Director of Public Works & Transportation

Job Summary

The Director of Public Works & Transportation serves as the senior manager responsible for the effective delivery of the City's public works and transportation services. This position provides leadership and administrative oversight for streets, traffic operations, stormwater, sanitation, fleet and equipment maintenance, environmental services, parks maintenance, transportation programs, and related public infrastructure operations.

The Director leads departmental personnel, establishes service priorities and performance expectations, manages operating and capital resources, and ensures that public infrastructure is maintained safely, efficiently, and responsively. The position coordinates capital projects and regulatory activities, works closely with consultants and partner agencies, and advises executive leadership on departmental operations, service delivery, infrastructure needs, and long-range investment priorities.

Essential Job Functions

This job description should not be interpreted as all inclusive. It is intended to identify the essential functions and requirements of this job. Incumbents may be requested to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this specification. Any essential function or requirement of this class will be evaluated as necessary should an incumbent/applicant be unable to perform the function or requirement due to a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodation for the specific disability will be made for the incumbent/applicant when possible.

• Develops, administers, and monitors departmental operating and capital budgets; controls expenditures; forecasts staffing, equipment, and material needs; and supports long-range financial planning.
• Plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates departmental operations, programs, services, staffing, equipment, facilities, and public infrastructure assets.
• Establishes service priorities, work plans, performance measures, and maintenance schedules for streets, stormwater and drainage systems, sanitation, fleet, parks maintenance, traffic operations, and other assigned services.
• Provides leadership to managers, supervisors, field crews, technical staff, and administrative personnel; establishes clear expectations; promotes accountability; and supports employee development and succession planning.
• Evaluates departmental staffing, organizational structure, equipment, technology, and operational practices and implements improvements that increase safety, productivity, customer service, and cost effectiveness.
• Oversees preventive maintenance, inspection, repair, and replacement programs for public infrastructure, vehicles, equipment, and facilities using sound asset management practices.
• Directs the planning, prioritization, funding, and delivery of capital improvement and transportation projects in coordination with City staff, consulting professionals, contractors, utility providers, and partner agencies.
• Ensures that the department maintains the staff, procedures, documentation, and coordination necessary to support the City's Local Administered Project (LAP) certification with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).
• Oversees procurement, contract administration, vendor performance, project schedules, budgets, quality control, and closeout activities for departmental services and capital projects.
• Coordinates with consulting engineers and other technical professionals for design, plan review, permitting, construction administration, and specialized evaluations, as needed.
• Ensures that work performed by City crews and contractors complies with approved plans, contract requirements, safety standards, applicable codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversees departmental work-order, asset management, GIS, fleet, inventory, and records-management systems to support informed decisions and effective service delivery.
• Reviews operational and performance data, identifies service gaps and infrastructure needs, and recommends practical short- and long-range solutions.
• Coordinates roadway, traffic, pedestrian, and multimodal transportation initiatives with other departments, regional partners, GDOT, Rockdale County, utilities, and affected stakeholders.
• Identifies and pursues federal, state, regional, and local funding opportunities for transportation, infrastructure, stormwater, equipment, and public works improvements.
• Ensures departmental compliance with OSHA, EPA, EPD, FEMA, GDOT, and other applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, permits, policies, and safety requirements.
• Promotes a strong safety culture through training, standard operating procedures, incident review, hazard mitigation, and consistent enforcement of workplace safety practices.
• Responds to resident, business, elected-official, and stakeholder concerns regarding public works services, infrastructure conditions, projects, and departmental policies; resolves issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Builds effective working relationships with City departments, contractors, consultants, utilities, regulatory agencies, community partners, and the general public.
• Advises executive leadership and elected officials regarding departmental performance, service priorities, infrastructure conditions, capital needs, emergency operations, and policy considerations.
• Directs departmental emergency response, severe-weather preparation, debris management, infrastructure restoration, and disaster recovery activities, including coordination with internal and external response partners.

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Construction Management, Engineering, or a closely related field required. A master's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Management, or a related field is preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a portion of the educational requirement, consistent with City policy.

LICENSE(S): Valid State of Georgia Driver's License.

CERTIFICATION(S): Certified Public Works Professional (CPWP) or other relevant public works or project management certification preferred.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT(S) : Ability to attend evening meetings, participate in emergency response operations, and work extended hours as required.

EXPERIENCE: Seven to ten (7-10) years of progressively responsible experience in public works, municipal operations, infrastructure maintenance, transportation, utilities, sanitation, fleet, construction, or a related service-delivery environment, including significant supervisory and management experience. Experience managing multi-functional operations, field personnel, operating and capital budgets, contractors, equipment, emergency response activities, and public-facing services is preferred. Local government experience is strongly preferred.