The Ideal Candidate

Dickinson is looking for an outstanding leader and manager who can see the big picture, understands strategic planning, and is able to articulate the City’s story and message to a variety of stakeholders and fosters a work environment that promotes the best interest of the city. The Administrator not only works for the Commission, but also partners with them and serves as a trusted advisor.  The Administrator will need to be well- prepared, keep the Commissioners informed, and provide the information they need to make good decisions in a timely manner. The ability to lead to good decisions and explain the reasoning, yet not be afraid to make the tough decisions when required is essential.

The ideal City Administrator will be a team player, mentor and coach, who delegates responsibility to department heads and encourages an environment that inspires growth and creativity. The ability to establish expectations and accountability, and take a collaborative approach is crucial.

The ideal candidate will have excellent communications skills, customer service skills, will be a good listener, eager to be a “face” or representative of the city, as well as a part of the community.  He/she will lead by example, have the ability to work effectively with people, and resolve problems in a timely manner.

A key part of this job is to be an advocate for the City of Dickinson, seeking funding and championing the city’s interests.  The candidate will spend a good deal of time and effort working with legislators at the state capital in Bismarck, therefore, negotiation skills, understanding house bills that affect southwest North Dakota, being adept at intergovernmental relations, working with other agencies in the region as well as with state and local officials is essential. The individual must be knowledgeable of grants and other opportunities for external funding.

The ideal candidate will have at least a Bachelor’s Degree in business or public administration or another area related to city management. The best candidates will have at least eight years of experience as a City Administrator or assistant City Administrator and expertise in local government, human resource management, finance and budget, and economic development and redevelopment. Others with strong leadership and management skills and who have reported to a board may be considered.

Challenges and Opportunities

Dickinson is a wonderful community and financially sound. That does not, however, mean it does not have challenges.  First and foremost, almost $9 million of Dickinson’s total $58.7 million in revenues comes from the state’s Oil Impact Fund. That fund was initiated to help western North Dakota cities deal with the rapid growth they faced as a result of the shale oil boom. The cities simply could not keep up with the demands of services new residents were requiring and the fund helped them accommodate that growth. Now, as with any pot of money, others are eying it and the city needs to work diligently to maintain its share. Working with the state legislature to protect these monies will be imperative.

Secondly, the population is trending younger and with it, the demand for events and facilities to improve resident’s quality of life is growing. While much has been done already, more will be needed in the future. Along with the younger population we are seeing a huge increase in new birth rates, which will have a huge impact on schools in the future.  Thus, the city needs to continue to think strategically and plan for those needs that many might otherwise feel are over the horizon.

Thirdly, the new Administrator will be expected to look hard at the city’s structure and business practices. Dickinson grew very rapidly and, in some areas, the governmental infrastructure has not kept pace. Some paper processes should be automated or otherwise revised. Others are informal and need to be formalized. Some areas may be understaffed while others may be overstaffed. The bottom line is the new Administrator needs to bring a critical eye.

Fourthly, Dickinson is seeking to brand itself, to redevelop its downtown through its Downtown Square effort, and to continue to grow. When the boom occurred, development was somewhat scattered and now a significant amount of infill needs to occur. Planning and leadership will be needed in each of these areas.

The Process

The City of Dickinson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply by 8/10/2020.  To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and the required City application form that can be found at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/dickinson/ Veterans claiming preference must submit Form DD214 with the application. Any questions regarding the position should be directed to Shelly Nameniuk, HR Coordinator at shelly.nameniuk@dickinsongov.com , 701-456-7801 or 701-690-5805.  

Minimum Requirements include having a valid driver's license, pre-employment drug screen, reference check, and background check at hire.

Salary

$116,800-$182,650 DOQ