The City of High Point, NC is seeking an adaptive leader with excellent strategic thinking to be their next Assistant City Manager (ACM). Assistant City Managers are responsible for helping the City Manager in implementing the City Council’s policies and providing strategic direction and leadership oversight to City departments and functions. The new Assistant City Manager will be assigned specific departments based on organizational needs and their skill set.
High Point anchors the Piedmont Triad region with a population of more than 1.7 million. High Point is unique – the City is the only municipality in North Carolina whose city limits encompass parts of four counties. Most of the City is located within the southwest quadrant of Guilford County; approximately two percent of the City’s area extending into neighboring Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. The City covers over 57.4 square miles.
High Point is a great place to live and to do business. The City has impressively diversified its industrial base over the years. In addition to furniture and home furnishings, major industry clusters today include aerospace; logistics, transportation, and distribution; innovative manufacturing; life sciences, pharmaceutical, and nutritional; healthcare; commercial photography; and specialized business services (banking, credit, financial services, etc.).
Home of the semi-annual High Point Market, the largest wholesale finished goods home furnishings market in the world, High Point has a tremendous impact on the economy of the entire Piedmont Triad. An average of 150,000 retail home furnishings buyers, manufacturers sales representatives, interior designers, and news media attend each market held in April and October of each year. All 50 states and more than 110 foreign countries are represented at these markets. For the regional economy, the annual economic impact is more than $6.7 billion and over 42,427 jobs are supported.* High Point University and Guilford Technical and Community College join nearly a dozen other colleges and universities in the Triad area, creating a highly educated regional workforce. These institutions are critical partners to the City.
Tree-lined neighborhoods with beautiful parks and lakes serve as the backdrop for a safe and vibrant community of more than 116,065. High Point, NC has abundant outdoor activities, a vibrant arts scene, an active faith community, and excellent shopping and fine dining. The natural beauty of four distinct seasons, with an average high of 79 and an average low of 42, is a natural draw for young families and retirees alike. Its central location within North Carolina offers easy access to the amenities of the state from the coast to the mountains.
Additional information about the community is available here.
The City of High Point operates under a Council/Manager form of government with more than 1,400 FTE employees working across 25 departments. In addition to traditional municipal departments, High Point is a member of ElectriCities and also has a fixed route transit system, a City library, museum, and theater. Holding a AAA bond rating and multiple GFOA budget awards the annual operating budget is more than $416.3 million across all funds. The City property tax rate is $.6475 per $100 of assessed evaluation. The core values of Integrity, Creativity, Helpfulness, Responsibility, Partnership, and Balance are the basis for actions and decisions. They are the compass for accomplishing the City mission, vision, and objectives. The City supports community engagement and offers multiple ways for the community to become involved and stay informed with 12 Advisory Boards and Commissions.
The successful candidate will join a group of highly competent staff many of which, have enjoyed long term careers with the City of High Point. This will create some challenges with retirements, but also a unique opportunity to leverage the existing talent, as well as the opportunity to leverage and recruit new talent to serve the community well into the future.
Reporting to the Deputy City Manager, the Assistant City Manager and one other Assistant City Manager participate in orchestrating strategic City priorities by engaging with a wide variety of staff, elected officials, citizens, citizen groups, and the business community. The experience and credentialing of the successful candidate are equally focused on both project management and leadership skills with a large and diverse portfolio of operating and administration departments. Candidates must have experience that illustrates a track record of integrity and innovation, regardless of their portfolio.
The successful candidate is an energetic, proactive collaborator and coordinator of people and tasks with excellent interpersonal, project management, and operational skills. A key responsibility will be leading department projects through various stages while ensuring collaboration across departments and stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes aligned with strategic priorities. Successful candidate will also have a track record of working effectively within the Council-Manager form of government, leading talented and committed staff within their portfolio areas, working with leadership and the community to manage that challenges of rapid growth effectively and consistent with City’s values, and, working with a diverse and participatory community, and the Council to carry out strategic priorities.
The next Assistant City Manager must be an expert in effectively listening to stakeholders, balance competing interests and finding effective solutions to challenges. Staff development, building a culture of collaborative innovation, and consensus-building are key leadership principles. The City is looking for a strategic thinker who is not merely consultative but truly a collaborative implementor to ensure the application of systematic and strategic project management principles that identify metrics, create action plans, and achieve delivery of project outcomes on time and on budget.
The successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in municipal government with at least five years of administrative and supervisory responsibility (department head or assistant city manager preferred) in complex, interdepartmental operations in a community of comparable size. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required while a master’s degree is strongly preferred with coursework in public or business administration, or a related field. Supplemental education, training, certification, or accreditation is preferred.
The hiring range is $118,058.64 to $160,234.88. The City offers an outstanding benefits program. Information about the City’s benefits can be found by clicking here. There is a residency requirement within a negotiated timeframe after appointment.
Employee-offered benefits include: Cigna Health Coverage; Cigna Basic Dental Coverage; Cigna Premium Dental Coverage; Wellness Programs; Mark III Optional Benefits; ORBIT-NC Retirement System; State Retirement System; Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU); Flexible Spending Account; Colonial Insurance Company; Community Eye Care (Vision); Liberty Mutual Insurance; Unum Insurance; myCigna.com; State 401(k) and NC 457 Plans; Savings Bonds; Personal and professional learning opportunities through Learning Management System, and 1% match on 401k.
Applications will be accepted electronically by Raftelis. Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. Open until filled with the first review of applications on March 11, 2022.
Please direct questions to Catherine Tuck Parrish at [email protected] or 513-221-0500 or to Pamela Wideman at [email protected] or 704-287-3649.
