BUREAU MANAGER - BUSINESS OPERATIONS

DESCRIPTION

THE COMMUNITY

Ideally located on the Pacific Ocean south of Los Angeles, adjacent to Orange County, the City of Long Beach, California (population 470,000) is frequently described as a series of strong, diverse interwoven smaller communities within a large city. Enjoying an ideal Southern California climate, Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreational options. The Long Beach Convention Center, Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, and the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, plus a wide variety of other attractions (two historic ranchos, three marinas, and five golf courses), serve to draw 6.5 million visitors a year. The City is also home to California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Cal State Long Beach is the second largest university in the state and was recently ranked the No. 3 best-value public college in the nation. Covering approximately 50 square miles, Long Beach is supported by a wide mix of industries with education, health and social services, manufacturing, retail trade, and professional services comprising the highest representation. Known for its livable and desirable neighborhoods, Long Beach was named by America’s Promise Alliance as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People two years in a row. While it offers all the amenities of a large metropolis, many say Long Beach offers the added benefit of having maintained a strong sense of community and cohesiveness despite its growth. A superb climate, quality schools, a vibrant downtown, and a wide variety of neighborhoods help make Long Beach one of the most livable communities in the country.

CITY GOVERNMENT

Long Beach, a charter city formed in 1897, is governed by nine City Council Members elected by district and a city-wide elected Mayor. Other elected officials include the City Attorney, City Auditor, and City Prosecutor. The elected officials are elected to staggered four-year terms. The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Clerk. The City Manager is responsible for the efficient administration of all City departments, excluding those under the direction of a separately elected official, Board or Commission. Long Beach is one of only three cities in California with its own Health Department and one of the very few municipalities with its own Utilities Department (Water and Gas) and Energy Resources Departments. The City is supported by a FY 2024 total budget of approximately $3.3 billion, with a General Fund budget of $719 million. More than 6,000 full and part-time employees support municipal operations with the vast majority being represented by twelve employee associations. To learn more about the City of Long Beach, go to: www.longbeach.gov.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Community Development delivers a wide variety of programs and services to help create and maintain more safe, sustainable, and livable neighborhoods. The department is comprised of five bureaus: Building and Safety, Code Enforcement, Housing and Neighborhood Services, Planning, and Administrative and Financial Services. Our staff of more than 200 works tirelessly to serve the community through an array of policies and programs, including land use and development, affordable housing, environment and historic preservation, neighborhood improvement, and construction standards and safety. We are dedicated to making a positive difference in our role to help transform Long Beach into a model urban community that honors its past and embraces the future.

THE POSITION

Under the general direction of the Director of Community Development, the LB Builds - ELM project manager will manage the functional and operational (i.e., non-technical) aspects and processes associated with the procurement and implementation of the City’s enterprise land management (ELM) system, including managing contractors providing procurement, general project management, and quality assurance services; supporting a three-tier governance structure; overseeing change management and training processes; communicating with and presenting to internal stakeholders including the City Manager, Mayor and Council, and external stakeholders, such as licensing and permitting customers and business organizations. This work involves leading and facilitating the Citywide integration of permitting and licensing processes and procedures; planning and coordinating the change management processes required to maximize staff’s positive reception and adoption of business operation changes; and collaborating and communicating with the City’s functional departments.

The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker that can track and resolve the myriad of decisions that need to be made and issues to be resolved. A collaborative, active and engaged leadership style will be essential towards creating a positive, team-oriented environment to create a system that facilitates intra- and interdepartmental workflow and supports citywide functions and needs. This is not a permanent position but is structured for a four-year term and is an excellent opportunity for a mid-career or late-career professional to shape the City’s technology transformation impacting tens of thousands of customers per year obtaining permits and licenses across more than six city departments.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Advise the Directors of Community Development, Technology and Innovation, Financial Management and other departments on best practices in major software system replacement for the benefit of the city and its customers.
  
• Develop and articulate the overall vision for the ELM project as a mechanism to improve the customer experience and drive positive outcomes for the City and its customers. Communicate and infuse this vision across multiple departments, levels of management and internal and external stakeholders.
  
• In conjunction with the General Project Manager (contractor), prepare and regularly maintain a project management plan, and related documents including the project schedule, budget, resourcing, roles and responsibilities, risk register, issue, and dependency logs.
  
• In conjunction with the General Project Manager (contractor) and quality assurance contractor, proactively manage the performance of the solution vendor(s) during the project, in accordance with relevant contracts and the project schedule.
  
• Adhere to the governance structure and processes for the life of the project.
  
• Prepare executive-level project reports and regular project status reports on time. Present project status to the Project Steering Committee at each meeting and coordinate complete and accurate responses to all Steering Committee questions or directives.
  
• Coordinate processing of any vendor variations, for consideration and approval by the Steering Committee.
  
• Prepare and presenting activity and progress reports to the ERP Governance Board and the Executive Steering Team.
  
• Engage with all key stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle to achieve timely and desired outcomes, drive innovation and manage costs.
  
• Coordinate and lead the project team members to promote a positive customer service-oriented culture.
  
• Establish and manage a project risk register and escalate any issues that may impact the timely delivery of the project.
  
• Contribute to the ongoing development of project and demand processes and ensure alignment to resource delivery capabilities.
  
• Coordinate as part of the project all resource demands requested of GTC and prepare and present a forward-looking demand schedule.
  
• Work with GTC Directors and other stakeholders to establish demand priorities and work those priorities through the overall project planning.
  
• Ensure that sound change management practices are employed for both technical and organizational change.
  
• Coordinate the change management approval process with the project steering committee.
  
• Ensure that appropriate attention and resource is given to timeliness and quality of testing (particularly UAT).
  
• Develop and coordinate training, seminars, and workshops related to the implementation of the project.
  
• Identify process key success factors for improvement initiatives and implementation to agreed timelines.
  
• Ensure that project progress milestones and handover requirements are clearly agreed and documented.
  
• Ensure that the ELM system meets business requirements and goals, fulfilling user requirements, and identifying and resolving systems issues.
  
• Assist with contracts negotiations with ERP software and service providers as needed.
  
• Undertake such other responsibilities or tasks as are consistent with the position, as directed from time to time.
  
• The duties listed above are intended only as general illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. Specific statements of duties not included does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.
  

REQUIREMENTS TO FILE

EDUCATION

• A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Public Administration, or a related field is required (proof of possession of a degree required at filling). P rofessional experience beyond the minimum qualifications may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

*Required documents, such as transcripts, degrees, certificates, or licenses, must be uploaded to the online application in PDF format at the time of filing. Any documents submitted must contain either the applicant's name or other identifying characteristics on the document. Proof of education for academic degrees should indicate the type of degree and date of degree conferral. Candidates who possess degrees or units from outside the United States must attach proof of educational equivalency at the time of filing.

EXPERIENCE

• Five (5) years of paid, full time equivalent, increasingly responsible experience performing duties in the management and administration of public projects including vendor management, developing and presenting status reports such as timeframes, costs, deliverables, risks, and issues.
• Three (3) years of the required experience must have been gained in a supervisory or management capacity.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• This individual need not be a software/IT professional but should be familiar with the use of permitting or licensing software used by local government.
• Excellent customer focus and demonstrated ability to work in complex business environments.
  
• Desirable previous experience in local government or the public sector.
• Desirable Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or other certifications such as PMBOK.
• Possession of a valid Class C Drivers License

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Excellent understanding of City processes and functions across multiple departments.
  
• Ability to seek consensus and resolve interdepartmental differences such that the City speaks to vendors and stakeholders with a single voice.
  
• Exceptional ability to communicate technical concepts in accessible language to a variety of audiences and to bridge the gap between technical specifications and organizational goals and priorities.
  
• Knowledge of and a clear understanding of good project management practices.
  
• Solid project management skills, effectively managing multiple small to large projects in a cross-functional environment.
  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, along with good judgment.
  
• Demonstrated ability to effectively adapt to rapidly changing requirements and apply it to business needs.
  
• Proven ability to be able to work under stress, and flexibility to handle pressure coming from all directions simultaneously.
  
• Strong team-oriented interpersonal skills, and ability to effectively interface with a wide variety of people and roles.
  
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills.
  
• Effectiveness in all aspects of core business skills, analysis, communication, writing, and negotiation.
  
• Ability to work calmly under pressure and to meet deadlines (this includes the ability to organize and implement several tasks concurrently and successfully meet deadlines).
  
• Prioritize, direct, and complete work in a stressful environment with significant attention to detail.
  
• Work effectively in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
  

• Understand the organization’s goals and objectives.
  
• Communicate information and ideas in both technical and user-friendly language.
  

SELECTION PROCEDURE

This recruitment will close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Thursday, July 4th, 2024 . To be considered, please submit an online application, including a cover letter, resume, and proof of education (if qualifying with a degree) in PDF format. Applications that fail to include all necessary documents will be considered incomplete and will not be taken into consideration.

Applications will be reviewed for depth and breadth of experience, and for level and relatedness of education. The most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in further selection procedures. The selected candidate may be required to go through a background check and a physical examination prior to appointment. For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact (562) 570-6913.

The City of Long Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We value and encourage diversity in our workforce. The City of Long Beach is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are. Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers. To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners. We are committed to promoting transparency by publishing updated demographic information for employees, including workforce diversity data and pay by race and gender.

The City of Long Beach will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act . You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer. If the City of Long Beach has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act

The City of Long Beach intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please contact (562) 570-6913.

For technical support with your governmentjobs.com application, please contact (855) 524-5627.

The City of Long Beach offers its employees opportunities to grow personally and professionally.As a permanent employee, you are eligible to receive fringe benefits that include:

Retirement:California Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) defined benefit retirement plan, which is coordinated with Social Security. The benefit is 2.5% or 2.7% (depending on hire date) @55 for "Classic" members and 2% @62 for new members as defined by PEPRA, subject to the compensation limitations set by PERS. Both the City and the employee contributes toward CalPERS retirement contributions. The city also participates in Social Security.

Health and Dental Insurance:The City offers the choice of HMO and PPO plans. The city pays major portion of the premium for employee and dependents depending on the health/ dental plan selected.

Life Insurance:City-paid term life insurance policy equal to three (3) times annual salary to a maximum of $500,000.

Disability Insurance:City-paid short-term and long-term disability insurance.

Management Physical:Annual City-paid physical examination.

Vacation:Twelve (12) vacation days after the first year of service; 15 days after four years, six months of service; 20 days after 19 years, six months of service.

Executive Leave:Forty (40) hours Executive Leave per year. The City Manager has discretion to grant an additional 40 hours each year.

Sick Leave: One day earned per month; unlimited accumulation; conversion upon retirement to cash credit toward health and/or dental insurance premiums, or to pension credits.

Holidays:Eleven (11) designated holidays per year, plus four personal holidays to be used at the employee's discretion.

Transportation Allowance:Monthly allowance is allocated by classifications below;

• Department Head $650.00
• Deputy Director/Manager/Director (Harbor/Utilities) $550.00
• Division Officer/Superintendent/ Chief of Staff / Administrator / Principal DCA $450.00
• Assistant to Executive / Executive Assistant / Executive Secretary/ Executive Support Staff $300.00

Deferred Compensation Plan:Optional for employee contribution to a supplementary retirement savings program available through Mission Square Retirement formerly ICMA-RC Retirement Corporation).

• Classic CalPERS Members: The City will contribute a maximum of up to two percent (2%) of base salary* for all qualified Classic CalPERS members.
• Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) CalPERS Members: Effective the second full pay period following City Council adoption, the City contribution will increase from two percent (2%) to three percent (3%) of base salary* for all qualified PEPRA CalPERS members.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA):Optional election for employees to reduce taxable income for payment of allowable childcare or medical expenses.

Flexible/Hybrid Work Schedule:Available (subject to City Manager approval).

Paid Parental Leave: The City provides one hundred and sixty (160) hours of Paid Parental Leave at 100% of salary, for the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child, regardless of the gender, marital status or sexual orientation of the parent.

Closing Date/Time: 7/4/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Long Beach, California United States View Map