration, or by any equivalent training or combination of experience and training sufficient to indicate capacity for effective governmental administration…”
Beyond these minimum requirements, the ideal candidate for Ogdensburg’s next City Manager would be:
• A seasoned leader of a comparable organization with extensive personal experience in finance, budgeting, labor relations, capital and operational planning, expenditure management, public facilities, and staff development. Excellent public and interpersonal communication skills are essential.
• A graduate degree in Public Administration, Public Policy, Business Administration, Law, or a related field is preferred. A bachelor’s degree is essential. Ten years of executive experience, including supervisory and budgetary responsibilities, preferably in a municipal setting, is preferred. Five years of such experience is expected as a minimum. Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities for this position is acceptable. Experience working for an elected or appointed board is preferred.
• He/she must be comfortable managing in an environment where most employees are members of collective bargaining units and where negotiated labor contracts may place limits on the most efficient delivery of public services. As such, the ideal candidate will be skilled at maintaining a fair and positive relationship with public sector labor unions, while seeking to contain total labor costs in an environment where those costs are rapidly escalating. Unionized city employees are represented by five bargaining units.
• Private sector or military management experience will be considered to the extent that it is readily adaptable to the requirement of managing and supervising municipal government operations in an enterprise with 95 employees, 80 of whom are unionized.
• He/she must be experienced working effectively in a political environment providing impartial guidance to elected officials to identify and address the long-term strategic needs of the community and the short-term tactical steps necessary to deliver services.
• Should be technologically savvy and look to implement cost-effective technological innovation throughout City government operations.
• The ideal candidate will have experience with community redevelopment efforts, particularly those involving the adaptive reuse of vacant or underutilized land and structures that are common in older communities.
• Municipal management experience within New York State will be considered a plus.
Personal Attributes
The City of Ogdensburg is seeking a City Manager with personal attributes, or a management style, that:
• Provides a strong sense of leadership in city government operations and will serve as a hands-on administrator.
• Is positive and eager to investigate, consider, recommend, and implement innovative approaches to addressing municipal issues and problems.
• Seeks the advice and involvement of the Council in developing consensus on the best action to take, relative to a given community issue.
• Leads department heads and employees through a sense of mutual respect. The City Manager should provide staff with clear direction and oversight.
• Delegates routine administrative tasks to subordinates, follow-up on the status of work assignments, and hold subordinates responsible for the proper and timely completion of those tasks.
• Applies a strong work ethic to the responsibilities of the position.
• The City Manager should be keenly aware of the status of all significant projects and activities within each department.
• Keeps the Mayor and City Council apprised of current and emerging issues; anticipates and identifies potential problems and challenges and brings them to the attention of the elected officials.
• Exhibits a commitment to follow through on Council directives through expeditious actions.
• Demonstrates unquestioned integrity in interactions with officials and citizens; is honest and sincere and treats others respectfully; approachable and is an effective listener. Has the ability to motivate, coach and mentor staff as appropriate. Strives to build positive morale among staff members.
• Works to focus city government at all levels on the goal of providing quality customer service in all municipal operations.
• Is comfortable and effective in presenting and discussing the City’s position on current issues to the community through a variety of public media channels.
• While not a requisite, it is expected that the City Manager will be an individual who chooses to be involved in the community. This would typically include attendance at major public events, participation in good-will activities, and service on a not-for-profit board.
Compensation
The City Council anticipates negotiating an employment contract with a competitive compensation package, depending on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and salary history. The City anticipates an initial annual salary within the range of $125,000 to $150,000.
The City Charter states that the City Manager, “…need not be a resident of the City or state at the time of the appointment but must reside within the City while in office.”
Application and Selection Process
Applications may be submitted electronically or by hard copy.
You may email your resume, together with a cover letter addressing the job requirements, to this address: citymgr4@gmail.com. Please insert Ogdensburg City Manager in the subject line. A .pdf format is preferred.
Alternatively, the same documents may be mailed to Ogdensburg City Manager Search, Attention: John C. Krol, PO Box 536, Waddington, NY 13694.
The deadline for receipt of applications is March 22, 2024.
Should you have any questions regarding this opportunity, or wish to recommend a colleague, please contact the facilitator for the Ogdensburg City Manager search, John C. Krol, at 315-323-2659.
- Title
- City Manager
- Application Deadline
- 02/23/2024
- Location
- Ogdensburg, NY
- Application URL
- www.ogdensburg.org
Contact Information
- Name
- John Krol
- Phone Number
- (315) 323-2659
- citymgr4@gmail.com
- Best Method of Contact