Job Description
Salary : $181,068.00 - $267,516.00 Annually
Location : Garden Grove 92840 (City Hall), CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 2024-049
Department: City Administration
Division: City Manager (102)
Opening Date: 02/05/2024
Closing Date: 2/26/2024 5:00 PM Pacific
City and Job Overview To view the recruitment brochure:
The City of Garden Grove is recruiting for the position of
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER . This position works with the City Manager in the development and control of the operational goals and objectives for all City Departments. The incumbent oversees the implementation of department programs and plans long-range strategic goals to implement City Council initiatives that meet the needs of the City and community.
This is a great opportunity for the perfect candidate to play a pivotal role in shaping key initiatives that will contribute greatly to the City's future. Key priorities include the development of the new state-of-the-art Police Department Headquarters; expansion of the Garden Grove Resort District; formulation of a master plan for the Civic Center area to connect placemaking efforts with Historic Main Street, City Hall, GEM Theater, Garden AMP Steelcraft, and Cottage Industries; advance the Central Cities Navigation Center; and maintain partnerships with Be Well OC and the CalOptima Street Medicine Program.
THE COMMUNITY Garden Grove was founded in 1874 and formally incorporated on June 18, 1956. The City of Garden Grove is located in central Orange County, approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The City is the 5th largest city in Orange County and the 31st largest in the State of California. Garden Grove is vibrantly progressive and culturally diverse, spanning nearly 18 square miles in Orange County, California.
The City is a vibrant and culturally diverse community that promotes unique attributes and preserves residential character and great neighborhoods. The City maintains its small town ambience with extensive local community programs and events, while still attracting visitors because of the local foodie scene, the annual Strawberry Festival, and its close proximity to entertainment destinations and tourism.
The City is a general-law, full-service city with a Council-Manager form of government, which includes a Mayor elected at-large and six City Council members elected by districts for four-year staggered terms. The City Manager, Lisa Kim, was appointed in February 2023 to oversee City operations with an annual budget of $382 million and a staff of over 700 employees, who deliver quality municipal services to more than 172,000 residents.
Essential Duties Reporting to the City Manager, this at-will position is a key member of the City Manager's Leadership Team. This position will assist with the overall management of the City and coordinate activities to ensure that City Council initiatives are implemented.
Key responsibilities of this position include:
- Under direction of the City Manager, ensures effectiveness of daily operations for all City activities;
- Provides management direction by expediting work flow and assuring achievement of departmental work projects through direct supervision of the City's executive management team;
- Directs the plans, reports and specifications for work directed by the City Manager;
- Carries out directives of the City Manager regarding interpretation of policies;
- Formulates ordinances, rules, procedures and policies and prepares them for presentation to the City Manager and City Council;
- Ensures that all rules and policies are carried out in accordance with the intent of the City Council and City Manager;
- Confers with City Manager, City Council and Department Directors concerning the projects and problems of various City departments and the development of citywide programs and policies;
- Directs and supervises the functions of the Office of the City Clerk and the Office of Community Relations;
- Develops general policies in consultation with the appropriate Department Director regarding improved operating methods and procedures for facilitating that department's activities;
- Maximizes available resources by developing and installing improvements;
- Analyzes departmental organizational structures and staffing patterns;
- Assesses community expectations and service requirements and develops appropriate methods;
- Coordinates service delivery levels with the needs of citizens in order to address problems and complaints of the general public;
- Negotiates contracts and solutions on a variety of administrative, fiscal and special projects; participates in the preparation and monitoring of programs or special project budgets;
- Supervises research and studies regarding future planning, development and/or growth of the City;
- Participates in the preparation and administration of the City budget; prepares the administrative budgets;
- Represents the City and participates in professional and public meetings and organizations as appropriate;
- Provides staff support and advises commissions, committees, task forces and other groups appointed by the City Council or City Manager;
- Analyzes and evaluates the impact on the strategic plan for municipal governance;
- Acts as chief assistant to the City Manager and assumes authority and responsibility for all City operations upon temporary absence or disability of the City Manager.
- Performs related duties as required.
Requirements THE IDEAL CANDIDATE The ideal candidate will be a proactive manager, adept at finding solutions, with a track record of professional achievements. This individual should excel in both strategic thinking and guiding a committed team in serving the City residents and community. This candidate will possess the following:
Key Competencies
- Effective and politically astute leader with strong business acumen;
- High integrity, with the ability to maintain and build trust and actively listen;
- Influential and engaging with the ability to easily develop positive, sustaining relationships;
- Personable and approachable, with the desire to be actively engaged with the community;
- Diplomatic with strong interpersonal skills who can easily adapt to interacting with various audiences;
- A change agent who looks for opportunities to grow, develop, and increase productivity and efficiency;
- Strategic and forward thinking to develop plans for achieving short-term and long-term goals;
- Creative and can think outside of the box.
Experience and Skills
- Demonstrating solid track record of leading and managing municipal service initiatives in the areas of public safety, business and economic development, and public works.
- Identifying, engaging, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders in the community, other governmental agencies, business partners, and others in the course of work;
- Developing and maintaining positive partnerships with community leaders, businesses, and other key stakeholders;
- Staying current on social, political and economic trends and operating issues related to municipal government;
- Developing strategic and creative solutions with projected consequences of proposed actions, and implementing recommendations in support of goals and policies;
- Building consensus, collaboration, and participative decision making to address goals of a City;
- Effectively coordinating, administering, and evaluating a variety of citywide programs and services, and managing financial and budgetary activities;
- Successfully and fairly negotiate appropriate solutions for a variety of business and community situations;
- Leading, supervising, and evaluating assigned staff, including the directing of directors or management staff in policy implementation;
- Developing and executing City policies and procedures with strong ethics, transparency, and accountability;
- Embracing opportunities and challenges of a diverse economic and cultural community, and promoting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS Experience:
Seven (7) years of administrative experience in local government, five (5) of which must be in an executive management capacity with experience in budget administration, public works, capital projects, long-range planning, project administration, economic development, and/or automated management information systems. Previous public sector experience in the Office of a City or County Manager or as a department director is highly desirable.
Education:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in public administration, business administration, planning, engineering, or a related field. A Master's degree in a related field is preferred.
Other Important Information HOW TO APPLY To be considered for the position, applicants must submit the following by
5:00 p.m., February 26, 2024: - an online application,
- supplemental questionnaire,
- cover letter,
- comprehensive resume, and
- four (4) professional references.
Note: References will not be contacted until mutual interest has been established. Candidates will be contacted after the filing deadline regarding the status of their application.
Applications can be submitted online at the City's job opportunities website at:
SELECTION PROCESS Applications will be reviewed very carefully, and only those who appear to have the best qualifications will be invited to continue in the selection process. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an invitation to the interview.
Candidates who are selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted with more information. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of March 4-7, 2024.
Candidates who may need accommodations during the selection process must contact Liane Kwan at lianek@ggcity.org at least one week prior to any test dates.
SALARY ADJUSTMENT A 3.5% COLA increase is scheduled for July 2024.
CONTACT INFORMATION If there are any questions, please contact Liane Kwan at or (714) 741-5011.
Visit for more information about the City of Garden Grove.
VACATION
Accrues at the following rates: - 80 hours upon completion of one (1) year
- 120 hours after one (1) year - 10 hours per month
- 144 hours after nine (9) years - 12 hours per month
- 168 hours after fourteen (14) years - 14 hours per month
- 207 hours after nineteen (19) years - 17.25 hours per month
- 246 hours after twenty-four (24) years - 20.6 hours per month
HOLIDAYS : Fourteen (14) paid holidays annually (up to 125 hours)
ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE: Management employees receive forty (40) hours of administrative leave for use each calendar year beginning January 1. New employees hired July 1 and after shall be allowed to use up to twenty (20) hours during that calendar year.
SICK LEAVE : Sick leave accrues at the rate of eight (8) hours with pay for each full calendar month of service.
INSURANCE: Cafeteria Plan Spending Fund: Employees receive a monthly allowance with which to purchase medical and dental benefits for themselves and their dependents. Any unused portion of the allowance may be put into a deferred compensation plan or Flexible Reimbursement Account, or taken as cash at the end of the year. The City also provides a Flexible Reimbursement Account into which employees may tax-defer funds to use to pay for childcare or to cover those health and dental care expenses (deductibles, etc.) that are not reimbursed by an insurance carrier.
RETIREMENT Tier I - Employees hired prior to January 1, 2013 are covered by the "2.5% at 55" single highest year option of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) plan. Employees contribute eight percent (8%) of salary to PERS on a tax-deferred basis.
Tier II - Employees hired and enrolled into PERS after January 1, 2013 are covered by the "2.0% at 62" 3-year average option of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) plan. Employees contribute half the normal cost to PERS on a tax-deferred basis.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION PROGRAM : Employees may contribute to a 457(b) account up to the maximum as determined by the IRS annually. There is no City contribution.
BILINGUAL INCENTIVE : After qualification, employees are eligible to receive compensation for the use of bilingual skills in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Korean. Employees receive $85 per pay period for verbal and written translation, and $65 for only verbal translation.
TUITION REIMBURSEMENT : Upon completion of one (1) year of City service, an employee may receive tuition reimbursement for pre-approved completed coursework toward a college degree.
THE BENEFITS LISTED ABOVE ARE ONLY RELEVANT TO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES. BENEFITS FOR PART-TIME UNBENEFITED AND PART-TIME BENEFITED EMPLOYEES WILL DIFFER FROM THOSE OF A FULL TIME EMPLOYEE. 01
Please carefully read these instructions : Your responses to the supplemental questions below will be used to determine your qualifications for the position.
Please answer ALL of the supplemental questions as truthfully and accurately as possible. Your responses to these questions are subject to verification and may be assessed in subsequent examination parts. Any sign of deliberate misinformation or intentional exaggeration may result in disqualification from this examination process.
- I have read, understand, and agree to these terms.
- I have read, understand, but DO NOT agree to these terms. I wish to withdraw my application from this process.
02
How many years of administrative experience in local government do you possess?
- I have no experience in this area.
- Less than 1 year experience
- 1 to 2 years of experience
- 3 to 4 years of experience
- 5 to 6 years of experience
- 7 years or more of experience
03
How many years of executive management experience do you possess?
- I have no experience in this area.
- Less than 1 year of experience
- 1 to 2 years of experience
- 3 to 4 years of experience
- 5 to 6 years of experience
- 7 years or more of experience
04
Please describe your administrative and/or executive management experience in the following areas:
A) Your role as a department director;
B) Developing and managing a City or department budget;
C) Communicating with internal and external stakeholders, including governing bodies, professional groups, media, and the public; and
D) Developing and implementing a City-wide strategic plan(s).
If you do not have experience in an area, please write "N/A" below.
05
Please describe the most challenging project you handled. Include in your response your role, the budget size, and impact to the City and/or community.
If you do not have experience in this area, please write "N/A."
Required Question
Job Tags
Holiday work, Full time, Temporary work, Part time, Local area, Flexible hours,