Public Works Director

Director Of Public Works

The City of Culver City, CA (City) is seeking a dynamic, principled, and people-focused Public Works Director (Director) to lead one of its broadest and most visible service portfolios at an exciting moment of transformation. With significant investment underway in infrastructure and deferred maintenance, a citywide modernization of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) process, and a renewed focus on transparency, accountability, KPIs, and community-centered results, the next Director will have a meaningful opportunity to shape how Culver City looks, moves, operates, and serves its community for years to come.

Infrastructure. Mobility. Sustainability. Community. In Culver City, Public Works touches it all. The City of Culver City, CA (City) is a dynamic urban community in the heart of Los Angeles County, home to approximately 40K residents who enjoy a unique blend of small-town charm and big-city amenities. Walkable neighborhoods, historic architecture, and a vibrant downtown make it a sought-after place to live, work, and visit.

The City operates under a Council-Manager form of government. Its five-member elected City Council provides policy direction, sets priorities, approves the budget, and appoints the City Manager, City Attorney, Police Chief, and Fire Chief.

The Public Works Department (Department) is one of the City's most operationally diverse departments, with responsibilities extending from the infrastructure beneath the street to the mobility, environmental, and public systems residents experience every day. The Department's work touches nearly every aspect of the built environment, including streets and sidewalks, municipal facilities, sewers and stormwater infrastructure, traffic signals and streetlights, urban forestry, refuse and recycling, mobility and parking infrastructure, utility permitting, graffiti abatement, and sustainability programs.

The City is seeking a principled, decisive, and highly engaged change leader who is data-informed, disciplined, and people-focused. The next Director will inherit a dedicated team while stepping into an organization experiencing an exciting period of transformation, with new executive leadership, evolving City Council priorities, and a priority-based budgeting approach creating greater alignment between the City's resources, its work, and the needs of the community.

To thrive in this role, the Director will bring: a broad public works foundation, capital and infrastructure management experience, sound judgment and conviction, political and community acumen, operational agility, and data-informed decision-making.

Minimum qualifications include a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in public administration, business administration, civil engineering, construction management, urban planning, environmental science, public works administration, or a related field. Five (5) years of increasingly responsible professional and administrative experience in public works, municipal operations, infrastructure management, capital improvement program, utilities, engineering administration, construction management, environmental services, sanitation, or closely related field, including at least five (5) years of significant management and supervisory responsibility. Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license at time of appointment and throughout employment.

An annual salary of up to $211,748 - $258,467 DOE/DOQ, plus a generous benefits package that includes: certification incentive, retirement, health dental, and vision insurance, retirement health savings plan, management education incentive, life insurance, disability insurance, physical well-being allowance, phone allowance, vacation, floating holiday leave, administrative leave, sick leave, holidays, transportation allowance, deferred compensation, and optional flexible spending account (FSA).