The City of

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Public Works Director Recruitment Services Provided by Ralph Andersen & Associates

Welcome to

Austin, Texas

For the nation’s best leaders in the public works field, a pinnacle career opportunity is available with the City of Austin, Texas. Austin tops list after list on the best qualities cities have to offer, and its Public Works Department is a key ingredient to Austin’s success. Accredited by the American Public Works Association, and highly regarded by its citizens, the Austin Public Works Department is high performing, focused on customer service and plays heavily into Austin’s overall goal to be the Best Managed City. Come and experience all that Austin has to offer, personally and professionally!

What People are Saying

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Austin is No. on Best Cities forREPORT Jobs 2016 US 6 NEWS & WORLD list. -Austin Forbesis No. 2 on U.S. News’ Best Places to Live ranking.

VALUEPENGUIN Austin is No. 6 on list of the 200 Most Educated Cities in America. INC MAGAZINE Austin is one of the top twenty most innovative cities in America. FORBES MAGAZINE Austin tops “America’s Cities of the Future” ranking of cities most likely to prosper over the next decade.

The City of Austin Settled in the 1830s, Austin was named in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas,” and quickly became the capital of the Republic of Texas in 1839. When Texas entered the Union in 1846, Austin remained the capital of the State and it is also the county seat of Travis County. Much has happened since the 1830s. Today, Austin is the 11th most populated city in the United States and is the fastest growing of the 50 largest US cities. With a population of 931,830, Austin is the 4th largest city in Texas, and is an integral part of the Texas Triangle megaregion. The population growth has been fueled by a hot economy, particularly in the tech industry. Referred to as Silicon Hills, Austin has a thriving tech industry, including biotech. There are nearly 200 life science companies that have emerged within a 25-mile radius of the Capitol building. Austin tops “America’s Cities of the Future” ranking of cities most likely to prosper over the next decade, according to Forbes (January 2016), and ranks #1 for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) job growth. Located in the Central Texas Hill Country, Austin is unique in many ways. It has a rich mix of diverse cultures that bring an incredible quality of life, including many opportunities for entertainment, dining, shopping, and cultural events. Politically, Austin revels in being an oasis of liberal and independent spirit in a state that is strongly conservative. The magic of Austin has propelled this City to one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. Austinites are friendly, healthy, and display immense pride for their city. The City offers an unbeatable art, music, and food scene, as well as being a great place to raise a family. Austin consistently is recognized as one of the best (often the best) in the nation in these categories. Adding to its quality of life, Austin enjoys 300 days of sunshine per year, with high temperatures averaging 90 degrees in the summer, and only 24 days per year where the low temperature dips below freezing. Snow is rare in Austin. Perhaps much of Austin’s success and progressive viewpoints are founded in its outstanding educational system. The University of Texas at Austin has an enrollment of over 50,000 and is the flagship of the University of Texas System. UT-Austin is in the top 50 universities in the world, yet remains one of the most affordable. While much of Austin is served by the Austin Independent School District, there are 29 public school districts, 17 charter schools, and 69 private schools in the Austin area. Austinites are very engaged and active in local politics and are extremely vocal about their likes and dislikes. They have high expectations for their public officials and are not afraid to voice their displeasure to the top levels of City management and the media. They also expect deep involvement and high visibility at neighborhood meetings, school functions, parades, community events, and a variety of other engagements, no matter how large or small.

City Government The City of Austin is governed by an 11-member City Council. Ten non-partisan Council Members are elected by the voters from districts, plus a Mayor elected at large. All are elected on staggered four-year terms, limited to two terms. The City Council was recently (2014) expanded from 7 at-large members to 11 members (10 from districts). The City is professionally managed by a City Manager under the councilmanager form of government, and provides excellent and comprehensive municipal services to its residents. The FY 2015-2016 General Fund budget had revenues and expenditures of $911.15 million; operations and services are carried out by 13,000 dedicated employees – an increase of over 380 new FTE positions to keep pace with Austin’s rapid growth and increased demand for services. Austin aspires to be the Best Managed City in the country, and has turned aspirations into reality. In its most recent community survey, Austin residents rated Austin’s city services high, especially when compared to other large cities. Austin rated at or above the national average for large cities with populations over 250,000 in 31 of the 46 service areas assessed. The values that help shape Austin reflect the PRIDE that City employees have in their organization: • P stands for Public Service and Engagement. We will partner with one another and with our community to provide the best service possible. • R stands for Responsibility and Accountability. We take responsibility for achieving results and hold ourselves accountable for our actions. • I stands for Innovation and Sustainability. We actively seek out good ideas that have a lasting, positive impact on our work, our community, and our environment. • D stands for Diversity and Inclusion. We recognize and respect a variety of perspectives, experiences, and approaches that will help us achieve our organizational goals. • E stands for Ethics and Integrity. Our actions will maintain the trust and confidence of the public and the organization.

The Public Works Department The City of Austin is proud to have an award-winning Public Works Department that provides comprehensive public works services directly to its citizens and to other Austin departments. Professionals in the public works field recognize that each city organizes its functions differently, and Austin is no different. In addition to the core engineering and maintenance operations, Austin’s Public Works Department also provides comprehensive capital projects delivery services, as well as a robust child safety program. The Public Works Department delivers its services through four divisions: • The Street and Bridge Division represents the most traditional public works functions, to include the repair and maintenance of the rights-of-way (including pavement, medians, sidewalks, alleys, bike lanes, etc.), bridges, utilities and structures, and special projects. • The Engineering and Project Delivery Division is responsible for the delivery of the City’s Capital Improvement Program. Included in the delivery are architectural services, engineering, project management, and post-construction inspection services.

WE ARE GOOD AT WHAT WE DO

• The Community Services, Public Affairs, and Administration Division oversees the Department’s workforce development, human resources functions, Neighborhood Partnering Projects, Safe Routes to School, urban trails, and robust communication to Austin residents and media. • The Finance, Information, and Asset Management Division delivers comprehensive analysis and data visualization, business intelligence functions, as well as financial analysis and reporting to manage the Department’s budget. A comprehensive asset management program provides strategic management of the City’s physical assets and the Safety Office provides wide-ranging safety services to the workforce. The annual operating budget for the Public Works Department is $84.1 million. Funding for the Department is achieved primarily through three sources: the Public Works Transportation Fund (70%), which receives its funding from a residential Transportation User Fee and utility street opening fees; the Capital Projects Management Fund (27%) that is an internal service fund that receives its funding from other user City departments and enterprises; and the Child Safety Fund (3%) that receives money from County vehicle registration fees, traffic fines in school zones, and a transfer from the General Fund. Austin Public Works is particularly proud of its 739 employees who are not only hard-working and talented, but are proud to work for a department that has taken a strong interest in their professional development – at every level in the organization. As an example, the Public Workers University program not only creates opportunities for employees to increase their education, but incentivizes their success. Austin Public Works Department’s reputation for empowerment is equally strong in the community as it is in city government. The Neighborhood Partnering Program allows neighborhoods direct involvement in the selection and funding of small to medium sized projects.

The Position Under direction of the Assistant City Manager overseeing Infrastructure Services, the Public Works Director is responsible for directing, planning, and providing leadership for the operations of the Public Works Department (which includes Engineering Services, Construction Inspection, Project Management, Capital Improvement Project Delivery, Street and Bridge Operations, Neighborhood Connectivity, and Shared Services), oversight of capital improvement projects on behalf of sponsor agencies, and coordination and control of work performed in the City’s right-of-way. Additionally, the Public Works Director is a member of the City’s Emergency Response Team, which sometimes necessitates callouts after hours.

WHAT WE DO BUILD + MAINTAIN Our professional and technically skilled staff keeps Austin’s roadways, bridges and trails in good repair by building and maintaining infrastructure throughout the year and around the clock. Along with ensuring vital infrastructure is well maintained, reliable, and safe, we expand and enhance the City’s pedestrian network, prioritizing our work in accordance with the Sidewalk Master Plan.

DESIGN + DELIVER Department staff manage and deliver capital improvementprojects overseeing them from design to completion. Projects range from iconic, complex projects such as the New Central Library and Second Street Bridge, to smaller-scale street reconstruction, park improvements and water projects.

KIDS + SAFETY Our Safe Routes to School program helps Austin’s children travel safely to school by educating students on pedestrian and bicycle safety and providing crossing guards at crucial intersections. We also partner with schools to encourage more active transportation through events, programming and educational initiatives.

Challenges & Opportunities The next Publicof Works Director will be presented with a number of known challenges The City Austin and opportunities in which to excel including: • The change in the City Council structure has, by design, altered priorities of elected Council Members. Previously City Council Members were elected at large, tending to hold city-wide priorities versus district priorities. Under the current structure, competing interests must be balanced with city-wide priorities. • The Austin City Council may call a November bond election asking voters to decide whether to support a $720 million transportation mobility bond. If approved, the bond election will fund a wide array of capital improvement projects in Austin over an eight-year period. The scale of the proposed CIP is nearly four times larger than customary in Austin and will require a herculean effort to accomplish in the time desired. • Austin Public Works Department has established itself as a leader in Texas, and is accredited through the American Public Works Association (APWA). Maintaining this high standard of operation is imperative. • Like many university cities, Austin has a high degree of civic engagement. Austinites care deeply about their community and are vocal about community projects and issues. While it may be cumbersome, this level of community involvement leads to better decisions and is a key component of the decision making process utilized in Austin.

• Austin adopted new civil service rules for its employees in 2012, providing an enhanced level of protection and due process for its workforce; this has also brought a city-wide paradigm shift that is still underway and will need to be recognized and accommodated. • The Public Works Department’s role in providing capital projects delivery services to all city departments and enterprises provides a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with the Director’s peers on the most significant projects in Austin. This collaboration requires a strong investment in genuine relationships and value demonstration that serves the best interests of all involved. • The City’s Imagine Austin and CodeNEXT long-range planning processes provide a unique opportunity for the Public Works Department to engage and facilitate the coordination of future development in a comprehensive manner. • Austin’s rapid growth translates to the need for a high performance and high-output Public Works Department. Many exciting projects are underway, with even more on the horizon. • As the City completes two large-scale projects, the Central Library and the Waller Creek Tunnel project, there will be post-construction claims that will require negotiation.

The Ideal Candidate

The Ideal Candidate In addition to being ethical, well qualified, and experienced, the next Public Works Director must possess certain traits that will be essential for success: • The ideal candidate will be a leader who is charismatic, yet genuine; confident, yet humble; and empowering, while maintaining accountability. • Austin is a City whose strength is derived from teamwork and diversity. Collaboration and cooperation are essential elements for success, where diversity is welcomed and its value is appreciated. • The Public Works Department has a strong culture of customer service. The next Director must continue to promote this mindset, as it has brought the City much success. • The ability to build meaningful relationships across city government, community partners, neighborhood associations, and with employees at all levels is fundamental to this position. The next Public Works Director must be politically savvy without being political, and must be consistently motivated by what best serves the citizens of Austin. • A strategic view of broad policy issues in Austin should frame decisions, direction, and initiatives. • Experience with project delivery, and especially alternative methods, will be beneficial. Likewise, prior experience with public-private funding of capital projects will be an asset. • A leadership style that is empowering, respectful, and rooted in genuine concern for others will be appreciated both within the organization and outside its walls. The leader must be accessible, engaged, and lead from outside the office. The ideal candidate will possess a spirit of innovation and inspire the creativity of others. • Strong negotiation skills will be beneficial in mitigating construction claims associated with capital projects, as will a strong understanding of public finance. • The next Public Works Director must be adept at managing in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. Both diplomatic and decisive, the successful candidate will work with a sense of urgency and timeliness, stay positive, and keep focused on progress and continued improvement.

Qualifications This position requires sufficient education, training, and/or work experience that will enable the incumbent to perform the essential functions of the position. The following are minimum qualifications required for the Public Works Director:

Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in civil engineering or a related engineering concentration is required. A Master’s degree is desired, and can substitute for two years of required experience. Experience: At least ten years of related experience is required, with at least five years in a managerial capacity. Licenses and Certifications: State of Texas Professional Engineer certification is preferred, but is not required.

Compensation and Benefits The annual salary for the Public Works Director is commensurate with experience. Placement within the approved salary range will be dependent upon career experience and qualifications. The City of Austin offers an excellent benefits package including the following major areas: • Retirement: The City is a member of the Proportionate Retirement Program with vesting occurring after 5 years of continuous employment. Employees contribute 8% of salary upon hire and the City contributes 18%. For additional information call the Pension Office at (512) 458-2551. • Insurance: The City provides excellent insurance plans for employees including health, dental, life, short- and long-term disability, and vision coverage. • Vacation Leave: Vacation leave accrues at 23 days annually. • Sick Leave: Sick leave accrues at 12 days annually, with no accrual limit. • Holidays: 13 holidays per year are observed. Austin offers a wide array of additional benefits. Please visit http://bit.ly/raa-85 for a comprehensive summary of executive benefits.

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This position is considered open until filled with the first review of resumes to begin September 9, 2016. To be considered, candidates must submit a compelling cover letter, comprehensive resume, and three years of salary history via email to [email protected]. Interested candidates should apply early in the process for optimum consideration. Prior to final interviews, candidates will be required to sign a release form to authorize verifications to be conducted including employment history, degrees obtained, and other certifications. Confidential inquiries are welcomed to Mr. Greg Nelson at 916.630.4900 or to [email protected].

The City of

AUSTIN, TEXAS Recruitment Services Provided by Ralph Andersen & Associates