Assistant City Manager

General Summary The Assistant to the City Manager serves as a senior member of the City Manager’s Office responsible for constituent services, strategic communications, interdepartmental initiatives, organizational improvement, and assigned operational functions. The position promotes responsive service, citizen engagement, customer service excellence, and transparent community outreach across City departments. Working with significant independence under the general direction of the City Manager, the position oversees constituent inquiry and resolution systems, administers civic feedback channels, modernizes public-facing intake procedures, provides strategic direction for public information and communications, supervises assigned personnel and functions including Parks and Recreation, the Grant Administrator, and Communications Specialist, coordinates special projects, and conducts policy research to drive continuous service improvements. Duties and Responsibilities 1. Constituent Services, Issue Resolution, and Customer Experience Constituent Services and Issue Resolution: Lead the City’s constituent inquiry and issue-resolution process, ensuring resident concerns are acknowledged, appropriately investigated, coordinated with responsible departments, tracked to resolution, and communicated in a timely, professional, and courteous manner. Service Standards and Process Modernization: Evaluate and refine public intake procedures across city operations (e.g., Building, Planning, Public Works, Parks and Recreation) to streamline permit processing, simplify public requests, and eliminate customer service bottlenecks. Civic Engagement and Community Feedback: Design, deploy, and analyze community satisfaction surveys, pulse checks, and public comment mechanisms. Translate constituent feedback into actionable operational improvements and executive policy recommendations. Executive Escalation and Complex Issue Resolution: Serve as the primary administrative point of escalation for complex constituent issues, working directly with department heads to resolve matters when possible and identifying issues requiring City Manager involvement. 2. Strategic Communications and Public Relations Communications Leadership: Provide strategic direction and supervisory oversight of the City’s communications function and Communications Specialist; coordinate sensitive or high-profile messaging; and support transparent, timely, accurate, and accessible dissemination of press releases, official statements, social media content, and emergency information. Public Outreach Campaigns: Direct targeted civic engagement efforts surrounding public projects, municipal initiatives, and community programs to foster public trust, transparency, and broad community participation. Intergovernmental Liaison: Coordinate legislative messaging and constituent-related administrative workflows with county, state, and regional partners, serving as a key staff liaison to intergovernmental consultants, regional committees, and neighboring municipal entities. 3. Parks and Recreation and Specialized Supervisory Oversight Parks and Recreation Leadership: Provide administrative and supervisory oversight of Parks and Recreation operations, including personnel, programs, facilities, community events, customer service, contracts, operating procedures, budget administration, performance measures, safety, and other assigned operational responsibilities. Grant Administration Oversight: Provide supervisory leadership to the Grant Administrator, guiding the pursuit, execution, compliance, and administration of municipal grant funding across city departments. Staff Direction: Provide direction, task assignments, coaching, and performance evaluations to designated personnel, including the Communications Specialist, Grant Administrator, Parks and Recreation staff, and other assigned personnel. Participate in recruitment and selection and make recommendations regarding hiring, promotion, discipline, reassignment, and other personnel actions for assigned staff. 4. Policy Research, Executive Support, and Compliance Constituent-Focused Policy Development: Research, analyze, draft, and refine administrative policies, standard operating procedures, and ordinances that improve service accessibility and address emerging community needs. Statutory Compliance and Reporting: Prepare executive policy memos, briefs, and Commission presentations and support compliance with applicable Florida municipal requirements, including the Government in the Sunshine Law (§ 286.011, F.S.) and Chapter 119 public records requirements, in coordination with the City Clerk and City Attorney as appropriate. Budget Alignment: Collaborate with executive leadership during the annual budget process to align operational expenditures and grant requests with community feedback and constituent service priorities. 5. Strategic Initiatives, Special Projects, and Executive Coordination Strategic Initiatives: Lead or coordinate high-priority projects assigned by the City Manager that cross departmental boundaries or require executive-level follow-through. Project Management and Accountability: Develop project plans, timelines, performance measures, implementation strategies, and status reports for major City initiatives; coordinate with department directors to address implementation issues and maintain progress. Executive Support and Representation: Prepare research, briefing materials, presentations, agenda materials, and talking points, and represent the City Manager’s Office on assigned committees, working groups, community meetings, and intergovernmental initiatives. Education and Experience Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Communications, Business Administration, Political Science, or a closely related field (Master's degree preferred). Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in local government administration, constituent services, public communications, project or program management, civic engagement, or a comparable field, including demonstrated responsibility for significant projects, programs, or personnel. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered. Preferred professional development or credentials may include ICMA/FCCMA participation, FMCA Certified Local Government Communicator (CLGC), public information officer training, FEMA/ICS coursework, or other relevant municipal management or communications credentials. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Program and Project Coordination (Required): Ability to organize and lead cross-departmental projects, establish timelines and accountability measures, coordinate multiple stakeholders, and manage public initiatives from planning through implementation. Constituent Relations and Conflict Resolution (Required): High-level capability in managing public relations, crisis messaging, constituent inquiry resolution, and empathetic stakeholder communication. Executive and Public Writing (Required): Superior written communication skills, including proven ability in drafting clear public statements, staff reports, policy memos, commission presentations, and community announcements. Service Process Optimization (Preferred): Demonstrated expertise in analyzing customer service workflows, modernizing intake platforms, and setting elevated service delivery standards. Intergovernmental and Municipal Law Knowledge (Preferred): Working knowledge of Florida municipal government, commission-manager governance, the Government in the Sunshine Law, Chapter 119 public records requirements, and intergovernmental processes. Survey and Data Analytics (Preferred): Skill in designing citizen surveys, gathering community input, and translating qualitative/quantitative feedback into actionable policy changes. Physical Demands and Working Conditions The physical demands described below are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this position, with or without reasonable accommodation. Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting, with regular attendance required at evening City Commission meetings, public community workshops, community events, and emergency management activations. Occasional visits to local municipal facilities, parks, public works operations, and community event sites across Atlantic Beach. #J-18808-Ljbffr