Town Manager - Chapel Hill NC
Town Manager - Chapel Hill NC
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USD 100 - 100
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Job Description
About Us
Iconic Chapel Hill North Carolina seeks next Town Manager
- Are you an innovative leader committed to collaborating with communities around a cohesive concept and action plan of sustainable growth
- Are you experienced in working effectively with an active and engaged Council committed to fostering an equitable progressive sustainable Town
- Do you have a track record of expanding opportunities to ensure access to community assets and services
- Are you a strategic and experienced leader who can navigate ambitious and sometimes competing project demands in a changing funding atmosphere
- Are you passionate about customer service and inspiring teams to achieve established approved priorities
If this describes you the Town of Chapel Hill invites you to apply to be its next Town Manager.Leading anawardwinningand dynamic university community with outstanding leadership skills through a period of immense opportunity theTown Manageris responsible for executing the strategic direction of the Town of Chapel Hill and overseeing and managing daytoday service delivery. The next Town Manager mustdemonstrate experience effectively implementing innovative solutions and programs and solving 21stcentury issues. The successful candidate will be able to navigate the complexity of a progressive university town in a challenging state and federal political environment.
About the Organization:
The Towns mission is Learning Serving and Working Together to Build a Community Where People Thrive.Our organizations RESPECT values (Responsibility Equity Safety Professionalism Ethics Communication and Teamwork) are the basis for our choices. They are reflected in our behavior and decisions every day. They are our compass as we accomplish our mission and objectives. As a result residents have consistently rated Chapel Hill as highperforming in biennial community surveys.
In the past three years the Town has transitioned to a fiveyear budget outlook aimed at ensuring organizationwide sustainability and economic resiliency. The Town consistently wins awards for its annual budget and financial report. More information about theTown its mission and its core values of RESPECT can be foundhere(or copy into your browser).
The Town operates under a CouncilManager form of government with the Town Manager reporting to the Mayor and eight atlarge Council members. The Town Manager works with the Council to carry out theirstrategic priorities. The Towns strategic focus areas include Environmental Stewardship Economic and Financial Stewardship Affordable Housing Connected Community Healthy and Inclusive Community Safe Community and Employee Recruitment and Retention. Chapel Hills strategic focus for the future is guided by the community vision established in the Chapel Hill 2020 Comprehensive Plan refined with our 2023Complete Communityframework. It is incorporated into the organizationsdepartmental business plans.
The Town prides itself on equitable community engagement. It offers multiple ways for the community to become involved share input and stay informed through the Community Connections Strategy and Engagement Study Implementation threeAdvisory Boards and Commissions and stateoftheart communication tools such as an open data Web platform and social media to community surveys.
About the Community:
The Town of Chapel Hill was established in 1793 to support the University of North Carolina (UNC) the Nations first public University. This thriving multicultural university community has a population of about 62000 and frequently appears in national best place to live listings. As home to the Nations first public institution of higher learning and a lively and successful Tar Heel sports program Chapel Hill is a picturesque community of 21 square miles filled with trees historic and midcentury architecture and a thriving downtown.
Located less than three hours from beautiful beaches and mountains and 30 minutes from RDU airport Chapel Hill is part of the Research Triangle community. It is a recognized pioneer in education research and innovationa place where ideas are born. Home to brilliant minds awardwinning restaurants innovative businesses highly rated public schools museums galleries festivals athletic events and a vibrant music and performing arts scene community members and visitors have abundant opportunities in this creative Town. The Towns farefree transit system one of the first in the Nation provides community members with accessible transportation.
The Town is a forwardthinking and progressive community leveraging opportunities while also tackling the challenges of the 21st century housing resiliency sustainable development an environment where all can thrive. To this end there is a commitment to centering development on an EverywheretoEverywhere greenway network. Our community enjoys pedestrianfriendly neighborhoods greenways trails and over 700 acres of parks and open space. Lovely in springtime with woodland wildflowers greenways trails and dazzling gardens with azaleas blooming in multicolor Chapel Hill has a thing for nature.
Our major employers are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill UNC Health Care and Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools. These thriving institutions help sustain a stable employment base consistently above state and national benchmarks.
Demographically Chapel Hills racial composition Census is 67 white 13 Asian and 11 black. About 7 of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income is $85825 and the average home price is $576500. Over 75 of adult residents hold a bachelors degree and 45 have a masters degree or higher.
Duties/Responsibilities
About the Position and Scope of Supervision
The Town Manager along with two Deputy Town Managers lead more than793 FTE employees and 200250 seasonal and parttime staff across 16 departments.The Town Manager oversees Economic Development Fire Police Town Clerk Communications/ Community Relations and Emergency Management/ Risk Management. Of note in the town departmental structure are several unique functions related to Chapel Hills organizational and community values including Ombuds Human Relations and Public Housing. Chapel Hill also has its own library and transit system.
The Town of Chapel Hills FY202425 budget is approximately $157 million a 4 increase over the prior year. The General Fund budget is $. There are several enterprise funds including funds for transit Stormwater parking and housing.
Chapel Hills current tax rate is .592 cents per $100 valuation. A portion of the tax rate is dedicated to transit and debt service. There is also a Downtown Service District tax. The tax rate was increased by 2 cents for FY202425 and 5 cents for the prior year. In Orange County the FY2025 tax rate is $.8629 (an increase of $.0279 over the preceding year) and in Durham County $.7987 (an increase of $.0467 over the prior year). In Orange County there is also a school tax of $.198.
Key Position Priorities:
- Employ a leadership style that fosters respectful and inclusive Council/Manager/Staff relationships while facilitating consensusbuilding among diverse viewpoints ensuring transparent communications and supporting a Council committed to robust dialogue.
- Intentionally learning the needs of the community and organization eagerly building sustainable and collaborative internal and external relationships and partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders.
- Advancing Council/Town priorities around environmental sustainability growth of a diverse mix of housing options a robust public transit system and implementation of an ambitious climate action plan with energy and diplomacy andprioritizing prompt decisive action in delivering a vision that aligns with the communitys needs.
- Demonstrating a commitment to staff development and training while creating a workplace culture of continuous development where morale is excellent and staff is valued and held accountable to high standards of excellence.
- Managing and evaluating the varying needs and status of the Towns infrastructure coal ash/brownfields redevelopment critical affordable housing projects implementation of our greenway projectsLand Use Management Ordinance (LUMO) and Class/ Compensation projects among others while working with key partners and staff to oversee the progress and funding for all projects.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- A minimum of a bachelors degree is required.
- The successful candidate will have at least 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in municipal management with at least five years as an assistant manager or manager or as a department head from a larger community overseeing more than one area.
- Evidence of significant economic development and housing growth success is required.
- Must have a proven track record in leading with a philosophy that ensures transparent public communication effective intergovernmental relations personal community engagement cohesive and collaborative change visionary leadership and adeptness at leading and implementing strategic planning to meet community goals.
Preferred Qualifications:
- A masters degree or higher is strongly preferred.
- Work experience in a university community is desirable.
- ICMA credentialed manager designation is preferred.
The Successful Candidate is:
- an ethical leader who sets an example by being committed to public accessibility open and transparent government by proactively seeking opportunities to communicate in multiple forums encouraging community input incorporating that input into decisionmaking informing the public about those decisions and proactively responding to the media when appropriate;
- a confident and trusting leader who along with staff aligns their work with the Councils priorities by presenting options and recommendations implementing Council decisions and being accountable for the outcomes.
- skilled at diplomatically engaging with a diversity of stakeholders such as community members of varying economic status community groups Town Council members employees University and business leaders and regional state and federal authorities to advocate for an inclusive community while leveraging Town opportunities and mitigating challenges for all;
- knowledgeable about and is an experienced innovator for affordable housing solutions green environmental strategy and protection approaches applying technology strategy and solutions community and social justicefocused public safety comprehensive land use planning and strategic partnerships;
- a datadriven decision maker who seeks information from multiple sources tracks outcomes and uses data as well as stakeholder input to reach conclusions;
- able to effectively recruit retain manage develop and engage talented staff to deliver excellent customer service to both internal and external customers;
- an excellent communicator both verbally and in writing and possesses welldeveloped interpersonal skills and abilities;
- supportive of the growth trajectory of the Town while also understanding the impact redevelopment has on atrisk communities;
- a creative thinker in assessing ways to increase revenue such as enhancing the businessresidential tax base as well as effective in managing expenses to identify cost savings while delivering outstanding service;
- experienced in developing analyzing and managing general and capital budgets on a fiveyear rolling strategy to ensure predictable planning and fiscal stewardship;
- resilient in the face of challenges and seeks creative solutions to problems; and
- an effective networker who partners with peers in neighboring communities and municipalities throughout the state.
Additional Information
Salary and Benefits: The hiring range for this position is $225000 to $300000. Compensation is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. View the Towns excellent benefits package here. Residency within the Towns corporate limits is highly preferred residency within the county is required within a negotiated timeline.
To apply please visit and click on the title of Town Manager Town of Chapel Hill NC. Please note the following:
- All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) NOT the towns employment application portal or any other external website.
- Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
- Applicants should apply by April 9 2025.
- The hiring team will invite successful semifinalists to participate in skill evaluation on May. Final interviews with the Council will occur in person after that point. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate.
- Direct inquiriesto
The Town of Chapel Hill is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Developmental Associates LLC manages this positions recruitment and selection process. To learn more about our selection process visit https://developmentalassociates/clientopenings/ select Client Openings and scroll down to Important Information for Applicants.
Required Experience:
Manager
Employment Type
Full-Time
