Hampton Roads Community Seeks City Manager

• Do you enjoy the feel of a small town with access to bigger City amenities?
• Do you appreciate access to the Great Dismal Swamp, Hampton Roads waterways, and beaches?
• Do you appreciate the service and commitment of a military community?
• Do you value a fast-growth community with robust economic development opportunities?

You can have all of this and more as the next City Manager of Suffolk, VA

The City of Suffolk, VA, is seeking a leader with impeccable integrity, outstanding leadership skills, and a track record of being entrepreneurial, and business-savvy to be their next City Manager.  With the ability to inspire and support a team culture and to enhance employee retention, the successful candidate will have extensive experience in creating a high performing organization through partnering and collaborating with staff, community, regional partners, and the Council.  This highly skilled and motivated leader will wear multiple hats, with a special emphasis on outstanding interpersonal engagement, excellent fiscal management, project management, and economic development skills.  

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION AND POSITION:

The City Manager, who reports to the Mayor and an eight-person City Council, leads a full-service City with approximately 1500 employees who provide a full range of services to its citizens through a Deputy City Manager, Chief of Staff and directors of 24 departments.  The FY 20-21 general fund budget of $651M is supported by a tax rate of 1.11 per $100 of assessed tax value. The City of Suffolk achieved the highly acclaimed and much-lauded AAA rating following upgrades by all three rating agencies on the City's outstanding general obligation (GO) bonds and long-term rating. The basis for the rating upgrades was attributed in part to Suffolk's strong management and financial policies and the consistent ability to maintain balanced budgets as well as a robust economy. More information about the services provided by the City of Suffolk can be found at https://www.suffolkva.us/27/Government.

The new City Manager must maintain and enhance the quality of life desired by citizens while driving economic diversity, enhancing excellent local and regional partnerships, proactively planning and managing infrastructure investment, maintaining safety, and encouraging citizen engagement.  A track record of innovation in delivering on strategic initiatives as well as increasing collaborations, effective governance, and service delivery is essential.  The 2035 Comprehensive plan is the current guide to many priorities of the community. 

Key priorities, among others

• Respond proactively and creatively to the impacts of COVID-19 on the City of Suffolk’s businesses, residents, and visitors.
• Plan for and implement comprehensive planning initiatives while tying strategic goals to budget development and management.
• Evaluate the City of Suffolk organizational structure to ensure that it can meet the needs of employees and the demands of the City.
• Proactively create and support economic vitality opportunities especially related to regional partnerships, industrial recruitment, and workforce development programs.
• Exhibit transparency, honesty, and integrity in all operations through listening to the needs of the community and the City of Suffolk employees.
• Commit to a calm and professional leadership and management style that is inclusive and promotes the value of diversity and equity and performance excellence.
• Strengthen the Council/Manager model of government and find effective ways to manage the City by balancing the responsibilities of the elected body with the roles of a professional City Manager and staff.