Town Manager

Iconic Chapel Hill, North Carolina, seeks next Town Manager

• Are you an innovative leader committed to collaborating with communities around a cohesive concept and action plan of sustainable growth?
• Are you experienced in working effectively with an active and engaged Council committed to fostering an equitable, progressive, sustainable Town through implementing our Complete Community vision?
• Do you have a track record of expanding opportunities to ensure access to community assets and services?
• Are you a strategic and experienced leader who can navigate ambitious and sometimes competing project demands in a changing funding atmosphere?
• Are you passionate about customer service and inspiring teams to achieve established approved priorities?

If this describes you, the Town of Chapel Hill invites you to apply to be its next Town Manager. Leading an award-winning and dynamic university community with outstanding leadership skills through a period of immense opportunity, the Town manager is responsible for executing the strategic direction of the Town of Chapel Hill and overseeing and managing day-to-day service delivery. The next Town Manager must be able to demonstrate experience effectively implementing innovative solutions and programs and solving 21st-century issues. The successful candidate will be able to navigate the complexity of a progressive university town in a challenging state and federal political environment.

About the Organization:  The Town's mission is Learning, Serving, and Working Together to Build a Community Where People Thrive. Our organization's RESPECT values (Responsibility, Equity, Safety, Professionalism, Ethics, Communication, and Teamwork) are the basis for our choices. They are reflected in our behavior and decisions every day. They are our compass as we accomplish our mission and objectives. As a result, residents have consistently rated Chapel Hill as "high-performing" in biennial community surveys.

In the past three years, the Town has transitioned to a five-year budget outlook aimed at ensuring organization-wide sustainability and economic resiliency. The Town consistently wins awards for its annual budget and financial report. More information about the Town, its mission, and its core values of RESPECT can be found here (or copy http://www.townofchapelhill.org/town-hall/departments-services/human-resource-development/mission-and-values into your browser).  

The Town operates under a Council-Manager form of government, with the Town Manager reporting to the Mayor and eight at-large Council members. The Town Manager works with the Council to carry out their strategic priorities. The Town's strategic focus areas include Environmental Stewardship, Economic and Financial Stewardship, Affordable Housing, Connected Community, Healthy and Inclusive Community, Safe Community, and Employee Recruitment and Retention.

Chapel Hill's strategic focus for the future is guided by the community vision established in the Chapel Hill 2020 Comprehensive Plan, refined with our 2023 Complete Community framework. It is incorporated into the organization's departmental business plans.

The Town prides itself on equitable community engagement. It offers multiple ways for the community to become involved, share input,  and stay informed through the Community Connections Strategy and Engagement Study Implementation, nine Advisory Boards and Commissions, and state-of-the-art communication tools such as an open data Web platform and social media to community surveys. 

About the Position and Scope of Supervision

The Town Manager, along with two Deputy Town Managers, lead more than 793 FTE employees and 200-250 seasonal and part-time staff across 16 departments. The Town Manager oversees Economic Development, Fire, Police, Town Clerk, Communications/ Community Relations, and Emergency Management/ Risk Management. Of note in the town departmental structure are several unique functions related to Chapel Hill's organizational and community values, including Ombuds, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Affordable Housing, and Public Housing.  Chapel Hill also has its own library and transit system. 

The Town of Chapel Hill's FY2024-25 budget is approximately $157 million, a 4% increase over the prior year. The General Fund budget is $85,000,000. There are several enterprise funds, including funds for transit, Stormwater, parking, and housing.  

Chapel Hill's current tax rate is .592 cents per $100 valuation. A portion of the tax rate is dedicated to transit and debt service. There is also a Downtown Service District tax. The tax rate was increased by 2 cents for FY2024-25 and 5 cents for the prior year.  In Orange County, the FY2025 tax rate is $.8629 (an increase of $.0279 over the preceding year), and in Durham County $.7987 (an increase of $.0467 over the prior year).  In Orange County, there is also a school tax of $.198. 

Key Position Priorities:

• Employ a leadership style that fosters respectful and inclusive Council/Manager/Staff relationships while facilitating consensus-building among diverse viewpoints, ensuring transparent communications and supporting a Council committed to robust dialogue.
• Intentionally learning the needs of the community and organization, eagerly building sustainable and collaborative internal and external relationships and partnerships with public and private sector stakeholders.
• Advancing Council/Town priorities around environmental sustainability, growth of a diverse mix of housing options, a robust public transit system, and implementation of an ambitious climate action plan, with energy and diplomacy, and prioritizing prompt, decisive action in delivering a vision that aligns with the community's needs.
• Demonstrating a commitment to staff development and training while creating a workplace culture of continuous development, where morale is excellent, and staff is valued and held accountable to high standards of excellence.
• Managing and evaluating the varying needs and status of the Town's infrastructure, coal ash/brownfields redevelopment, critical affordable housing projects, implementation of our greenway projects, LUMO, and Class/ Compensation projects, among others, while working with key partners and staff to oversee the progress and funding for all projects.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required. 
• The successful candidate will have at least 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in municipal management, with at least five years as an assistant manager or manager, or as a department head from a larger community overseeing more than one area. 
• Evidence of significant economic development and housing growth success is required.
• Must have a proven track record in leading with a philosophy that ensures transparent public communication, effective intergovernmental relations, personal community engagement, cohesive and collaborative change, visionary leadership, and adeptness at leading and implementing strategic planning to meet community goals.  

Preferred Qualifications:

• A master's degree or higher is strongly preferred.
• Work experience in a university community is desirable.
• ICMA credentialed manager designation is preferred. 

The Successful Candidate is:

• an ethical leader who sets an example by being committed to public accessibility, open, and transparent government by proactively seeking opportunities to communicate in multiple forums, encouraging community input, incorporating that input into decision-making, informing the public about those decisions, and proactively responding to the media when appropriate;
• a confident and trusting leader who, along with staff, aligns their work with the Council's priorities by presenting options and recommendations, implementing Council decisions, and being accountable for the outcomes.
• skilled at diplomatically engaging with a diversity of stakeholders, such as community members of varying economic status, community groups, Town Council members, employees, University and business leaders, and regional, state, and federal authorities to advocate for an inclusive community, while leveraging Town opportunities and mitigating challenges for all;
• knowledgeable about and is an experienced innovator for affordable housing solutions, green environmental strategy and protection approaches, applying technology strategy and solutions, community and social justice-focused public safety, comprehensive land use planning, and strategic partnerships;
• a data-driven decision maker who seeks information from multiple sources, tracks outcomes, and uses data as well as stakeholder input to reach conclusions;
• able to effectively recruit, retain, manage, develop, and engage talented staff to deliver excellent customer service to both internal and external customers;
• an excellent communicator both verbally and in writing and possesses well-developed interpersonal skills and abilities;
• supportive of the growth trajectory of the Town while also understanding the impact redevelopment has on at-risk communities; 
• a creative thinker in assessing ways to increase revenue, such as enhancing the business-residential tax base as well as effective in managing expenses to identify cost savings while delivering outstanding service;
• experienced in developing, analyzing, and managing general and capital budgets on a five-year rolling strategy to ensure predictable planning and fiscal stewardship;
• resilient in the face of challenges and seeks creative solutions to problems; and,
• an effective networker who partners with peers in neighboring communities and municipalities throughout the state.

Salary and Benefits: The hiring range for this position is $225,000 to $300,000. Compensation is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. View the Town’s excellent benefits package here: https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/human-resource-development/employee-benefits. Residency within the Town’s corporate limits is highly preferred, residency within the county is required within a negotiated timeline.

Please note the following:

• All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) – NOT the town’s employment application portal or any other external website.
• Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
• Applicants should apply by April 9, 2025.
• The hiring team will invite successful semi-finalists to participate in skill evaluation on May 15-16, 2025. Final interviews with the Council will occur in person after that point. Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate.
• Direct inquiries to hiring@developmentalassociates.com.

The Town of Chapel Hill is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Developmental Associates, LLC manages this position's recruitment and selection process. To learn more about our selection process, visit https://developmentalassociates.com/client-openings/, select “Client Openings," and scroll down to “Important Information for Applicants.”

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• Developmental Associates

• 9198136096, ext 101