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Job Description
Description
This recruitment is being conducted by J. Powers Recruiting, Inc (JPR)
You can view the recruitment brochure and submit your application directly on J. Powers Recruiting website .
The City Incorporated over 125 years ago with a staff of 1,110 full-time employees, an adopted budget of $1.03 Billion (2026), and is headed by City Manager Ed Shikada. The government of the City of Palo Alto exists to promote and sustain a superior quality of life in Palo Alto. In partnership with the community, their goal is to deliver cost-effective services in a personal, responsive, and innovative manner. Our values consist of:
• Quality: Superior delivery of services
• Courtesy: Providing service with respect and concern
• Efficiency: Productive, effective use of resources
• Integrity: Straight-forward, honest, and fair relations
• Innovation: Excellence in creative thought and implementation.
The city operates five libraries, 4,000+ acres of parks, preserves, and open spaces, a junior museum and zoo, an art center, three large community centers, a Municipal Golf Course, and 471 miles of streets, reflecting its c ommunity-oriented ethos. The city is governed by a seven-member elected City Council and an appointed City Manager.
The Department
The City of Palo Alto Utilities Department is a nationally recognized, full-service municipal utility serving approximately 67,000 residents and businesses. With 266 full-time employees and a $317 million operating budget, the department is organized into five core areas: Engineering, Operations, Resource Management, Customer Service, and Administration. Palo Alto is unique as one of a few cities in California that owns and operates a complete range of utilities, including electric, fiber optics, natural gas, water, and wastewater, delivering safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable services to the community since 1896. City of Palo Alto Utilities
Within this structure, the Electric & Fiber Engineering and Operations Division plays a critical leadership role in planning, designing, building, and maintaining the City’s electric distribution system and expanding the municipal fiber network. The division delivers major capital improvement programs, ensuring modern, reliable infrastructure while meeting regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Engineering teams lead system planning and infrastructure development, while Operations ensures 24/7 system reliability, maintenance, and emergency response to safely serve the community. Utilities Services & Safety
The division supports a workforce of approximately 130 operations staff and is at the forefront of innovation, maintaining a 100% carbon-neutral electric portfolio and advancing major initiatives such as grid modernization, wildfire mitigation, and undergrounding of electric and fiber infrastructure to improve safety and resilience. In parallel, the City is piloting fiber-to-the-premises internet services while reconstructing the electric system to increase capacity and minimize disruption. Utilities at a glanceFY23, Grid Modernization for Electrification, Underground Infrastructure Palo Alto Fiber.
Check out this interview with Chief Operating Officer Terry Crowley as he discusses the utility, the department, and the position.
Essential Duties
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a strategic and technically strong utility leader who brings both vision and execution to electric and fiber operations. You combine deep expertise in electric utility engineering and operations with the
ability to lead teams through complex challenges while maintaining a focus on safety, reliability, and customer service. You are forward-thinking and solutions-oriented, with a demonstrated ability to implement modern utility practices, deliver capital improvement programs, and align operations with ambitious sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Equally important, you are an inspiring and collaborative leader who builds high-performing teams and fosters a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. You communicate effectively across all levels-engaging with staff, City leadership, regulatory agencies, and the community-while balancing operational needs with customer expectations. You are passionate about delivering clean, reliable energy and advancing utility services that serve a dynamic and engaged community.
Salary range for this position is $245,315.20 - 327,060.00; salary supplemented by attractive benefits.
First review of applications will be on June 25th, 2026.
The City of Palo Alto reserves the right to close this posting once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
To be considered for this opportunity, upload a compelling cover letter and resume using the "Apply" feature at JPR Recruiting .
Contact Executive Recruiter for Questions- Jenna Flanagan • 916-304-6663
- jenna@jpowersinc.com
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE. - Jenna Flanagan • 916-304-6663
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ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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