JOB TITLE: Utilities Director
AGENCY: City of Gilroy
LOCATION: Gilroy, CA
FILING DEADLINE:  October 27, 2023
SALARY RANGE:  $189,252 – $252,375 Annually
 
THE POSITION
Under the direct supervision of the City Administrator, serves as the head of the Utilities Department and technical advisor to the City Administrator and other department heads on utilities related matters. Organizes and administers the operations of City Utilities (including Water, Wastewater, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant); directs the activities and execution of short- and long-term goals and projects for the Department to best serve the needs of the City. Develops and directs the implementation of goals, objectives, policies, procedures and work standards for the Utilities Department. Plans, organizes, assigns, directs, reviews and evaluates utilities and utility-related engineering activities, including project planning, design, construction and inspection, as well as maintenance activities for water and wastewater utilities. This is an exempt, director-level position with management and supervisory responsibilities for the Utilities Department and assigned personnel.
 

• Plan, organize and direct the City utilities program including: water supply, treatment, storage, conservation, distribution, facilities and customer service operations; wastewater collection, treatment and redistribution.
• Implement the City’s Water and Wastewater Master Plans and long-term South County Regional Wastewater Authority (SCRWA) Capital Improvement Plan.
• Forecast water usage needs, develop plans for water distribution and recycling accordingly and allocate funds as necessary.
• Coordinate with Valley Water to ensure the City’s long-term sustainability of water supply needs are met and groundwater supplies are properly protected.
• Perform preliminary and final engineering review and consultation on public and private utility-related projects with developers, designers and project engineers; review and sign maps, plans, specifications and projects for compliance with sound engineering practices and existing laws; review initial studies and environmental impact reports for adequate mitigation of utility infrastructure impacts.
• Confer with City officials and community groups on proposed utilities projects.
• Prepare and present comprehensive technical reports.
• Make presentations before Boards, Commissions and the City Council.
• Direct the departmental budget, to include: preparing section budgets, preparing the annual five-year and ten-year capital improvement budgets for utility projects, preparing and administering the SCRWA budget and monitoring revenues and expenditures.
• Research, develop and monitor grant funding, programs and projects.
• Research, analyze and make recommendations for cost-effective department-wide operations, to include: designing, administering and evaluating departmental programs and services; addressing process issues; and implementing required changes.
• Select, train and evaluate departmental personnel.
• Monitor developments related to municipal utilities matters, evaluate their impact upon City operations and recommend policy and procedural improvements.
• Coordinate the activities of the Utilities Department with those of other departments and agencies. Meet with and represent the City in project development and negotiations with regional agencies such as Valley Water and our SCRWA partner, City of Morgan Hill.
• Serve as the City’s representative on all local, regional, and state-level boards including those at Valley Water to ensure that the City has representation for all matters impacting Gilroy rate payers.
• May be assigned to support the Operations Branch, or other branches, of the City’s Emergency Operations Center.

 
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
 The Director of the newly created Utilities Department will be a visionary thinker, innovative and inspiring, with exceptional management, interpersonal and communication skills. As the Utilities Director, it will be important to effectively build the department and lead the team in a dynamic environment. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience overseeing and managing water and wastewater capital improvement projects and maintenance of existing systems, working with cutting-edge technology, having a desire to manage challenging and exciting projects and thriving in a changing environment. The ideal candidate will ensure Gilroy is well-represented with SCRWA and will be proactive in overseeing the City’s involvement with the wastewater treatment plant.
 
The ideal candidate will bring extensive knowledge of current trends and best practices that impact and influence all aspects of water and wastewater management as the City of Gilroy increases in population and expands its services. It is also essential for the next Utilities Director to have experience working with other City departments, interacting and answering inquiries from the community, representing the Department at council meetings and building relationships with neighboring agencies to ensure a seat at the table from a regional utility perspective.
 
THE COMMUNITY
The City of Gilroy is ideally situated in south Santa Clara County, 28 miles south of San Jose and 15 miles east of the Pacific Coastline. Gilroy has emerged as a thriving city of almost 60,000 residents, with a healthy economic base consisting of food processing, wine production and retail shopping outlets. Gilroy’s economy is diversified into nonagricultural commercial and industrial activities such as light manufacturing, wholesale operations, automobile sales, and large retail centers. The world-famous Silicon Valley, one of the world’s most enterprising and technologically advanced metropolitan areas, is located within a 1/2-hour drive north of the City. To learn more about the City of Gilroy, go to: https://www.cityofgilroy.org.
 
For more details about this opportunity, please visit the job brochure at: https://koffassociates.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Gilroy-Utilities-Director-final.pdf.
 
To be considered, please electronically submit your resume, cover letter and a list of five professional references (references will not be contacted in the early stages of the recruitment) to: https://koffassociates.com/utilities-director/.
 
Resumes should reflect years and months of positions held, as well as size of staff and budgets you have managed. For additional information, please contact:  
 
Joshua Boudreaux
(510) 901-0044
josh_boudreaux@ajg.com
OR
Pete Smith
(510) 342-3233
Peter_smith1@ajg.com
Website: https://koffassociates.com/