City Manager

City Manager Position

The City of Kennesaw is seeking a highly qualified professional to serve as its next City Manager. Positioned strategically along the vibrant Interstate 75 corridor in northern Cobb County, the City of Kennesaw, Georgia, seamlessly balances small-town authenticity with sophisticated suburban growth. Kennesaw offers a compelling quality of life rooted in historical heritage, forward-thinking urban planning, and well-planned civic infrastructure. As part of the dynamic Greater Atlanta metro area, Kennesaw combines economic vitality and top-tier public amenities. Kennesaw families benefit directly from the renowned local Cobb County School District, consistently recognized among the premier public-school systems in the state and the nation. Students consistently rank #1 in the Metro Atlanta area on the SAT and ACT, outperforming state and national averages. Multiple district high schools rank within Georgia's top 20% by U.S. News & World Report, featuring exceptional graduation rates, robust Advanced Placement programs, and championship athletics. Kennesaw is also home to Kennesaw State University (KSU), Georgia's third-largest university. A revitalized downtown district is the city's social hub, featuring local dining, artisanal coffee shops, craft breweries, and local distilleries. Kennesaw's event calendar brings thousands together for landmark regional traditions, including the annual Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival (attracting 60,000+ attendees), the Big Shanty Arts & Crafts Festival, the Kennesaw Concert Series at the United Bankshares Amphitheater, and the patriotic Salute to America celebration. Kennesaw takes great pride in protecting and managing its historical and cultural resources for future generations. The city maintains a resilient commercial landscape, from regional retail centers along the Barrett Parkway corridor to burgeoning small businesses downtown. The City of Kennesaw operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The governing body consists of a mayor and five Council members who are elected at large to set policy, adopt ordinances, approve the annual budget, and establish a strategic vision for the city. The Mayor and Council appoint a professional City Manager to serve as the chief executive officer of the city. The City Manager oversees all daily operations, directs department heads, ensures fiscal responsibility, and implements policies. The City Manager oversees a general fund budget of $35 million and provides leadership to 216 full-time employees through an array of service delivery departments.

The City of Kennesaw is seeking an ethical, approachable, and community-oriented leader with strong communication skills who values transparency, accountability, and strong public service. This ideal candidate needs to understand how to lead a growing community through the transition from traditional suburban development to a more complex, mature city characterized by redevelopment, mixed-use development, a downtown focus, increased density, infrastructure demands, and heightened expectations for municipal services. The ideal candidate should embrace innovative and practical solutions while respecting the traditions and character that make Kennesaw unique. To be successful in this important leadership position, the new City Manager will be expected to; promote proven local government best practices tailored to the needs of a growing community and work collaboratively with elected officials, staff, business leaders, and residents to advance a shared vision for responsible growth and long-term sustainability; demonstrate strong interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to build trust and maintain positive working relationships with the Mayor & Council, staff, citizens/stakeholders, other local government jurisdictions, and state officials; project professionalism, demonstrate accessibility and responsiveness to citizen needs while balancing economic development and infrastructure demands with the fiscal stewardship required to sustain services now and in the future.

Candidate Qualifications:

· Bachelor's Degree required in Public Administration, Political Science, Business Administration/Management, Urban Planning or related degree from an accredited university. A master's degree is preferred.

• A minimum of five (5) years of executive management experience in a local government as a city or county manager, deputy manager; or as an upper-level executive manager in an organization with similar complexity to the City of Kennesaw is expected.
• Evidence of continued professional development, such as the ICMA Credentialed Manager designation, is a positive indicator of dedication to the profession and will be noted during the candidate vetting process.
• Any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills,

and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Compensation & Benefits:

The expected starting salary range is $185,000 - $215,000 depending on experience and qualifications. The City of Kennesaw offers a competitive benefits package including: Health Care Coverage with the choice of two Point of Service (POS) options and a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a Health Savings Account (HSA); PPO dental and vision insurance with City contributions, City-paid Basic Life and AD&D insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability, 457(b) Defined Contribution Plan with City contributions, Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Holidays, Annual Personal Days, and a Car Allowance. Relocation Expenses are negotiable.