Public Works Director

The City of Fort Atkinson is seeking a collaborative and innovative leader to join its team as its next Public Works Director. The City is ideally situated between the Madison and Milwaukee metropolitan regions in southern Wisconsin and combines small-town ambiance with nearby big city amenities. Fort Atkinson has a bustling downtown, business parks, abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, great schools, and many historic and cultural amenities. The City is a full-service community that prides itself on being a great place to live, work, play, learn, and visit as well as for providing high quality municipal services.

Fort Atkinson’s Public Works Director leads a department of multiple divisions: Airport, Building and Zoning, Electrical, Engineering, Building and Zoning, Shared Ride Taxi, Streets/Operations, and Stormwater, Wastewater, and Water Utilities. The city engineer position is currently vacant and the City expects the new Public Works Director to be involved in the recruitment/selection of this position.

The salary range is $116,000-$127,890, plus excellent benefits. The Director reports directly to the City Manager. Operating under the Council-Manager form of government, the Fort Atkinson City Council is comprised of 5 members elected at-large on a non-partisan basis for two year overlapping terms. The 2025 total DPW department operating budget is $12M, including utilities. The position leads a staff of 30 full time employees. The city 2025 Capital Improvement Budget is $9.3M which the DPW Director also assists in developing and overseeing. 

A bachelor’s degree in business, public administration, civil engineering, planning or related field is required. Master’s degree and/or P.E. (professional registered engineer) designation are a plus. This position requires advanced professional knowledge in the principles and practices of public works administration, engineering, capital project development and implementation, field maintenance operations and program development. Requires knowledge of applicable laws, codes, ordinances, and regulations governing public works construction, maintenance, and engineering design best practices. Experience in budget development and management; project management; human resources and supervision of employees; familiarity with state and federal grant programs and in effectively interacting with a wide variety of stakeholders including members of the public, developers, contractors, city staff, and elected officials.

The person in this position is expected to have a high degree of professionalism and represent the City of Fort Atkinson with personal and professional integrity. The City also desires a candidate who fosters teamwork, has a strong commitment to public service, and who will support and encourage a positive working environment and professional development opportunities for public works staff.

Future opportunities for the new Fort Atkinson Public Works Director include completion of the Public Works and Parks Operations facility; planning and development of the Ridge View Estates residential subdivision; maintaining the momentum on current infrastructure projects; grant administration; development of a cohesive team culture across the department’s distinct missions; development and retention of DPW staff; and the overall upgrading of the City’s aging infrastructure within existing fiscal restraints.

If you are interested in this challenging and rewarding role, please send your cover letter, resume, salary history, and 5 work-related references (in one PDF file) to Public Administration Associates (PAA), LLC, Attn: Bruce Stelzner, Associate at bruce.stelzner@yahoo.com by February 19, 2025. Confidentiality must be requested and cannot be guaranteed for finalists.

www.fortatkinsonwi.gov

https://public-administration.com/jobs/fort-atkinson-public-works-director/