Director of Public Works

Posting number: 020021-26-PW

Department: Public Works

Division: Business Operations

Job classification: Director of Public Works

Posting type: Open

Categories: Administration, Public Works, Management, Professional, Miscellaneous

Summary

The next Director of Public Works is an experienced, grounded, and collaborative leader who brings the management depth and interpersonal range to lead a large, complex department while remaining genuinely connected to the people and communities that the department serves. The ideal candidate understands that Public Works is Sacramento's most visible service organization and carries that responsibility with pride, consistency, and a commitment to excellence in every interaction, from the executive conference room to the field. This is a leader who builds trust readily, listens before acting, and earns credibility through both competence and character.

The successful candidate is an exceptional communicator who can move fluidly between technical briefings, community conversations, City Council chambers, and front-line crews. They translate complexity into clarity, advocate effectively for department needs, and navigate politically sensitive situations with professionalism and poise. Transparency is a core leadership value, and this Director keeps staff, leadership, and partners informed, addresses challenges directly, and models open and honest communications.

This is a leader who knows how to manage through others. The Director will inherit experienced division managers and a workforce with deep institutional knowledge and will know how to honor that expertise while also setting high expectations, providing clear direction, and creating an environment where staff are empowered to grow and perform. Strong coaching and delegation skills are essential, as is a genuine commitment to succession planning, workforce development, and building a bench that reflects the diversity of Sacramento's community.

The next Director will bring broad operational experience managing diverse municipal services, such as public works, utilities, transportation, or similarly complex operations, along with a demonstrated track record of overseeing large budgets with multiple funding sources, delivering capital improvement programs, and implementing service enhancements within a public agency environment. While an engineering background is valued, it is not required. The City is equally interested in candidates who have successfully led complex technical organizations through strong management practices, sound judgment, and the ability to build, empower, and effectively leverage teams with deep subject matter expertise. Experience with unionized workforces and the dynamics of collective bargaining in a large public agency is an important foundation for success.

The ideal candidate brings a strong working knowledge of transportation, infrastructure, and sustainability best practices, including traffic safety, active transportation, fleet and facilities management, solid waste operations, and climate resilience, and understands how these services contribute to broader community goals and quality of life. They are strategically minded, able to look across a large and diverse portfolio and make sound decisions about where to invest attention, resources, and energy. Equally important, they understand the value of being visible and engaged, in the field, at community meetings, and alongside the front-line employees who represent Public Works to the Sacramento community every day.

The ideal candidate will possess a Certificate of Registration as a professional engineer in the State of California.

Under executive direction, the Director of Public Works serves as the principal administrator of the Public Works Department; plans, organizes, directs and reviews all the activities of the divisions that comprise the Public Works Department; interfaces with City officials, division managers, City Council, an