Director of Utilities

Closes on Monday February 17, 2025

Apply through TB & Co

The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is incredibly unique in offering a full array of services to its residents and businesses: electricity, water, wastewater, natural gas, and fiber optics. CPAU is an award-winning utility recognized nationally as innovative and a leader in reliability, safety, environmental sustainability, workforce development, and system improvement. Palo Alto has a tradition of over 125 years of successful public utility operations. It is a tradition that continues to provide customers with safe and reliable utility service, local decision-making over policies, utility ratemaking, environmental programs, and customized services. CPAU focuses on customer service, infrastructure reliability, regulatory compliance, and cost containment. It also supports the City’s sustainability goals by building a low-carbon energy supply through renewable energy, carbon emission offsets, and programs to help customers use energy and water more efficiently, reduce their carbon footprint, and integrate new technologies. The Director of Utilities oversees CPAU with an FY 2025 operating budget of $476.4 million,supported by 279.18 FTEs. 

The Ideal Candidate

The City seeks a highly strategic visionary leader with strong executive leadership skills to serve as the next Director of Utilities. The ideal candidate will exhibit the sophisticated leadership style required to effectively manage a complex award-winning utility in an environment where excellence and creativity are considered the norm. They will join a team committed to shaping the community’s future by transforming innovative ideas into reality and driving positive change. An energetic leader who can interject expert knowledge, new concepts and ideas, and assess and leverage the department’s strengths is preferred. The Director plays a pivotal role in ensuring the department and community’s long-term success, including providing strategic guidance to ensure that staff have enriching careers and future generations inherit a more sustainable community. 

The candidate selected will bring a strong business mindset coupled with an entrepreneurial approach to managing large operations and projects. This long-term thinker will have their fingers on the pulse of the profession and bring a history of introducing pioneering ideas and bringing them to the forefront of a very dynamic industry. With demonstrated success in energizing others around compelling possibilities, they will explore opportunities and resources unique to Silicon Valley and potentially collaborate with world-class partners and an engaged community to design the future of utilities in Palo Alto and likely beyond. To that end, a history of effectively developing and managing productive partnerships will be expected. 

Having developed a reputation for being an even-keeled, fair, and consistent manager, the new Director will cultivate a culture that encourages open communication and prioritizes strong relationships between leadership and staff. This capable professional will engage in strategic thinking with the City’s executive team, earn staff respect, exhibit an exceptional team. To learn more about the CPAU, visit cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Utilities orientation, be a supportive and respectful mentor and coach, and display the ability to identify and realize the potential in people. Proven accomplishments in recruiting and managing diverse groups of employees and developing strong managers and future leaders are strongly preferred. The candidate selected will be an articulate, credible, proactive communicator who is comfortable being a visible ambassador and representative of the agency. Sensitive to the importance of internal and external information needs, this respected professional will embrace contemporary tools and approaches to inform and engage the public. Understanding the importance of building community engagement, the new Director will partner with others to ensure progress toward a shared vision, utility reliability into the future, and the City’s climate action and environmental goals. Regarded as a trusted partner with deep political acumen, the Director will be adept at serving as a liaison between their department, the City organization, leadership, and the wider community. This experienced executive will foster confidence and quickly build trust among various stakeholders. As an inspiring leader, they will engage effectively with diverse, knowledgeable audiences and champion a collaborative decision-making process, understanding that the best solutions often emerge from thoughtful analysis and creativity. 

A typical way to show readiness for this position would include a bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, public administration, or a field directly relevant to the management of a utility, and ten (10) years of related experience including five (5) years of management level experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the position. A master’s degree is preferred. Experience working with the challenges and complexities of similar-sized organizations and municipal utility operations is desirable.

Please check the Job Brochure for more detailed information!

For additional information please contact:

Salary : $263,973 - $395,970