CHIEF OF STAFF - CITY COUNCIL

JOB DESCRIPTION

Chief of Staff - City Council

FLSA Status: Full Time, Non-Exempt

Pay Grade: M-14

SUPERVISION

Supervision Received: City Council

Supervision Given: Supervises Outreach Specialist and Administrative Assistant

Description

Coordinates the staff, operations, and initiatives of the Pontiac City Council.

Essential Functions: The Chief of Staff must be able to perform the essential duties and may be called upon to do any or all of the following:

• Coordinates and supervises the Staff in the Office of the Pontiac City Council, facilitates the success of the Staff, and enforces office policies
• Under the director of City Council, gathers information, coordinates research, analyzes, and reports findings back to the whole body
• Provides regular reports to the City Council on office activities and projects’ status
• Facilitates best practices for improved operations of City Council offices
• Acts as a liaison between the City Council, Mayor and City departments
• Attends meetings and community events on behalf of the City Council
• Researches and shares professional development opportunities for City Council members
• Facilitates progress on City Council initiatives and any other tasks deemed necessary, as directed by the City Council leadership

NOTE: Examples do not include all duties that the incumbent may be expected to perform. Duties may be assigned which are within the scope of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The City reserves the right at its discretion to alter, amend, or modify this description.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: These requirements may be fulfilled by any combination of training and experience, which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities

Education, Experience, Training

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university required; Master’s Degree in Public Administration or Juris Doctorate from an accredited college or university strongly preferred; five (5) years of professional experience performing complex and comprehensive job functions related to the duties of this role, preferably in municipal or legislative settings.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Knowledge of municipal operations, processes and procedures and municipal organizations, methods, and practices, as well as knowledge of relevant state and federal regulations
• Skill in use of Microsoft Office Programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other programs that are determined to be essential to the efficient and effective performance of the job
• Ability to solve problems in a timely manner, managing own time and the time of staff
• Ability to work effectively with City officials, employees and general public
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations
• Ability to respond to inquiries or complaints from citizens or regulatory agencies
• Ability to produce written documents using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar and to understand oral and written instructions
• Ability to analyze a variety of administrative problems and to make problem-solving recommendations
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret basic laws, rules and regulations affecting municipal government
• Ability to effectively prepare, communicate, present and respond to executive management, public groups, boards, commissions and other branches of government
• Ability to solve practical problems and handle changing situations
• Spanish-Speaking proficiency strongly desired, though not mandatory

COMPETENCY: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; Collects and researches data; Uses intuition and experience to complement data; Designs workflows and procedures.

Design - Generates creative solutions; Translates concepts and information into images; Uses feedback to modify designs; Applies design principles; Demonstrates attention to detail.

Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Project Management - Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages project team activities.

Technical Skills - Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; Pursues training and development opportunities; Strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; Shares expertise with others.

Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs; Solicits customer feedback to improve service. Responds to requests for service and assistance; Meets commitments.

Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; Maintains confidentiality; Listens to others without interrupting; Keeps emotions under control; Remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.

Oral Communication - Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.

Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Able to read and interpret written information.

Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed.

Visionary Leadership - Displays passion and optimism; Inspires respect and trust; Mobilizes others to fulfill the vision; Provides vision and inspiration to peers and subordinates.

Leadership - Exhibits confidence in self and others; Inspires and motivates others to perform well; effectively influences actions and opinions of others; Accepts feedback from others; Gives appropriate recognition to others.

Managing People - Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; Takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; Makes self available to staff; Provides regular performance feedback; Develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; Solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); Fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products and services.; Continually works to improve supervisory skills.

Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Demonstrates thoroughness.

Cost Consciousness - Works within approved budget; Conserves organizational resources.

Ethics - Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.

Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; Completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; Supports organization's goals and values; Benefits organization through outside activities; Supports affirmative action and respects diversity.

Strategic Thinking - Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; Understands organization's strengths & weaknesses; Analyzes market and competition; Identifies external threats and opportunities; Adapts strategy to changing conditions.

Judgment - Displays willingness to make decisions; Exhibits sound and accurate judgment; Supports and explains reasoning for decisions; Includes appropriate people in decision-making process; Makes timely decisions.

Motivation - Sets and achieves challenging goals; Demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; Measures self against standard of excellence; Takes calculated risks to accomplish goals.

Planning/Organizing - Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives; Develops realistic action plans.

Professionalism - Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions; Follows through on commitments.

Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.

Quantity - Meets productivity standards; Completes work in timely manner; Strives to increase productivity.

Safety and Security - Observes safety and security procedures; Determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; Reports potentially unsafe conditions; Uses equipment and materials properly.

Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Change approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

Attendance/Punctuality - Is consistently at work and on time; Ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; Arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals.; Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.

Initiative - Volunteers readily; Undertakes self-development activities; Seeks increased responsibilities; Takes independent actions and calculated risks; Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; Asks for and offers help when needed.

Innovation - Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others' attention.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This employee is primarily in an office environment with extensive use of written documents, computer and telephone. Employee will also have frequent contact with City officials, employees and the general public. The noise level in the work environment is moderate. Some remote work opportunities during the work week are possible, with the consent of City Council leadership.