City of San Rafael Assistant Community & Economic Development Director THE COMMUNITY: Marin County's first incorporated city, San Rafael has a population of approximately 60,000 and lies midway between San Francisco and California's famous wine country. At 22.51 square miles, San Rafael serves as the county eat and is the county's premier economic, financial, cultural, and service center. As a regional transportation hub, San Rafael is at the center of highway and transit access to west Marin, Sonoma County, the East Bay and San Francisco.
The City of San Rafael offers both a small-town atmosphere and a lively urban environment. It is the economic and cultural heart of Marin County, surrounded by open space and the bay, making it a vibrant city in an incomparably beautiful natural setting. Famous for its favorable climate, San Rafael provides a central base for taking day trips to scenic locations such as the Napa/Sonoma wine country, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Muir Woods. San Rafael's many attractions include its namesake Mission San Rafael Arcangel, the landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center, Victorian architecture, a lively downtown, China Camp State Park, and more.
San Rafael has a varied and rich economy fueled by high tech, biotech, entertainment, financial, service-oriented, and industrial businesses. The city is home to major employers such as Kaiser Permanente, BioMarin, and is home to the County of Marin's government offices and courts, and offers residents and visitors an array of regional retailers in addition to unique local shops. The community is primed for growth with the adoption of the General Plan 2040 and Downtown Precise Plan and multiple
development projects slated throughout the City.
San Rafael is also one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in Marin County. The City's residential neighborhoods are distinctive, each with its own history, character, and identity. There is a wide diversity of housing ranging from historic to new homes, apartments, multi-family units, and condos. The City has two public school districts with seven elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Dominican University of California, a private liberal arts college, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For more information on this dynamic city, please visit the City of San Rafael's website at
www.cityofsanrafael.org. THE ORGANIZATION: San Rafael, the "City with a Mission" was incorporated in 1874 and became a charter city in 1913. It is a full-service city with a City Council/City Manager form of government. San Rafael has an elected Mayor and four district-based elected City Council Members who serve four-year terms. The City Council is engaged and seeks to strengthen the urban and commercial areas as well as sustain the beautiful natural environment. The mission of the City is to enhance the quality of life and provide for a safe, healthy, prosperous, and livable environment in partnership with the community.
The city's vision is to be a vibrant economic and cultural center reflective of its diversity and desires to sustain the beautiful natural environment through informed and active residents, and to be a responsive,innovative local government.
The City of San Rafael has a staff of more than 400 employees and a total annual budget for fiscal year 2023/2024 of $172 million. The City's Departments and Divisions include the offices of the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk, Community and Economic Development, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Library & Recreation, Public Works, Human Resources, Finance, Parking Services, Digital Services and Open Government, and Sustainability. In 2022, the City was voted one of the top three "Best Places to Work" in local government by ELGL, a nationally recognized organization.
The City's internal cultural and organizational environment is collegial, respectful, inclusive, and champions the staff-developed and led initiative
"Together San Rafael", which seeks to bring staff and management together, encourage cross-departmental collaboration, empower employees, and celebrate innovation. Together San Rafael is a City-wide effort to improve service delivery through six guiding principles, where diverse, creative, and engaged employees work to best serve the needs of the community.
THE DEPARTMENT: The Community & Economic Development Department is comprised of five divisions which include Planning, Building, Code Enforcement, Housing, and Economic Development. The department's mission is to make San Rafael a great place to live and do business by fostering collaboration between businesses, the community and the City. The Planning, Building, Housing and Code Enforcement divisions support the City's land use entitlement, construction and inspection permitting, housing policy, and community code compliance programs. The Economic Development division works to create and maintain a thriving economic environment for businesses and residents by providing resources, primarily through the one-stop-shop "San Rafael Go" Program. The Community & Economic Development Department has a total Fiscal Year 2023/2024 budget of $7.4 Million and 23 full-time employees.
THE POSITION: Under the direction of the department Director, the Assistant Community & Economic Development Director (Assistant Director) will assist the Director in managing, directing, supervising, and coordinating the activities and operations of the department. Depending on background and experience, the Assistant Director will provide oversight to one or more of the department divisions. In addition, the Assistant Director will develop and enhance department policies and procedures, support in the development and management of the department budget, engage with the community on various development and/or City projects, support the business and development community, be a thought partner on creation and implementation of City policies and programs, serve in the absence of the Director, prepare reports and conduct presentations to Council, Boards, Commissions, and community groups, work cross-departmentally throughout the City.
For manager and director-level roles, the City of San Rafael also champions the
"Let's Lead Together" core values, which set the expectations and accountability measurements of leadership employees for moving the organization forward. These staff-developed values include, in part: Innovation, Leading with the Heart, Broadening and Sharing Perspectives, and Being Inclusive. It is expected that the successful individuals in this role will center "Let's Lead Together" values along with the "Together San Rafael" principles, as they approach their work, colleagues, and the community.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE: The Director seeks a municipal government professional with experience and knowledge in the areas of economic development, housing policy, real estate development, and project management with exceptional leadership skills to guide and manage employees and navigate complex projects and programs. The successful candidate brings an understanding of fiscal and budget administration, contract management, effective communication and presentation skills, and experience with working with businesses, developers, and community partners.
The next Assistant Community and Economic Development Director is a self-starter, with a proactive, relationship-based and inspirational managerial approach and an active communication style. As a demonstrated leader, the successful candidate demonstrates a proven track record of leading culture change and encouraging, coaching, and mentoring staff to consider innovative approaches in day-to-day operations and will work effectively with the Executive Team, City Manager, and City Council.
Applicants who exhibit political acumen, have a balance of technical and soft skills, are results-orientated and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and like the challenge of transformative change will make strong candidates. The successful candidate is an adaptive leader who brings commitment to high-touch customer service to serve and respond to residents, developers and businesses, and colleagues.
The minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's degree with major work in Urban or Regional Planning, Economics, Public Administration, or related field, and five (5) years of progressively responsible community and economic development experience, including two (2) years of supervisory experience. A Master's degree is desirable.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: The annual salary is $159,336 to $193,668. Placement within this range is dependent upon qualifications. The Assistant Community & Economic Development Director is a regular position of the M
id-Management employee group, eligible to receive all related benefits to the group, including:
Retirement: Participation in MCERA (Marin County Employee Retirement Association) plan, which offers reciprocity between agencies in CalPERS.
Medical Insurance: EE Only - $735.86; Employee + 1 l- $1,471.71; Employee + Family - $1,913.24; Waive coverage - $735.86.
Dental: Fully paid for employee and dependents.
Vision: Fully paid for employee and dependents.
Administrative Leave: 10 days per calendar year (applied every January pro-rated based on date of hire).
Vacation: Vacation accrual of 15 days per year for the first 5 years, pro-rated based on hire date; additional accrual based on years of service up to 25 days per year.
Holidays: 12 paid holidays, plus 1 floating holiday per year.
Sick Leave: 12 days per year.
Sick Leave Pay Out: 3% per year of service, up to 600 hours.
Service Credit for Sick Leave: Option upon retirement for EEs hired on or after 6/30/09.
Long Term Disability : 2/3 of monthly salary up to a maximum benefit of $7,500.
Life Insurance: $150,000 life insurance policy.
Bereavement Leave: Up to 3 days for in-state, 5 days for out-of-state.
Gym Reimbursement : Up to $198 per year.
125 Flex Spending Account: EE Option - Up to IRS Limit
457 Plan: EE Option - Up to IRS Limit
THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS: Please submit your cover letter and resume (including month/year of employment) via our website:
Peckham & McKenneywww.peckhamandmckenney.com.Please do not hesitate to contact Maria Hurtado toll-free at (866) 912-1919, by cell at (831) 247o-7855 or via email at
maria@peckhamandmckenney.com. if you have any questions regarding this position or recruitment process.
SEARCH SCHEDULE: Filing Deadline: July 14, 2024
Preliminary Interviews: July 22 and July 23, 2024
Recommendation of Candidates: July 31, 2024
Finalist Interviews:
- Virtual Panel Interview August 8, 2024
- Finalist(s) In-Person Interview w/Director August 12, 2024
These dates have been confirmed, and it is recommended that you plan your calendar accordingly. City of San Rafael is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Job PDF:
Assist Com & Ed Director Brochure.pdf Recruitment Contact
Contact phone:
(831)247-7885
Contact email:
maria@peckhamandmckenney.comClosing Date/Time: 7/14/2024 at 11:59pm
