Assistant City Manager

City Profile

The City of Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, home to several colleges and universities, with a vibrant performing arts community. Fueled by an impressive mix of education, ingenuity and collaboration, Raleigh has become an internationally recognized leader in life science and technology innovation. (Source: Raleigh Office of Economic Development)

About the Raleigh Community

The City of Raleigh, founded in 1792, is the second largest city in North Carolina. It’s both the county seat of Wake County (the largest county in North Carolina) and the capital of the state.

Driven by a strong economy and an outstanding quality of life, Raleigh is consistently ranked among the nation’s best places to live and operate a business. Sustained population growth has created new development opportunities in Raleigh. The City has made strategic investments into new operational facilities, parks, transportation, transit, and affordable housing and is completing plans for a new consolidated Civic Campus. Similarly, reform of development standards has allowed more urban, transit-focused development and more diverse housing types to encourage housing choice and affordability.

Community Demographics

Population growth: 467, 655 in the 2020 Census (481,900 is the current estimate), up from 291, 141 in the 2000 Census
Educational attainment: 54.33 % received their bachelor’s degree or higher
Median household income: between $60,000 and 75,000
Median home price: $410,500
Unemployment rate: 2.9%

For more information about the City of Raleigh, please see our “Welcome to Raleigh” video. Also, learn about national recognitions for the City.

Form of Government

The City of Raleigh operates under a charter-mandated Council-Manager form of government. The City is governed by a Mayor and seven Council members, with the Mayor and two Council members elected at large and the remaining five Council members elected from five districts within the City. The Mayor and Council members each serve two-year terms, and all have an equal vote.

The City Council establishes policies, enacts ordinances, approves the City budget and appoints the City Manager, City Attorney and City Clerk. The Manager administers the daily operations and programs of the City through the department directors, other staff members and employees with the assistance of four Assistant City Managers.

The City Council is currently evaluating changes to extend the length of City Council terms.

Guiding Principles

The City of Raleigh is committed to maintaining and improving itself and its assets. In those efforts, we follow a set of guiding principles.

City of Raleigh Mission
“To build a stable platform of evolving services for our community through which we champion positive and sustainable growth and realize visionary ideas for all.”

City of Raleigh Vision
“To pursue world-class quality of life by actively collaborating with our community towards a fulfilling and inspired future for all.”

City of Raleigh Strategic Plan

The City leverages a Strategic Plan to guide our work and effectively respond to the evolving needs of residents. The plan articulates areas of strategic focus that target the City's efforts and resources in ways intended to have the greatest impact in six key focus areas over the life of the plan. They are:

Arts & Cultural Resources
Economic Development & Innovation
Growth & Natural Resources
Organizational Excellence
Safe, Vibrant & Healthy Community
Transportation & Transit

Priorities that are areas of focus for Assistant City Managers include:

Oversight of the implementation of the City’s Disparity Study recommendations
Preparation for the organizational transition to the new consolidated Civic Tower
Coordination and planning for the City’s city-wide Compensation and Classification study
Work on catalytic projects related to affordable housing, transit, parks, and operating infrastructure
Engagement in long term land-use, operational and financial planning to ensure long-term success

The City of Raleigh provides a full range of governmental services through its Fiscal Year 2024 combined operating and capital budgets of $1.7 billion. This includes a General Fund operating budget of $772 million.

The FY24 budget authorized more than 4,500 FTE’s. There are 25 departments and offices providing a wide range of services including police, fire, and emergency 911 services; public utilities; planning and development; street construction and maintenance; parks, recreation and cultural services, a convention and performing arts center, housing and neighborhoods and several others. Those include internal-facing departments such as budget, finance, human resources and IT. New departments and offices recently established include the Equity and Inclusion Department, Office of Community Engagement, and the Office of Strategy and Innovation, along with Communications and Special Events departments. For more information, please refer to the FY24 Budget.

Office of the City Manager/Assistant City Managers

Under the direction from the elected Mayor and City Council, the City Manager serves as chief administrative and executive officer for the City, providing leadership and representation for all matters concerning City government. The current City Manager, Marchell Adams-David, is starting her fourth year as City Manager and is in her 10th year of service to the City of Raleigh.

The Assistant City Managers help the City Manager in planning, directing, managing, and reviewing all activities and operations of the City, ensuring services and programs are provided efficiently and effectively within the available financial resources.

The City Manager’s Office leads the financial and budget management process for the City and directs the City’s efforts to plan for the future. Staff members perform research, suggest public policy development and direction for City Council and evaluate potential public programs.

Candidate Profile

The new Assistant City Manager will join a diverse and high-functioning executive team. The Assistant City Managers act as extensions of the City Manager’s leadership, and it is paramount that the working relationship with the City Manager be one of deep trust, transparency, and collaboration. While members of the City Manager’s Office have assigned areas of responsibility, a team-based approach that includes functional partnerships to achieve results is important to the organization’s culture.

The former Assistant City Manager’s duties were focused on internal services, but an office reorganization is anticipated, and all talented candidates are encouraged to apply! Specific departmental assignments and responsibilities will be determined based on the background and strengths of the successful candidates and those of the existing executive team. Proven leaders with experience in all areas of municipal government are encouraged to apply.

Successful candidates must be people-focused, exhibit an exemplary customer service approach, and have a strong commitment to public service. The ability to develop and leverage authentic relationships with internal and external stakeholders is critical. The successful candidate will value diversity and demonstrate knowledge and commitment to equity and will clearly exemplify the City’s organizational values of responsiveness, integrity, respect, collaboration, honesty, diversity, stewardship, and initiative.

The successful candidate will also demonstrate strengths to include:

Energy and influence in building broad community networks
Talent in bringing ideas to life
Willingness to act boldly and creatively to achieve organizational goals and objectives
Commitment to excellence with focus on strengths and talents of others
Resilience in the face of unexpected community or organizational events
Ability to aspire others to be their best

The City is looking for someone with a master’s degree in public administration, government operations, business management, or a similar program with 10+ years of experience in local government with more than five years of executive experience in the City Manager’s Office or as a department director. Equivalent experiences will be considered.

The candidate will have successfully served in or demonstrate strong familiarity with the Council-Manager form of government. Successful candidates will also have a proven record of leadership, fiscal stewardship, innovation, and relationship-building.

Compensation and Benefits

The City of Raleigh offers a competitive salary commensurate with the successful candidate's qualifications and experience. The salary range for the position of Assistant City Manager is $142,841 - $264,258. City practice is to consider starting salaries that do not exceed the mid-point of the range.

The City’s compensation philosophy prioritizes market competitiveness and “total rewards.” The City provides a comprehensive benefits package as part of the total rewards program to support employees through important events in their life, to enhance their life outside work, and to help them plan and prepare for the future. The City participates in the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (NCLGERS).

Application and Selection Process

Qualified candidates should submit their letter of interest and resume online by visiting our website at www.government jobs.com/careers/raleighnc. This position is scheduled to remain open until Jan. 22, 2024.

Following this date, applications will be screened against criteria outlined in this brochure. Virtual interviews with the City of Raleigh will be offered to those candidates selected as finalists, with reference checks, background checks, and academic verifications conducted after receiving candidates’ consent. A pre-employment screening to include controlled substance tests will be conducted by the City.

For more information, please contact Sharnell Jones, Human Resources Director, sharnell.jones@raleighnc.gov or 919-996-4711.

View and download Assistant City Manager Recruitment Brochure (PDF)

_{The City of Raleigh is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.}