Public Works Director

The City of Sandpoint is seeking a Public Works Director for this charming town of 10,000 located 45 minutes north of Couer D'Alene, Idaho. The town is known for its resort atmosphere and for offering a family-friendly community and active outdoor lifestyle on beautiful Lake Pend Oreille surrounded by the Selkirk and Cabinet Mountain ranges. The City operates with an annual 2024 budget of $52.97 million and a team of 121 FTEs.

THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

The Public Works Director is an executive level position reporting to the Mayor with considerable latitude for independent judgment and initiative. The Director manages the Public Works Department with a 2024 budget of $20.7 million and a team of 33 FTEs. The 8 direct reports are the City/Civil Engineer; 2 Construction Managers; Water, Wastewater and Utilities Supervisors; Streets Supervisor; and an Administrative Assistant.

The Public Works Department oversees and manages Utilities (Water, Wastewater, Sewer Collections, and Water Distribution), Streets/Roads, Fiber, Solid Waste (contract with Waste Management), Stormwater, and Engineering Services (which has its own Professional Engineer).

The Public Works Director also serves as a City Engineer and performs professional engineering duties, including project and plan review and approval, project design and management, and providing technical support.

Due in large part to Sandpoint’s role as a regional commercial center and major tourist draw, the Director will be responsible for several exciting large-scale construction projects on the near-horizon, collaboration with other divisions in successfully managing new growth, providing professional and technical expertise in development of agreements with neighboring jurisdictions and communities for provision of City utilities, and leading a professional/technical staff forward to meet the needs of the future.

WHY APPLY

This is an excellent opportunity to help lead a stunningly beautiful and fast-growing community that has an engaged population, a highly collaborative and transparent organizational culture, and several complex challenges to prepare the community for the future. The City of Sandpoint is well-run, financially stable, and serves as the county seat of Bonner County. The organization is closely knit, collaborative, and committed to its mission of service to its customers while protecting the environment.

If you are a seasoned professional engineer with public sector experience and excited about managing growth, tackling interesting and varied professional challenges, leading a solid group of professionals, and working in a collaborative and supportive work environment—this may be the opportunity for you.