Municipal Utilities Director

Location:  City of Chandler, AZ Download:  City of Chandler, AZ - Municipal Utilities Director Brochure & Job Description

City of Chandler - Municipal Utilities Director

The Community

Well recognized as a progressive, cutting-edge City and one of Arizona's first master-planned communities, Chandler has truly transformed from a small desert town to a dynamic world-class city.  It was founded in 1912 and has become a vibrant diverse community that has grown from 30,000 residents in 1980 to nearly 250,000 residents today.

Located in the southeast portion of Metropolitan Phoenix, the City is strategically located and easily accessible by major freeways. With Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport just a short 20 minutes away, no location is out of reach.  Although Chandler has seen extraordinary growth over the last 25 years, the City planned for the future and provided balance by focusing on the creation of distinct employment corridors, investing in top notch infrastructure and building quality neighborhoods.  Called the "Silicon Desert" because of its wide variety of high technology industries, the City has developed good relationships with the business community and Chamber of Commerce and has a very strong job base.

While Chandler has drawn industry leaders such as  Intel, Orbital Sciences, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Amkor, InfusionSoft, PayPal and Microchip, savvy leisure and business travelers realize that Chandler's variety of accommodations are also conveniently located near regional freeways, shopping, restaurants and attractions.  The community's highly educated and skilled workforce, growing employment base, low unemployment, household income and wealth trends are well above state and national averages.

Chandler enjoys a rich cultural reputation. The renovated 1,508 seat Chandler Center for the Arts demonstrates the community's passion for the performing arts.  In addition, the community is served by many churches and service organizations, as well as Chandler Regional Hospital, a state-of-the-art Level I Trauma Center.

Chandler's dedication to quality education begins at the pre-school level.  The City's elementary and secondary school systems receive consistent national recognition for excellence. Chandler-Gilbert Community College and other community colleges and vocational schools in the area offer business and training programs.  The City is proud of the strong relationships it has developed with Arizona State University, University of Arizona and private universities.

Chandler boasts world-class recreation facilities, award-winning hotels, fabulous restaurants featuring a diverse array of cuisines, outdoor recreation, premier shopping and one-of-a-kind events. Chandler is graced with near-perfect weather, more than 330 sunny days a year, and an average temperature of 85 degrees.

Accolades

Chandler has received a great deal of national recognition; some recent accolades include the following:

  • NerdWallet.com: Best AZ City for Millennial Job Seekers - 2015: 1st Place
  • Law Street Media: Safest U.S. Cities over 200k population - 2015: 8th Place
  • WalletHub.com: Top U.S. cities for job seekers - 2015: 6th Place and Best Cities for Wallet Wellness - 4th place - 2015
  • Forbes.com: Best Cities for Working Parents - 2014: 3rd Place
  • Livability.com: Best U.S. Cities for Families - 2015: 6th Place and MyLife.com: Top 5 Places to Raise a Family - 2014: 4th Place
  • U.S. Tennis Association: Featured Facility Award - 2015: 1st Place

In addition to the City's accolades, the Municipal Utilities Department has positioned itself as a unique partner.

  • In June of 2010, the Town of Gilbert and the City of Chandler were honored for regional partnership and cooperation that resulted in construction of the state-of-the-art Santan Vista Water Treatment Plant. The collaboration between the communities helped each save $22 million in capital investment of the shared facility.
  • In partnership with Intel, Chandler recently finished a project to enhance our Industrial Process Water Treatment Facility, now known as the Ocotillo Brine Reduction Facility (OBRF). Originally constructed in 1996, this facility has been an innovator in the waste water treatment industry. The facility takes industrial process water from Intel's chip manufacturing facilities and restores it to drinking quality standards before recharging it back into the aquifer or returning it to the Intel Ocotillo Campus for their industrial use. One of the by-products of Intel's purification process is large volumes of "industrial brine." To capture the last bit of water out of the brine, the City and Intel upgraded the facility's water treatment membranes; added a water softening complex; incorporated a brine concentrator; and improved the solids handling infrastructure to improve optimization. This upgrade has allowed Intel to reuse even more of the recycled water back into its on-site water management systems.
  • The Innovative Water Allocation Policy, recently approved by City Council, balances land use planning and water resources for future development. The policy preserves water resources as an economic development asset and aligns water allocation with the benefit derived from high paying jobs provided by future high volume industrial and commercial water users.  

Government

The City operates under the Council-Manager form of government in which policy-making and administration are two separate entities. The City Manager serves as the chief executive whose main responsibilities include appointing department heads and overseeing the day-to-day operations of City government. Strong fiscal policies and discipline to maintain low debt and financial reserves provides the City with flexibility to develop and continue to receive excellent bond ratings.

The Position

The primary function of the Municipal Utilities Director is to plan, manage and direct administrative, managerial, and supervisory work of the Municipal Utilities Department, including the Solid Waste, Water and Wastewater, Reverse Osmosis, Airport Water Reclamation and Water Resources divisions. The Municipal Utilities' staff consists of 193 employees.  In FY 15/16, the budget was over $331 million, including over $259 million in capital projects.  The Director position reports to the City Manager or an Assistant City Manager. Residency in the City of Chandler is required.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned professional with experience in local, state and federal water and wastewater utility regulations as well as experience in water policy planning.  This strong leader will bring significant fiscal management, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as an ability to work closely and effectively with the City staff and the community. The ideal candidate should thrive in a strong team oriented culture and must possess excellent customer service skills and a strong ability to collaborate and maintain relationships with stakeholders.  This individual should demonstrate the capacity to inspire staff to achieve excellence and encourage professional development. 

Education, Experience and Licensing

  • A Bachelor's degree in public or business administration, engineering, or related field; and
  • A minimum of ten (10) years of administrative/management experience including five (5) years in the area of municipal utilities, including supervisory experience and experience in the management of multiple municipal programs is required. A combination of experience and training which provides the knowledge and abilities necessary to perform the work may be considered.
  • A State of Arizona Professional Engineer Certification is desired.

Leadership and Management Style

  • An effective, service-oriented manager who respects employees;
  • A leader in staff development who cultivates high morale;
  • A manager who seeks to delegate and empower his/her staff and appreciates the strengths of a talented and devoted team;
  • Team builder and mentor/committed to developing City staff to their fullest potential; and
  • Relationship builder; proactive in establishing constructive and collaborative relationships with the City's numerous stakeholders (internal and external). 

Competencies

  • Productive and can direct multiple projects effectively;
  • Possesses fiscal knowledge to include budget development and utility rate development;
  • Embraces a community appreciative of its quality of life with continuing high expectations;
  • Possesses business savvy; experienced in dealing with and developing relationships with the business community;
  • Visionary and innovative leadership, which encourages and recognizes creativity, innovation and flexibility at all levels of the Department and programs;
  • Honest; highest level of integrity; and
  • Communicates effectively in written, verbal and presentations forms.

Salary

The salary range for this position is $120,073 - $168,102.

The City of Chandler also offers a comprehensive benefits package. Relocation assistance will be available for a successful out of area candidate.

How to Apply

Applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:

resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: MUD

Affion Public
2120 Market Street
Camp Hill, PA 17011
888.321.4922
Fax: 717-214-8004
www.affionpublic.com

*Deadline to receive resumes is January 25, 2016

 

 

The City of Chandler is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and Reasonable Accommodation. 

Posted: 03/22/2022