Position Description

PLEASE NOTE: This site will not accept applications for this specific position as the recruitment and selection process for this position is being managed by Developmental Associates, LLC. To apply, please visit:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/developmentalassociates and click on the Assistant Director – Department of Water Management, City of Durham, NC title.

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $110,000-$135,000 depending on qualifications and experience. The City offers a comprehensive benefits package including a comprehensive wellness program. The normal work week is 37.5 hours with required attendance for after-hours community meetings as needed.

The City of Durham, NC seeks an innovative and knowledgeable water resource professional to serve as one of its Assistant Directors for the Department of Water Management (DWM). Joining a diverse community, the Assistant Director is one who values and embodies diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) – an empathetic leader with experience ensuring the integration of DEI practices in departmental policies, procedures and interactions. The Assistant Director will navigate the demands and increase of expectations on the Water Management department and uphold high expectations and accountability of quality customer service delivery. The department desires a visionary leader with the natural ability to anticipate and forecast the needs of his/her supervisor, peers and other stakeholders and be proactive in meeting these needs. The Assistant Director will demonstrate outstanding project management competencies, lead with a customer service focus, and effectively coordinate with all internal departments in the city, external stakeholders, etc. for all projects including planning and funding the renewal and replacement of the City’s aging water/wastewater infrastructure and the DWM’s asset management program. This Assistant Director will be pivotal in leading the department’s compliance, community outreach/communication and long-term water resource planning efforts.

About the Community:
Durham County, located in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina, is home to Research Triangle Park (RTP) and is one of the most economically competitive regions in the world. Within Durham County boundaries, there are six townships, seven unincorporated communities, two census designated communities, and parts of two Towns (Chapel Hill and Morrisville). With the City of Durham as the County seat, the County is inclusive of both urban and rural settings and must strive to balance the needs of its community members. Research and development from the region’s major research institutions, and many private and federal labs, have fueled business and economic growth in Durham County and have made the region a world leader in life sciences, information technology, and clean technology. In fact, RTP, which continues to grow, is a 7,000-acre special county research and production district that houses more than 170 major research companies employing 39,000 full-time employees and 10,000 contract workers.

Consistently ranked among the top places to live, work and play, Durham is a magnet for talent, which helps attract innovative companies working in high-growth industries. Durham, the “City of Medicine,” has long been known for world-class medical facilities, including top-ranked Duke University Medical Center, and an industry-leading pharmaceutical sector. The healthcare industry in Durham County includes more than 300 medical and health-related companies and medical practices with a combined payroll that exceeds $1.2 billion annually. More recently, Durham County become a hotspot for entrepreneurs and high-tech startups, propelled by the launch of American Underground, a startup incubator and accelerator and the Durham Innovation District that is a planned, mixed-use residential/retail/lab and workspace in Downtown Durham. Durham boasts a premier performing arts center and the Durham Bulls AAA baseball team. In addition to Duke University, Durham is home to North Carolina Central University, the nation’s first public Historically Black College and University, now a major center for biotech and bio-manufacturing R&D, and Durham Technical Community College, a key partner in preparing a competitive workforce. Private investment is flourishing, redeveloping former tobacco and textile warehouses and historic buildings into exciting, mixed-use developments filled with diverse and popular housing options, restaurants, artist studios, retail spaces and small businesses.

The population of Durham County is over 320,000 and highly diverse. Much of Durham County’s growth occurred within the City of Durham where the majority of the County’s community members reside. The County's population grew from 267,587 to 324,833 during the period 2010-2020, representing a decade-long increase of more than 20%. Current expectations are that the population is projected to grow by 30% by 2050. Centrally located, Durham County is a few hours’ drive from the beautiful North Carolina coast to the East and the Appalachian Mountains to the West.

About the Organization:
The City of Durham operates under a Council/Manager form of government. The City Manager along with three Deputy City Managers lead approximately 2,500 employees working across 25 departments. The City has a FY23 general operating budget of $570 million, AAA bond ratings, and a tax rate of 55.17 cents (per $100 assessed value) generating a tax bill of $1,291 on a house valued at $233,927, which is the latest median house value for the City of Durham. The City’s day-to-day management and plan for future growth is managed by its Strategic Plan Durham: What’s Next? which includes in its vision the desire to make Durham a great place to live, work and play.

A 2021 Resident Survey indicates that 84% of respondents rated the city as an excellent or good place to live while 79% are satisfied with the overall quality of life in their neighborhood. Initiatives in the strategic plan have set a high bar to increase those percentages over time and to achieve Council goals of: Shared Economic Prosperity, Creating a Safer Community Together, Connected, Engaged and Diverse Communities, Innovative & High Performing Organization, and Sustainable Natural and Built Environment.

The city prides itself on community engagement and offers multiple ways for the community to become involved and stay informed from 27 Advisory Boards and Commissions to state-of-the-art communication tools such as an open data Web platform, and social media, to community surveys. Learn more about the City of Durham here.

About the Department and Position:
The City of Durham’s Department of Water Management (DWM) maintains the City’s pipes, plants, and facilities and provides essential services. With a budget of $58 million, and over 380 water professionals, the department delivers pure, clean drinking water to the people of Durham 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Quick response teams fix water main breaks, sewer overflows, and other emergencies. DWM also treats used water at reclamation facilities before safely returning it to the environment. The Department’s strategic efforts have resulted in recent notable accolades including the following:

• 
  Durham Water Named Best Tasting Water in North Carolina for 3rd Consecutive Year - November 2021
• Durham Department of Water Management Named WaterSense Partner of the Year - Fall 2022 (for the 6th consecutive year)

Overseeing a budget of $11M and several divisions with 67 staff members, this Assistant Director will be one of three Assistant Directors for the Department of Water Management. The Assistant Directors work collaboratively to provide leadership, direction, and support for Water Resources Planning (including water efficiency and conservation), Laboratory, Industrial Waste Control, Utility Finance and Customer Billing Services, and administrative support for the Department of Water Management. The Assistant Director oversees the department’s administration division operations including direct supervision of the administrative staff and works with 7-8 direct reports who oversee division operations including customer billing.

One hallmark of Durham’s Department of Water Management is the University of Water Management staff development program. This position will be a champion and advocate of this program.

This Assistant Director will have the most outward facing responsibilities with the oversight of customer billing, public communications, water conservation, and industrial pretreatment. Additionally, the successful candidate will serve as the department liaison on the Durham Environmental Affairs Board.

The Assistant Director will have the opportunity to work with staff, consultants, external agencies, stakeholders, and the public to develop and implement effective water resource management plans for the City of Durham. Furthermore, the Assistant Director will focus on enhancing protection of the Falls Lake and Jordan Lake watersheds – both safe and reliable sources of water for the city, especially during droughts.

Duties/Responsibilities

Key Priorities[ for the next Director include:

• Develop a culture of teams and collaborative leadership across divisions, City departments, and with external stakeholders while addressing issues that impact morale, and access to training and career development opportunities.
• Strategically and proactively evaluate internal and external communications to establish consistent, reliable and transparent messaging to staff and community alike.
• Lead the department’s training, integration, and compliance efforts for new lead and copper regulations as well as evaluating other programs related to contaminants and regulated substances.
• Ensure diversity among employees who have the training and continuing education to be maximally effective in current and future positions as a part of ongoing performance excellence and succession.
• Evaluate and propose best practice solutions for improving customer service including developing public education initiatives to inform citizens and elected officials about water resource issues.

The Successful Candidate is:

• committed to working with the other Assistant Directors to build a cohesive team throughout the department as well as to developing individual employees;
• proactive in building collaborative external relationships with City and County departments, developers, engineers, architects, community and business leaders to effectively meet City goals and building internal relationships within the Department of Water Management as well as other City departments;
• adept at developing an excellent customer service culture for internal and external customers while supporting and advocating for employees and the department;
• experienced in proactively leading water utilities strategically, not just operationally and reactively;
• knowledgeable of water conservation and the appropriate use of the wastewater management system and will evaluate and make changes[PR1] to improve water conservation;
• outstanding at public relations, community engagement and the ability to interact with people from diverse backgrounds;
• knowledgeable of theory, principles, practices, and techniques of water and wastewater utilities;
• knowledgeable of applicable federal, state and local law, codes and regulations governing the administration of public utilities functions and activities, including interlocal service agreements and public administration in general;
• an experienced project manager who is adept at overseeing utility-related projects;
• resourceful in finding or developing innovative solutions to meet workload demands with reduced staff in a tight budget climate;
• an effective listener who seeks input from relevant parties, realistically assesses plans and consistently communicates;
• a principled leader who values accountability while holding realistic and fair expectations of self and others;
• an effective communicator, including one-on-one communications, small groups, and public speaking, who confidently and persuasively engages citizens, community groups, staff, and elected officials; and,
• a lifelong learner who maintains knowledge of trends and initiatives regionally and nationally.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Public Administration, Hydrology & Water Management, Environmental Engineering or related field is required;
• At least 9 years of experience in upper-level management with a minimum of 5 years of budget development/management experience is required;
• Must have a valid, unrestricted, North Carolina driver's license OR, if you do not yet have a NC Driver's License, or you currently have another state driver's license, must be willing and able to obtain a valid NC driver's license within 60 days of hire.

To apply, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/developmentalassociates and click on the Assistant Director –Department of Water Management, City of Durham, NC title. To learn more about the selection process, visit https://developmentalassociates.com/client-openings/, select “ Client Openings” and scroll down to “ Important Information for Applicants.” All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal – NOT the City Employment Application portal, nor any other external website; it is not sufficient to send only a resume. Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application. Applicants must apply by October 2, 2022. Successful semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews and skill evaluation on November 1-2, 2022. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate. All inquiries should be emailed to hiring@developmentalassociates.com. The City of Durham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The recruitment and selection process is being managed by Developmental Associates, LLC.

Additional Preferred Skills

• Master’s Degree preferred.
• Certified Professional Engineer (PE) and/or Water/Wastewater related certifications is highly desired, but not required.
• The city prefers candidates with utility experience serving over 50,000 customers.