Deputy Director of Public Works

Gaithersburg, MD - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 141144 - 197601

Posted on: 2 days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Description

The City of Gaithersburg is seeking an experienced professional and collaborative team leader passionate about providing high-quality services to the community to assist in the administration supervision and overall direction of the Department of Public Works. The Deputy Director of Public Works is a highly responsible management role that assists in planning organizing and managing all Departmental operations programs and staff to ensure the delivery of safe reliable and efficient public infrastructure and services. The Deputy Director serves as second-in-command within the Department coordinating projects and providing strategic and operational leadership and oversight across the four divisions within the Department (Engineering Services Environmental Services Facilities & Capital Projects and Operations) and serves as a department liaison with other City departments outside agencies and the community.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated expertise in day-to-day public works management and be an approachable and effective communicator with experience building and managing positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The Deputy Director must have sound judgment and effective decision-making skills and be a creative and proactive problem-solver who is personable responsive and innovative and has strong strategic planning organizational and time management skills They will have the ability to work well under pressure dive into the details of a project while also considering the long-term strategic direction of the Department and will multi-task with ease shifting gears quickly to prioritize and balance workloads and resources to meet project demands.

Candidates must be committed to cultivating a positive organizational culture engaging with and gathering input from employees at all levels of the Department managing performance in a constructive accountability-oriented manner and developing others through coaching and mentoring assisting Department staff with finding their path and performing at their highest ability. They will model behavior expected throughout the organization including mutual respect accountability commitment to high-quality work and exemplary customer service.

Starting salary for this position is negotiable within the anticipated target hiring range ($155000 - $170000) and will be offered at a level consistent with the experience and qualifications of the candidate. We provide comprehensive insurance benefits (medical dental vision long-term care life) paid time off generous retirement contributions health and wellness programs tools to assist with paying down student loan debt and managing student loans training and professional growth opportunities and excellent work/life balance. Residency within the City of Gaithersburg is not required.

Job Functions

What you will do with us:

Assist the Director of Public Works in managing and overseeing all departmental divisions programs and personnel; serve as Acting Director in the absence of the Director.
Assist in developing and implementing departmental goals objectives policies procedures and performance standards to ensure effective operations.
Plan organize and direct activities related to engineering environmental services facilities maintenance capital projects and field operations.
Monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery methods and procedures; recommend within departmental policy appropriate service and staffing levels.
Coordinate departmental activities with other City departments to ensure alignment with City-wide goals and initiatives.
Oversee the preparation administration and monitoring of major project and division operating and capital budgets; assist in forecasting and resource planning.
Provide leadership and guidance to division managers and staff regarding work priorities training performance and discipline.
Promote workforce development training and performance evaluation to maintain a skilled and motivated team.
Participate and make recommendations in personnel matters.
Review provide technical oversight of and recommend approval of plans specifications contracts and cost estimates related to public works projects.
Manage consultant and contractor selection negotiations and contract compliance for public works projects and professional services.
Develop and oversee long-range capital improvement and asset management programs for City infrastructure.
Ensure timely and professional response to resident service requests and complaints; maintain a customer-focused approach to service delivery.
Participate in preparation and presentation of reports proposals and recommendations to the City Manager Mayor and City Council and advisory bodies.
Serve as a member of the Citys emergency management and snow operations teams; coordinate response and recovery activities as required.
Represent the department at public meetings community events and intergovernmental forums.
Foster an environment that embraces diversity integrity teamwork trust and respect.
Provide outstanding service pursue continuous improvement and exceed expectations.

Key job responsibilities are highlighted above; please click here to view the complete classification description for the Deputy Director of Public Works position. The classification description indicates the full salary range established for this position to provide opportunity for growth and development (Grade 118 in the Citys FY 2026 Schedule of Salary Ranges).

Qualifications

What you will need to be considered:

Bachelors degree in engineering construction management public administration or related field; masters degree preferred.
At least 7 years of management experience in public works engineering infrastructure or government services; with at least five (5) years in a supervisory/management capacity.
Excellent leadership interpersonal analytical problem-solving presentation and written and verbal communication skills and the demonstrated ability to effectively interact and collaborate with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
Experience in budget development and administration.
Multi-faceted organizational abilities with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects/programs and competing priorities concurrently.
Professional certifications and licenses applicable to public works engineering and operations are highly desirable but no specific certifications or licenses are required
Proven ability to fully engage in day-to-day operations as well as to step outside the box and think about the big picture.
Experience working in local government and working with elected officials desirable.
Valid drivers license and safe driving record.
Or any acceptable equivalent combination of education experience and training that provides the required knowledge skills and abilities to satisfactorily perform job duties.

Additional Information

Interested applicants must submit the following to be considered:

A complete online application
Current resume (attached to the online application)
Letter of interest (attached to the online application) including why you are interested in this position and highlighting the special skills/abilities that make you uniquely qualified to serve in this position.

Review of applications will begin immediately so prompt application is strongly encouraged. The position will remain open until filled; recruitment will close without notice when a sufficient number of qualified applications are identified or all hiring decisions have been made.

This is a full-time salaried exempt position requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week (not eligible for overtime compensation under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Citys personnel regulations). Direct deposit of paychecks is a condition of employment for all City of Gaithersburg employees.

The successful candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation. The City has established an alcohol-free drug-free and smoke-free workplace which applies to any person employed by conducting business with or applying for a position with the City. Each employee as a condition of their employment may be required to participate in pre-employment and reasonable suspicion testing. Employees classified as safety sensitive are also subject to immediate post-accident and random testing.

For more information about the position please contact Director of Public Works Brian Fields at or 240.805.1260. Questions regarding the online application process may be directed to the Department of Human Resources at or 301.258.6327.

This recruitment will establish an eligibility list which will be used to fill the current vacancy and may be used to fill other openings in this classification which occur in the next 12 months.

Required Experience:

Director

DescriptionThe City of Gaithersburg is seeking an experienced professional and collaborative team leader passionate about providing high-quality services to the community to assist in the administration supervision and overall direction of the Department of Public Works. The Deputy Director of Publi...