Public Works Director

The City of Camas is seeking a Public Works Director that oversees the activities and operations of the department, including capital and utility engineering, treatment operations, refuse collection, equipment rental, maintenance of facilities, cemetery, parks maintenance, streets, wastewater, water and storm drainage systems.  

The City is seeking a skilled and experienced leader to be responsible for the overall management, leadership and administration of the City’s public works activities. The new Director will be committed to developing the managerial skills of staff, succession planning and will focus on effectiveness, responsiveness, and budgeting. The ideal candidate will be able to manage the development and implementation of departmental goals and objectives and will evaluate new procedures, policies and systems and administer capital improvement projects. 

The Director must have an optimistic outlook, a sense of humor, and be committed to the community’s goals. The selected individual will have a reputation of honesty and high ethics. Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills are vitally important. Demonstration of a successful history of creating and maintaining positive working relationships with the public and employees is highly desirable. Knowledge of regional and municipal public works standards, practices and legal/regulatory frameworks is strongly valued. 

As a member of the City’s senior leadership team, the Director reports directly to the City Administrator, oversees a department of approximately 70 FTE, with 4 direct reports, and manages a combined capital and operating budget for 2025 of approximately $109 million. The Director will also participate in economic and business development efforts and assist in developing and messaging legislative agendas, including capital funding requests. 

A highly effective leader, communicator and project manager, the Director possesses exemplary public engagement and financial skills and excels in conflict management. A proven record of building consensus and delivering outstanding customer service is key to success in this role. 

The Director will be adept at building partnerships with organizations and maintaining professional relationships with local, regional, and state partners. Additionally, the Director will be a collaborative partner within the senior leadership team and work closely with the Parks and Recreation Director and Community Development Director to align department goals with operations and maintenance activities and planning activities; respectively.   

In the near term, the Director will prioritize:

• NW Lake Road and Sierra Intersection Improvements—Seeking right-of-way acquisition and construction funding
• NE Everett Street Improvements—Continue to seek funding for all phases.
• Crown Park Project—Continuation/completion
• Lake Management work— Ongoing treatment, signage and annual sampling
• Facilities planning and capital improvement work—support issuance of bonds and encumbrance of funds
• Pavement Management
• Utility Capital and Maintenance Projects— Wastewater Treatment Plant and PFAS mitigation 

Future priorities include:

• New Fire Department in Downtown Core
• Downtown Infrastructure replacement
• City Hall Replacement Concept including Security Improvements
• Continue development of future Public Works operations site

Minimum Qualifications

The Director will have at least eight years of increasingly responsible public works administration including management and administrative responsibility. A Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Business Administration or a related field is required and a Master’s degree is preferred. Project Management Professional certification and valid registration as a Professional Civil Engineer are desirable.

Please mention you found this employment opportunity on the CareersInGovernment.com job board.

Compensation and Benefits

The Public Works Director is an at-will position and the employment agreement is at the discretion of the Mayor. The position has a hiring range of $154-195k/annually, depending on qualifications and experience. Camas has a competitive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, employee assistance program and pension with the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems. Generous paid time off, administrative leave and holidays are also included. 

Closing date is 5pm, July 15 

For a more complete description of this position, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cityofcamas

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• City of Camas